SEATTLE - DECEMBER 24: Running back Frank Gore #21 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on December 24, 2011 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
Another playoff fantasy football challenge is upon us as drafts are going on throughout this week, in preparation for the beginning of the postseason on Saturday.
While I put together player rankings for each position to get you set for the Wild Card Round, I’ve gone ahead and put together a cheat sheet for all players in the entire playoffs.
While many of you will likely play on ESPN, NFL.com or other major sites and choose players on a week-to-week basis, some of you are actually drafting for all players combined off the 12 eligible teams in the playoffs, in a snake-style draft format.
Below I have a Q/A email message, as a fantasy owner emailed me recently looking for draft advice beyond the Wild Card rankings, found on the site.
After listing out the top four players, as I see it, I then go into a quick writeup on which teams I believe will have the best odds of advancing deeper into the playoffs. This is crucially important to factor in when choosing players, because the more games your players participate in the better odds you have of winning your league.
At the same time, while players like Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson are unlikely to advance past the Wild Card Round, they will likely have monster stat-lines, as they play against the Saints.
One massive game could make up for two or even three games from a lessor player, so even if you feel unconfident about a given team's or player's odds of advancing, they should still hold some value.
Question
Playoff league draft this week. League with no pick ups after the draft, and you play until players are eliminated. Who should I go with? Can you get me a list of top four per position?
Reply
QBs
Drew Brees
Aaron Rodgers
Tom Brady
Eli Manning
RBs
Ray Rice
Arian Foster
Ahmad Bradshaw
Frank Gore
WRs
Jordy Nelson
Wes Welker
Calvin Johnson
Victor Cruz
TEs
Jimmy Graham
Rob Gronkowski
Aaron Hernandez
Jermichael Finley
Ks
Mason Crosby
Jon Kasay
David Akers
Stephen Gostkowski
Team Defense
Steelers Defense
Packers Defense
Ravens Defense
49ers Defense
AFC Strategy
Basically, I like the Steelers, Ravens and Patriots as the teams that could go deep in the AFC this year. The Steelers get one extra game as they play in the Wild Card, and with a matchup against the Broncos offense this week, I like them as the top defense.
NFC Strategy
I like the Packers, Saints, Giants and 49ers in the NFC this year. The Packers will be the trendy team to take players from, but their defense and poor running game could get them in trouble.
Who knows what will happen in New York this week, but I figure the Giants will come out on top, as the Falcons tend to lose against quality outdoor teams. That means if the Saints win, the Giants will play the Packers. Even if they lose that game, you’ll get some solid production in two high-scoring games.
The Saints get a great matchup this week and will then head out to San Francisco.
That game will be an interesting one, and because I’m a 49ers fan, I will be pulling for the home team, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they lose. Should be a close one, but basically because of this matchup, I don’t like Chris Ivory over Darren Sproles.
As for the 49ers, they have the defense and special teams to be both the Saints and Packers, but do they have enough offense?
That’s the gamble when selecting anyone from this team, because if not, they could be a one-and-done team.
Cheat Sheet and WC Rankings – QB | RB | WR | TE | Overall by Position Cheat Sheet