Playoff Drafting!

get to draft again. We haven't. We haven't drafted since August, so that part's fun. You don't have to do for the way most people play, not all, but most, you don't have to do any transactions. I love draft in

hold and it just you know, it just goes. Although there's so many ways to play and to do this, when you're drafting quarterbacks, it should be team quarterback and kickers team kicker because because there's no transactions, and if your quarterback goes down, you should get the backup automatically. And right now you don't know who's gonna start for the Rams. We'll talk about them later at quarterback. So yeah,

team quarterback, team kicker is vital. So this episode is dedicated to those playing fantasy football in the playoffs, and particularly those who are in leagues that are running through the entire playoffs. I know there are a lot of leagues where you're just sort of like playing this week only, and that's not our goal for this one. That's going to be our goal for the future ones. We'll just be breaking down the upcoming games, um deep dive in

the upcoming games. This one, this podcast for Fantasy Football Weekly is for those leagues that are playing through the entire playoffs and drafting for the entire playoffs. Let me recommend this opportunity to test new rules, new scoring systems that you're considering for regular season fantasy play next year. Here's where you do the dry run on new rules and scoring systems. Yeah, and a great site to try as our friends over at my Fantasy League dot com.

If you run your league during the regular season, they charge your fee as they should. It's very customizable, very cool. But for the playoffs it's free, So you can go to MFL my Fantasy League dot com and create a league and yeah, PPR points for first downs. You can experiment with everything under underneath the sun. So it's a great site. It is we we like and the people behind my fantasy league elite human beings, we love them. Um okay, let's talk about some of the strategies to

winning your playoff fantasy football league. By the way, I play with seven this year. I'm playing with exactly seven teams because there's four teen teams in the playoffs, Brian. That means Brian gets two quarterbacks, two kickers to team defense, I get to everybody gets two of the core you know those core positions. Everyone gets uh used up and yeah,

we're in the league together. And the the first thing you have to think about in draft is do I am I gonna go after the guys on by because that's they're only gonna they can only play three games max. Everyone else technically could play four, correct, Yeah, the game's played. Nothing more important than games played, right you? You you want to find guys that gonna play three or four

games ideally because there's so much more valuable. So let me ask you this, Brian, would you rather have an elite player who might only get one game or a mediocre player who might get three games? As an example, Allen Robinson or Terry mclaurain guys that look like they're gonna only play one game but they're really good. Or would you rather have Sammy Watkins not that great a player, doesn't generally perform that well, but he could play three games. Yeah,

it's a tough call. The elite supposed one and done guys like you said, Allan Robins and Terry McLaurin, even if they only play one game, they still have potential to go plus even thirty plus Fantasy points in a losing effort. But I still most times I'd much rather have the mediocre guy who's gonna play at least be

guaranteed to play two games. No one's guaranteed to play two games in the playoffs, but yeah, two, three, four, I'd rather have games played more time on the field than just one guy, you know, one and done scenario. Most likely, I think I would too. You know, I'd rather have that, don't I'd like to have three shots with Sammy Atkins. You know, are four shots of Emmanuel

Sanders as a possibility. And speaking of that, you know, the the teams that are really fascinating, because this year is different with the with the one my only one team getting to buy So this week's two seeds are guy teams that were normally off right, so Buffalo and New Orleans, these are really good teams. These were two seeds and they're playing so for me, man Bills and Saints are really intriguing. Yeah, you'll I don't I don't know what league you'll play in, or you'll see non

Bills going to the first few picks. Josh Allen Stefon digs there that they seem like they have the best shot to play floor games, and then on on the it's way more open on the NFC side, I think. But yeah, you have to think the Saints had a good chance, and then the the old Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bucks have got a chance to play for right, so they almost I think they almost certainly end up winning against Washington. I respect Washingtons defense a lot, but they're

just not going to score enough points. With Alex Smith, I don't think to to get much done. So you feel like the Bucks are almost automatically getting two games, and then they're they're good enough to beat almost anybody. They destroyed Green Bay earlier in the year, so you feel like the Bucks could make the Super Bowl and get those get that fourth game, which would be great and not. And you also want to take into account not like how many games these players are likely to play.

