For those who don’t want fantasy football to end, there’s another way to extend your season (other than DFS). It’s called NFL Playoff Fantasy Football.
Simply join four, or five, other owners and re-draft based on the players available among playoff teams.
Lineups and rosters are all customizable, but here is a template I use…
Starting lineup – QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex (RB/WR/TE), 1 K, and 1 D/ST
Roster (20 spots) – 2 QBs, 6 RBs, 6 WRs, 2 TEs, 2 Ks, and 2 D/STs
Also, set-up your scoring settings before the draft. I use a PPR-format.
NFL Playoff Seeding
AFC
- Patriots
- Steelers
- Jaguars
- Chiefs
- Titans
- Bills
NFC
- Eagles
- Vikings
- Rams
- Saints
- Panthers
- Falcons
Now, on to the rankings…
Quarterbacks
- Tom Brady, NE
- Ben Roethlisberger, PIT
- Jared Goff, LAR
- Blake Bortles, JAC
- Drew Brees, NO
- Case Keenum, MIN
- Alex Smith, KC
- Cam Newton, CAR
- Nick Foles, PHI
- Matt Ryan, ATL
- Tyrod Taylor, BUF
- Marcus Mariota, TEN
The goal for these leagues is to have the players playing in the most games. Every team is guaranteed one game. Which ones will advance? In the past, you could easily assume that one team would play two, or even three, games. However, in my opinion, this is the toughest playoff to predict in recent history. So, I put experience at the top of my rankings.
Tom Brady is the most decorated quarterback in NFL playoff history. He knows how to get into the postseason and, most importantly, he knows how to advance in the playoffs. Brady has won 25 playoff games. The second-most, among quarterbacks, is Joe Montana with 16 wins.
The same could be said for Ben Roethlisberger. His 13 playoff wins is tied with Brett Favre at sixth among QBs.
After those two, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will advance. I’m predicting that either New England or Pittsburgh will face Los Angeles, so I tend to rank the Rams higher. When setting your rankings, be sure to adjust based on your Super Bowl matchup prediction.
Running Backs
- Le’Veon Bell, PIT
- Todd Gurley II, LAR
- Leonard Fournette, JAC
- Alvin Kamara, NO
- Mark Ingram, NO
- Kareem Hunt, KC
- Dion Lewis, NE
- Latavius Murray, MIN
- Derrick Henry, TEN
- Christian McCaffrey, CAR
- Jay Ajayi, PHI
- Devonta Freeman, ATL
- Tevin Coleman, ATL
- Jerick McKinnon, MIN
- Rex Burkhead, NE
- James White, NE
- LeSean McCoy, BUF
- Mike Tolbert, BUF
- Marcus Murphy, BUF
- Jonathan Stewart, CAR
- T.J. Yeldon, JAC
- Corey Clement, PHI
- Charcandrick West, KC
- Roosevelt Nix, PIT
- LeGarrette Blount, PHI
- Mike Gillislee, NE
- Stevan Ridley, PIT
- Anthony Sherman, KC
- Malcolm Brown, LAR
- DeMarco Murray, TEN (out)
As I mentioned in the quarterback writeup, Steelers/Patriots vs. Rams are my favorites. Le’Veon Bell and Todd Gurley II reflect that in my running back rankings.
A darkhorse prediction from the NFC is New Orleans. With the Saints playing in the first round, I bumped up Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. They have the potential to play in four playoff games. Obviously, more games equals more opportunities for points.
Towards the end of your draft, don’t forget about backups who could earn points deeper in the playoffs. One prime example is Roosevelt Nix for Pittsburgh. Sure, he’s notched three carries all season, but they came in the final two weeks. One rush was for a touchdown. If the Steelers advance to the AFC Championship, or even the Super Bowl, Nix is worth the risk. Something is better than nothing when your roster starts to dwindle down.
Wide Receivers
- Antonio Brown, PIT
- Adam Thielen, MIN
- Michael Thomas, NO
- Tyreek Hill, KC
- Brandin Cooks, NE
- Chris Hogan, NE
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT
- Julio Jones, ATL
- Alshon Jeffery, PHI
- Stefon Diggs, MIN
- Devin Funchess, CAR
- Keelan Cole, JAC
- Nelson Agholor, PHI
- Cooper Kupp, LAR
- Marqise Lee, JAC
- Martavis Bryant, PIT
- Sammy Watkins, LAR
- Danny Amendola, NE
- Mohamed Sanu, ATL
- Robert Woods, LAR
- Eric Decker, TEN
- Rishard Matthews, TEN
- Dede Westbrook, JAC
- Corey Davis, TEN
- Torrey Smith, PHI
- Kelvin Benjamin, BUF
- Albert Wilson, KC
- Ted Ginn Jr., NO
- Deonte Thompson, BUF
- Taylor Gabriel, ATL
Before his injury, you could’ve made an argument that Antonio Brown was the MVP of the league. He’s certainly one of the most consistent. Brown has tallied at least 100 catches and nine touchdowns in four-consecutive seasons. When he’s on the field, Pittsburgh will always have a shot. For these reasons, Brown is worth the risk of being the first wide receiver off the board.
It’s all about getting the maximum number of points from your roster. If you select players who have a bye higher in your draft, be sure to toss in some first-round receivers towards the end. Having a full lineup in the Wild Card round is just as important as having players who are in the final game.
The Falcons are five-point underdogs against the Rams, but their game has one of the highest over/unders of the Wild Card slate (48.5). Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and even Taylor Gabriel could be steals while every one else is aiming for first-round favorites who might underperform, and potentially lose, in their first game (see Eagles).
Tight Ends
- Rob Gronkowski, NE
- Travis Kelce, KC
- Zach Ertz, PHI
- Greg Olsen, CAR
- Kyle Rudolph, MIN
- Delanie Walker, TEN
- Jesse James, PIT
- Charles Clay, BUF
- Trey Burton, PHI
- Marcedes Lewis, JAC
- Austin Hooper, ATL
- Gerald Everett, LAR
- Dwayne Allen, NE
- Josh Hill, NO
- Demetrius Harris, KC
- Ed Dickson, CAR
With the limit of two TEs in this league, make sure you backup your stud with a player who will record some minutes in the Wild Card round. Rob Gronkowski and Zach Ertz will be the obvious favorites, but you’ll need someone to start in their place until the Divisional round.
Charles Clay is my favorite choice in the first weekend of the playoffs. He’s received at least eight targets in three-straight weeks. In Week 17, when LeSean McCoy was hurt, Clay caught six passes for 64 yards. He is Tyrod Taylor‘s favorite option and could be heavily-relied upon against the Jaguars.
Kickers
- Stephen Gostkowski, NE
- Chris Boswell, PIT
- Kai Forbath, MIN
- Josh Lambo, JAC
- Harrison Butker, KC
- Matt Bryant, ATL
- Jake Elliott, PHI
- Will Lutz, NO
- Graham Gano, CAR
- Sam Ficken, LAR
- Stephen Hauschka, BUF
- Ryan Succop, TEN
D/STs
- Vikings
- Steelers
- Patriots
- Jaguars
- Rams
- Chiefs
- Saints
- Eagles
- Falcons
- Panthers
- Titans
- Bills
There are two different approaches when selecting a kicker and defense:
- You continue to pick from teams you believe will play in the Super Bowl
- You hedge your bet and choose from teams different from your positional players
Either way works for me.
Also, remember where these teams are playing. Weather will be a factor for the kicking game in New England, and other cold venues that are outdoors.
Adam Meyer is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Adam, check out his archive and follow him @CharlieSideHstl.