Well, the time has finally come and the first week of fantasy football playoffs is officially upon us. For those that are lucky enough to have a first-round bye, remember to remain vigilant! One week in fantasy football can change everything. Stars can be injured, teams can clinch and lose motivation, head coaches can be fired. There is so much to keep track of, that you cannot simply take a week off. For the rest of you that are competing hard, here are a number of tips and tricks that you can implement to win your fantasy football playoffs.
Pick up all of the handcuffs
To those of you that are new to this, handcuffing is the popular practice of drafting the backup to a top RB. If your primary gets injured, then you already have the backup on your roster. For many fantasy football players that have made the playoffs, their lineups are somewhat set. If you have made it to the postseason, scour your opponent’s rosters and keep note of their top players.
Once you have an idea of the players that have carried your opponents into the playoffs, look to the waiver wire. In some leagues, most handcuffs are already owned. That is not always the case, however. If you have the bench space, grab your opponents backups. The reality of an NFL season is that players tend to get warn down near the end of the year. 16 games is a brutal gauntlet, and unfortunately, a lot of players (especially RBs) tend to get injured. If you have the handcuff to your opponents best player, even if you arent going to roster him, you still limit what your rivals can do.
Some big-name handcuffs that are likely owned but could win your league are Alexander Mattison, Latavius Murray, Dion Lewis, Tony Pollard and Jaylen Samuels. These backups play behind RBs who are usually workhorses but are often injured. Remember, it is not just RB that have handcuffs. Some other positions like tight end and quarterback could have some important backups. Teddy Bridgewater for example, or even Dallas Goedert in Philidelphia. These are the kind of guys who could come in handy for a Week 16 playoff game.
Watch for the weather
Only the most devoted fantasy football players will keep an eye on the weather forecast. It can be a tedious job, but it is crucial if you want to win your fantasy football playoffs. We have already seen snow in the last few weeks, as winter continues into its roughest months. When looking at your quarterback and wide receiver matchups, keep an eye on the forecast. Don’t overreact, but wind, snow, and rain can make a huge difference. Generally, running backs won’t be too affected by adverse conditions, while passing attacks can be limited if the weather is bad enough.
On top of that, if you are still in one of those awful leagues who still have kickers, the weather is even more important. The last thing you want in the fantasy football playoffs is a kicker who misses three field goals and costs you your season!
Continue to stream the best defense possible
I have always been an advocate for streaming defenses. You should never tie down your fantasy football team by using the same defense all season long. This season is simply too fluid, and situations change too often. A perfect example this season was the Green Bay Packer defense. They started the year limiting opponents and winning people their weeks. But, over the last few weeks, they have regressed and struggled to stop the run.
Another mistake a lot of players will make is blindly following trends. Early on in the year, the best strategy was to stream whatever defense was going up against the lowly Miami Dolphins. However, as the year has progressed, this Miami team has been playing hard. They have put up 24 or more points in the last couple of weeks.
Analyze the league, and stream the defense that is in the best position. Do not blindly follow a trend, really look at the numbers and find the defense that is most likely to succeed. Remember, a defense only needs to score one touchdown to have a potentially game-winning week!
Trust your instincts and your superstars
Remember, you made the fantasy football playoffs because you made the right decisions during the season (okay, maybe some of you got lucky as well). Just because you are now two or three games away from the championship does not mean you should deviate from what got you there. You need to be confident and trust the players that got you to where you are. Even if some of the matchups suggest otherwise, do not bench your superstars.
The best example I can think of is Patrick Mahomes. He has been a fantasy winner when healthy this season. For the first round of the playoffs, he is going up against the frightening New England Patriots defense. Does this mean you should bench him for another QB? Absolutely not! This is Patrick Mahomes we are talking about, you cannot put him on your bench to watch someone like Drew Lock try to win your week. Trust your superstars, they are the best for a reason. Don’t get too cute with this stuff, the best players in football still can deliver in tough matchups.
Make the decisions that you can live with
You can do as much studying and researching you want, at the end of the day you need to make the decision that you’ll be able to live with! The toughest decision to make on a weekly basis is who to put in your FLEX spot. Because there are so many options, it is hard to pick the player that will perform the best. You can memorise every sleeper and bust article in the world, but it is still impossible to predict who will have the best week. Make a decision with the information you have and be confident!
Good luck in the fantasy football playoffs, hopefully, you will call yourselves champions soon enough!