You have to look at what teams are playing for and where they line up in the bracket in the first round, in the second round, and third round. You don't want to be loaded up on one side of the bracket where you're gonna be playing all your players against each other. It's just like filling out at n C double a bracket. You're not gonna pick teams well, not feeling out of bracket. If you're picking winners in the games in the n C Double, You don't want

to play each other early one. You gotta you want to wait as long as possible to have your teams playing each other. Kickers, defenses, and quarterbacks way more important if you're in a system that doesn't let you change those out. The reason that kickers and defenses don't mean very much in regular fantasy football is I'll score about the same they'll score eight points, ten points, twelve points.

But if your kicker gets knocked out in round one and you're not getting at all the eight, ten and twelve points and your opponents are, you're a huge disadvantage, huge disadvantage. Yeah, you'll see kickers for the more favorite teams like that, the Chief the Bills, the Saints. They'll be going before players like all of the stud receivers that are supposedly gonna be one and don alan rounds

since Terry mccarnin's they're all way more valuable and safer. Definitely, which you hate to say, but do not slough kicker defense to the end of your draft. It's hard to break the habit. Don't do it here. Yeah, you you almost, you almost have to ensure you have at least like one. You can't have to two kickers and two defenses that are likely to go in the first round or you're not going to do well. But you really have to invest heavily in at least one of those positions and

quote unquote elite option mid rounds. Do not be embarrassed to be the first person to take a kicker in defense. Should you brian stack players from one or two teams that you think are gonna do well. It all depends on the size of the contest, how many people you're playing against. If it's our our our seven man league, it's it's okay. To diversify more and spread your players around.

But if you're going for one of these bigger, bigger contests online where it's thousands, hundreds, tens of thousands of people, you really have to put most of your eggs in one or two baskets. Make sure they're on opposite sides of the bracket in the in the different conferences, and uh and and go for the more contrarian teams because people aren't going to be looking at the Steelers or

the Rams if its very contrarian. If I had to pick a plausible contrarian play, I think I would take the Steelers because you get you get a defense that's good enough to win most games and a terrible running game, but I get a passing offense that can still generate points. I think if I had to pick, if I'm in a league with hundreds of thousands, I think that's might be my contrarian play would be Pittsburgh. And I would do everything in my power to never have my players

facing each other. Yeah in the big pool. Yeah. Now when you get to a smaller pool like our seven team league, I think it's the opposite. You really want diversity. I don't need lightning to strike and have you know Juju Smith Schuster score you know four times in the playoffs or whatever. I know from my quarterback. I don't need my quarterback during my wide. I need to have

I just don't have diversity. So I still guys left at every stage of this thing, and even the one and done big name guys can certainly help me out more in the smaller pools and in the big ones. But I would totally fade that the Allan robbins Is and Terry mclaurin's and bigger pools unless I was stacking those teams than the focal point your gutsye if you're stacking Washington. Yeah, I wouldn't stack Washington. That's a little too far down the line to me that I don't

care what size I'm in. I don't know that I could. I could stack Washington given that offense. Defense is good enough to help win games. But the thing, even if the even they do go two or three games in, how much how much do you get out of that offense. Let's talk about some of the injured and or COVID players that you need to be aware of before you draft. Start with Jared Goff. He's got that hand injury. He had surgery. He looks unlikely to play, but could be active.

And again we'll reinforce this is why you have team quarterback. Otherwise you essentially couldn't even draft a Ramps quarterback. You don't know. You gotta have team quarterback. We want to see Wolford play. We'll talk about him a little more, but yeah, GoF, I doubt he he plays this week. And I don't think say that like an injured Jared Goff isn't good when he's healthy. You don't want to Goff of the bum thumb out there in a way. Pittsburgh titen Eric Abron activated off the COVID list. He'll

be available, great matchup against Cleveland. It is a very promising matchup against Cleveland. He's a sneaky play. UH New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara has got the expected to come off the COVID list on Sunday. He needs to. He needs to produce nothing but negative tests from here to Sunday. And he tweeted see you on Sunday, and I believe him. This isn't a BS tweet like uh or Keenan Allen didn't tweet. It's not like Keenan Allen saying don't sit me or Josh Jacob saying I'm not playing.

