It has been a wild year for fantasy football. Whether you’re in the hunt for a championship or finished at the bottom of the standings, there is still a plan moving forward. Let’s dive into how to approach the rest of the NFL season.
Exploit Favorable Matchups
You are likely set at certain positions if you made the playoffs. If you made it this far, you have solid running back and receiving groups. But there are still a handful of lineup decisions that need to be made as you enter the fantasy football playoffs.
I’ll dive into more about tight ends in a bit, but if you’re one of the many who have been streaming tight ends and quarterbacks, hopefully you planned ahead. If you’re looking for an option at quarterback, Jared Goff plays the Panthers and Bears in Weeks 16 and 17, respectively. Tyler Conklin draws the Jaguars and Seahawks, both of whom struggle against tight ends.
This applies to defenses and kickers as well. Las Vegas and Minnesota are two of my favorite defenses during that stretch among those that are likely available. You should target kickers who play in ideal conditions like a dome or warm-weather stadium. Now, with all that said …
Don’t Overthink Lineup Decisions
You’ve made it to the playoffs, and for most leagues, it’s win or go home. You have one chance — and if you’re lucky, two chances — to get it right. The pressure will start to kick in. You’ll be second-guessing your lineup all week long. Perhaps one player has been your fantasy darling all season long but faces a tough defense. Another player, who you haven’t started much of the season, has a really juicy matchup. You’ll tinker with your lineup all week long until the weekend comes.
Don’t try to get cute. Go with the studs who got you there. The Eagles and Cowboys play each other in Week 16, and both feature elite defenses, especially in the secondary. Don’t even consider benching A.J. Brown or CeeDee Lamb because they’re matched up against Trevon Diggs and Darius Slay, two of the best corners in the NFL.
Don’t think about benching one of these players for someone like DJ Moore, who plays the Lions’ atrocious defense that week. That goes for every position. If you have Joe Burrow, don’t start the aforementioned Goff because you don’t like the Bengals’ Week 16 matchup against the Patriots.
Keep The Action Going
Just because the regular season is coming to an end doesn’t mean fantasy football is over. I will still provide weekly rankings and daily fantasy (DFS) lineups on PressBoxOnline.com throughout the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl.
In case you haven’t heard, online sports gambling is legal in Maryland. Mobile betting is finally active and is a fun way to stay engaged. Have Jalen Hurts on your team and want to continue to cheer him on in the playoffs? Download one of the sports betting apps and throw a few bucks on some of his prop bets. The things you can bet on are almost endless.
Looking Ahead To Next Season
We learned a lot this year, but my main takeaway was that the tight end position was dreadful. Travis Kelce continues to be an outlier at the position, racking up 200-plus fantasy points by the end of Week 13. Only three other tight ends had more than 100 points. Heading into the draft, I thought there were five tight ends who deserved to be drafted in the first five to six rounds. That won’t be the case next year. Other than Kelce, I won’t be taking one until Round 10 or later.
Meanwhile, quarterbacks might get bumped up in next year’s rankings. Sure, there were weeks when streaming worked out for fantasy owners, but the truth is if you didn’t have one of the top eight quarterbacks, you were hurting for much of the season. There is a difference between rostering Burrow or Hurts compared to Aaron Rodgers and Derek Carr.
This might be the first year when running backs and wide receivers are relatively equal. Five running backs, four wide receivers and Kelce had posted 200-plus fantasy points by the end of Week 13. I’ve always stressed taking running backs with your top two picks, but that will change next year. Fantasy sports are all about adapting, and before you know it, my 2023 rankings will be available for us to debate.
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