It has been a wild year for fantasy football. Whether you are in the hunt for a championship or you 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 should be set at certain positions if you made the playoffs. The skill position players got you to this point. But there are still a handful of lineup decisions to be made in the fantasy playoffs. If you are one of the many who have been streaming tight ends and quarterbacks, hopefully you planned ahead.
For example, Russell Wilson draws the Eagles, Ravens and Chiefs during the fantasy playoffs. I’d prefer to start Caleb Williams or Jameis Winston because they play weaker defenses.
This applies to defenses and kickers as well. Two of my favorites during that stretch are the Cardinals and Colts. Both are likely available. Target kickers who play indoors or at warm-weather stadiums. It’s important to keep an eye on the weather this time of year when making quarterback and receiver decisions as well.
Don’t overthink lineup decisions.
In most leagues, the playoffs are win or go home. You have one, and if you are lucky two, chances to get it right. The pressure kicks in and you start second-guessing your lineup all week. This player has been my fantasy darling all season long but faces a tough defense this week. Another player, who you have not started much of the season, has a really juicy matchup. You will consider tinkering with your lineup all week long until the weekend comes.
Do not get cute. Ride the guys who got you to this point. We have some awesome matchups in Weeks 16 and 17. Some top offenses square off with terrific defenses during those two weeks. With that said, I’m not benching Zay Flowers because he is playing Pittsburgh. You should still start Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin against the Eagles. Ja’Marr Chase will be shadowed by Patrick Surtain in Week 17, but do not even think about benching him. They got you here. Stick it out with them.
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.
Sports betting is a fun way to stay engaged as well. Have Josh Allen 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.
Look ahead to next season.
We saw the return of the running back this year. There have been a few surprises — Chuba Hubbard is my prized late-round pick — but outside of Christian McCaffrey bombing as the top pick, the top backs all lived up to their draft position. When we release the 2025 rankings in the summer, expect running backs to make up most of the first round.
On the flip side, we thought tight ends would emerge this season. Eleven tight ends had a top-100 average draft position, according to FantasyPros. Brock Bowers tops the position despite being drafted the latest of those 11 tight ends with an ADP of 93. Just five tight ends are top-100 players, and while Bowers will be highly ranked next season, do not expect another 11 tight ends to go that early.
Quarterbacks also managed to stay healthy this season compared to a year ago when the position was decimated by injury. C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson were top-six choices this summer, but both have had disappointing seasons. Meanwhile, Bo Nix and Sam Darnold are top-10 scorers at the position. Having Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson certainly has its advantages, but next season will be another in which I stress that unless you land one of those top quarterbacks, punt the position until the end of the draft.
This was the second season in which I embraced Zero RB in all my redraft leagues. I struck gold with Hubbard and Aaron Jones in the later rounds. Chase Brown was one of my favorite later picks. I also completely whiffed on Javonte Williams. I drafted him in all my leagues, but he is currently outside the top-30 running backs. Next season will be different. Hero RB — drafting a first-round back and not drafting another for the next six rounds — will likely be my approach come draft day.
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox
Issue 290: December 2024 / January 2025
Originally published Dec. 18, 20024