Kamara loves his fantasy managers, so I'm banking on Kamara. Plant Like Kansas City running back Clyde Edwards. Alaire will not play this week because obviously the Chiefs are off, but he could play after this week's by. He's trying to come back from the ankle and hip injuries that he's got. Um, you know, we don't have any non public insight as to whether or not he's gonna go, but the timetable is about right for him to come

back here. And you know, fantasy managers tend to just only remember the last thing they saw, which was his gruesome injury. The last thing I saw he was done for the year. So yeah, so the reports are encouraging. It could just be a little bit of coach speak, smoke screen, whatever you want to call it. But I'm a little worried about Laire because, uh, Edwards Ali because

the injury it looks so bad. But uh, I'm keeping my eyes not so much on Levy on Bell, but Darryl Williams bumping up my draft forwards a little bit, and why don't I go both? So I take Clyde Edwards Laire who's falling to the mid rounds of fantasy drafts, and then last pick of the draft, Darrel will And you know, now I'm covered. Ignore Bill, I don't you Bill? Maybe? So? Um you know Bell Bell did nothing noteworthy anyway, dude

looks cooked for a career. In twome eyes, Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans speaking of the last guy we saw, you know, going down to the horrible looking injury. They're saying he's a game time decision. My hunches that Mike Evans will not go in this game. They don't need him to beat Washington, and I think they just they got to get him healthy so he can help them make a super Bowl. Yeah, even if he suits up and I wanted to, I feel bad for him because

he hasn't played in the playoffs. That he's had a great long career, but he'll likely see Ronald Darby bad matchup, and I think if he's out there, he's more of a decoy. Yeah, And um, you know they're deeper receiver. They got Scottie Miller and Tyler Johnson you know, they got they got options, So okay. Cole Beasley knee injury, he seems to be unlikely to play. We don't expect to see him. Cooper Cup activated off the COVID list, as is Titans kicker Stephen gust Cowse and Mike Thomas

as well. Oh yeah, thank you, Michael Thomas. Yeah, we should mention him practice. You know, he had he was on the COVID list. He had the Highchael sprain. It appears that he's going to enter this game potentially close to which would be great. What are your what's your expectations for Michael Thomas. They're dumbed a little bit, but uh, you know, the knock on him is all he does is run slant routes, but he makes him work, so that's like riding a bike. He hasn't forgotten how to

do that. But I think he'll be in shape. It's not like he's been injured, you know. I'm sure he's been keeping his legs moving, so I'm expecting. I don't know how much you can do with the high Chel sprain, but yes, you're right, I don't know. I'm still expecting at least Michael Thomas out there, But I'm not. I'm not necessarily targeting him in my fantasy drafts, that's for sure. It's so tempting because Saints have a great opportunity to play four games. Michael Thomas is a great receiver, he

will be, he'll be great. Well, we don't know the quarterbacks even gonna be next year. It's gonna say great next I can't tell you the quarterback is, but um, it's not Drew Brees. That's what I know. Um. This to me, this is as as high risk, high reward pick as there is in your draft. If Michael Thomas stays healthy and plays four games, he could easily end up being the pick that powers you to a fantasy

playoff victory. But nothing we saw from him all year, even when he was on the field, suggests that he's ready to do that. Yeah, I'm with you, and I don't want to steal your thunder or anything. And you're gonna talk about how you kind of like the Rams this week. If that's the case Thomas and the Saints win, then Thomas gets Jalen Ramsey next week, and that's a no go. All right, So let's talk about some of our favorite sneaky players and or teams for the playoffs.

I'll let you go first. Who do you got? The Ravens aren't necessarily sneaky, but everyone pretty much expects the Chiefs to go to the super Bowl, so it's like a two game at best scenario for the Ravens. Most people are thinking. But I think the Ravens could could run the table, go all the way to the super Bowl. And Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews. They're not going at great discount, But I like guys like Marky's Brown, who's been on fire by the way the last he's probably been like

a top five wide receiver, very quietly doing so. But uh, Marky's Brown, Miles Boykin, Gus Edwards, Um, even Willie Snead. It's just a great matchup against Tennessee, who hasn't had a buy since Week four. The Titans over the last five weeks have allowed the second most passing touchdowns, the third most running back touchdowns, and the most wide receiver touchdowns. I think the Ravens can put up a lot of

points in this game. They can put up a lot of points against Kansas City, likely to be a shootout. Who's gonna be very rusty, by the way, benching all their starters in Week seventeen, they're on the buy and Ravens arena come in hot. So I think Baltimore could run the table. So if you load it up on them doing pretty well, if I'll expand on one raven that you only touched on, Gus Edwards, is he's available,

It's like the last pick in your draft. Tennessee gave up think the fifth most rushing touchdowns on the year, and that's Gus Edwards. Game is these rushing touchdowns. Sure, I'd rather have Jake Jake j K Dobbins, but j K Dobbins going off the board and you know, much much much earlier in the draft as a last pick. I like Gus Edwards. He gets he gets enough carries to put up some points every week. And you and

I both think Baltimore is gonna win this game. In advance, you're gonna get at least two games and and maybe more. Who wants to play the Ravens right now? What are the winners of I think sixth straight. Tennessee is not too happy that they drew Baltimore and Dobbins looks great, of course, but you'd think the Ravens might lean a little more on the veteran edwards in the playoffs, especially

pass protection scenario stuff like that. Let me give you the other sneaky way under the radar guy that I like, Rams quarterback John Wolf. The most of you don't know anything about him, and I don't blame you, and you probably didn't were breaking down his tape from last week's game, and I don't blame you for that either. He is an a a F quarterback who is highly mobile, and we love our moble quarterbacks. He's, by the way, he's

the cheapest quarterbacks, cheapest starting quarterback on DraftKings. Taysom Hill's more expensive than John Wolford is. In DraftKings. You get a guy who just ran for sixty yards last week. He's going to run more. I believe he'll run more in this game. And I know, Brian, you've got some Seattle numbers for rushing mobile quarterbacks. Mobile mobile quarterbacks have

done to Seattle this year. Wolford, we won't call him, Cam Newton and Kyler Murray just yet, but still those guys had great games on the ground against the Seahawks. Newton forty seven yards to rushing touchdowns. Murray had sixty seven yards and a touchdown in one game. Uh, Josh Allen's quarter rushing touchdown Carson Wentz went over forty yards. So yeah, that they're they're giving up numbers to mobile quarterbacks.

And Wolford can run. Like you said, he can run, and I think they'll run him sum in this game they get. Uh, Andrew Whitworth comes back. You know, when he suffered his injury, we all thought it was season over. He's on the car thumbs up. I mean it's like that's it, where he's done for the year. But he's back off his torn mc l um, which it is great news. And Uh, Jamal Adams all World All Pro strong safety for Seattle, who was hurt for the first half of the season when Seattle was just giving up

ridiculous numbers to wide receivers. He came back, they shut it all down. But he's injured again. He's a pretty much true game time decision. If he doesn't go, that

would help to that spikes Wolford big time. So you know, I think Walford could get at least the sixty rushing yards he had last week and then really at that point, you almost have a running And by the way, any quarterback who runs for sixty yards is like a coin flips chance of getting a touchdown in those sixty yards and then anything he throws for him just seeing him

viewing it as a bonus. So I really like Wolford and um and that's my probably my favorite convinced me I might be a little heavy on him this weekend the Daily. I wouldn't blame you. Give me a non obvious team that you are avoiding players from. Now, you know you don't have to tell people to avoid Bears and Washington football team that's obvious. Me a non obvious

team you're avoiding. Um, it's I'm going back to that Baltimore Tennessee game and I'm just, uh, I'm you're gonna be tempted to take a J Brown, Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, the big name guys and the and they're following a little bit because again they're gonna they would play the Chiefs in the second round, and everyone's assuming the Chiefs are going to the super Bowl. But yeah, those those

names are still going pretty high. And I think there's very real cause for concern that they lose to the Ravens in this one. I like the Ravens more so. Even though they're the big names like A. J. Brown and Derrick Henry a little suppressed when it comes to a DP, it's still very high for a playoff league, so I'm just avoiding them entirely. I might take some Titans way late if I need to fill some spots, like at Anthony Berks or Adam Humphrey's the type guy.

But uh, as far as a big Nameth, yeah, he's been slipping too, and I think he had a good game in the raven These teams did play earlier in the year and the Tennessee did win, but I'm not looking into that too much. Baltimore looks a whole lot better right now. That was the last loss of Baltimore hadn't Week eleven against the Scene. They've won every game since then. So for me, and I've already alluded to it,

I think Seattle is going to lose. Listen to the quarterback Seattle has faced since Week twelve, when it feels like their defense, you know, their their past defense was on this historically bad run to open the season, and at one point they were averaging like three almost four

hund passing yards of game is crazy numbers. Since Week twelve, they have faced Carson Wentz, benched, Colt McCoy backup Sam Donald going to be benched next year when the Jets have the second overall pick and pick a new quarterback Dwayne Haskins benched and then later released. Jared Goff won't play in this game. C J. Beathard third string quarterback. That's the quarterback Seattle is faced and during that stretch. And by the way, most of these most of these

guys are bad defenses too. I mean, there's are bad quarterbacks, generally have bad teams and generally with bad defenses. And Seattle averaging just it was, allowing just fourteen points per game has given us this percept that they're pretty good. But they're scoring only twenty points per game. That's not going to be enough to get you very far in

the playoffs. I don't think this is a rounded based on the Seattle team we've seen, and tons of respect for Russell Wilson, but just what the way he's played, their inability to run the ball, I just don't The teams that they've beat just aren't good enough. I'm nervous about the Seattle Seahawks. Yeah, that would that's the best chance for an upset. I'm not going to call the Ravens over the Titans and upset. That's not favorite, are they? Okay? I didn't know that. I thought it would have been.

I believes probably like a half a point or a point, but still essentially a coin from And let's not forget the passing numbers. Are Russell Wilson not good against the Rams this year? And zero touchdowns two interceptions in the first game and and just one passing touchdown in Week sixteen. So yeah, I'm with you cause for concern, and I'm upset because I have uh Russell Wilson and Chris Carson in our league. Because I had the first overall pick.

I took Josh Allen first, and when it came back to me, I wanted to go l Jacks, but I didn't want my quarterbacks facing each other in the a f C Championship potentially. But I'm regretting it. Lamar is gonna be regretting it now. Baltimore is favored by three points, opened it three and it's held at three. Interesting that that's in Tennessee, correct, because they're the division champs. Yes, I believe it read home dogs. How about that? Yeah,

well that's you know, that's a dangerous spot. Home dog never feels great, does it. But the home field advantage this year teams went across the NFL. Home teams went one game under five hundred this year at home, well, there really was no advantage for the most part. Tennessee.

The travel bakes and did you hear out I didn't read too much into it or dive into it too much of with Sean Payton had a crazy idea to basically test fifty people and have them live in the super do them all week so they could be there for the game. It's crazy. He's still crazy enough to uh come up with something like that. But people would probably do it for the Super Bowl. I saw. I saw one report that said the NFL is considering only

putting vaccinated healthcare workers in the Super Bowl building. Where is it Tampa? Yeah, I believe it. I think it's Tampa And they've been letting some fans in Florida Florida. Um, all right, thank you for listening to the show. We appreciate you following us. And for those that haven't already, please subscribe to Fantasy Football Weekly. Grateful for those who subscribe, rate and review the show. As always, we'll be back next week. We're really going to focus more on the

divisional round games. It will just be breaking those games down, not talking about the full length of the playoffs like this one was. Just breaking down those games next week. Talk to you more than by bye, everybody. Fantasy Football Weekly is a production of i Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.