The majority of fantasy leagues have 3-4 weeks left in the regular season; then it will be full speed ahead on the fantasy football playoffs. This article will take a look at five players at each position who have favorable matchups during the fantasy football playoffs, and five that have undesirable fantasy playoff matchups.
While I will attempt to highlight some players who could see their production increase or decrease due to these matchups let me first through out this disclaimer:
These matchups are meant to be used as a tie breaker on tough line up decisions. You drafted stars, so play those stars. DO NOT bench star players in favor of borderline ones simply because of their matchup.
Now let’s take a look at the schedules. We will be focusing on the matchups for the majority of leagues’ fantasy football playoff schedules, Weeks 15-17.
(Note: Matchup Ranks range from 1- being the worst; to 32- being the best.)
The quarterback section is a mixed bag and does not contain any league winners on the positive side. Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson both have great schedules and a history of clutch play, but they would qualify as play at your own risk.
The matchup gives them a nice value bump; but until they show you something, they can’t be trusted as anything more than a desperation play.
Davis Mills, Mac Jones and PJ Walker all have favorable schedules, but are are nothing more than last minute injury replacements.
Matthew Stafford and Ryan Tannehill have bad matchups and are unlikely to be in your lineup if you’ve made it to the playoffs.
These five quarterbacks can all be left on the waiver wire.
Tua Tagovailoa, Patrick Mahomes and Geno Smith all have tough matchups for the fantasy football playoffs.
I don’t care! If you have them play them. You won’t find better options on the waiver wire, ride them as far as they will take you.
Congratulations! If you have Alvin Kamara or Derrick Henry you are likely to make your league championship.
Two of the biggest fantasy monsters we’ve ever known are gifted a cake walk playoff schedule. Enjoy; you will be starting most weeks with a 25 point advantage.
Dameon Pierce and D’Andre Swift also have beneficial schedules but are in a tier below the aforementioned league winners.
Where things get dicey are with Michael Carter. Carter has been solid since Breece Hall was lost for the season. With this schedule he could be a sneaky reliable flex option on your squad come playoff time.
Aaron Jones is my first avoid in the running back section. The Packers have looked lost all season on offense, and their fantasy football playoff schedule figures to limit their production. This makes Jones a risky start.
Given his draft capital you will likely have no choice but to start him and hope he falls into the endzone.
Avoid backfield mate AJ Dillon at all costs.
My second avoid is Antonio Gibson. The Commanders offense has been inconsistent and so has Gibson’s role.
His playoff opponents will only complicate his situation. If you can, I would look to trade him on a good week for a more reliable option come playoff time.
Joe Mixon, Josh Jacobs and Austin Ekeler all have bad playoff schedules which could limit them from becoming true league winners with 30 point playoff games. But given the draft capital spent on them and how good they have been this season, you have no choice but to play them and hope their talent wins out. They should maintain their elite production.
The receiver section is full of solid options who could all see their values boosted from high end WR3’s to high end WR2’s.
Diontae Johnson, Brandin Cooks, Devin Duvernay and DJ Moore could all see elevated production for the fantasy football playoffs. All of them could potentially become elite options; with the exception of Duvernay who will still only be a borderline WR 2/3.
The potential league winner of the wide receivers is Amari Cooper. Cooper has produced solidly with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. But the combination of his soft playoff schedule and the return of elite quarterback Deshaun Watson could be the perfect storm for Cooper.
Buy Amari Cooper anywhere you can, this could be a huge fantasy post season for him.
JuJu Smith-Schuster is an easy fade for me at receiver. The Chiefs offense has done a good job of spreading the ball around and with the emergence of Kadarius Toney and a brutal playoff schedule JuJu is unlikely to be trustworthy in your playoff lineup.
The tough one for me is Christian Kirk. Kirk has had his ups and downs this season but has been great; his fantasy football playoff schedule is not great.
Kirk is not a complete bench for me but he is not going to be one of my preferred options. I will be flexing him only when I have no better options.
As I mentioned in my opening – start your studs. This is most evident at wide receiver. Matchups matter least at wide receiver and the elite wide receivers on this list are simply matchup proof. Justin Jefferson, Cooper Kupp – if healthy – and Tyreek Hill should simply never leave your lineup. I don’t care if they are playing the Monstars from Space Jam, if they are healthy you play them. End of Story!
George Kittle is the headliner here. If he is healthy he is going to carry you fantasy team. With this fantasy football playoff schedule I will guarantee a 25 point performance at some point in the playoffs.
Zach Ertz would have been my second choice at tight end as he has been solid and also has a great schedule. But he is done for the year with an injury.
I’m also very high on Greg Dulcich. The lone member of the Bronco’s pass attack that has been playable has been Dulcich. He may not have the ceiling of Kittle, but Dulcich will be a locked in top 10 tight end for your playoff run.
Tyler Conklin and Hunter Henry have both been hit or miss all season. Despite favorable playoff matchups I would not trust them in my lineup come playoff time unless I was desperate.
On the bad matchup side of the tight end list we have Logan Thomas, David Njoku and Mike Gesicki.
I want nothing to do with Gesicki, who seems destined to put up at least one goose egg this playoff season.
Njoku and Thomas aren’t great options either due to injuries and based on their playoff schedule.
If you have no other options they can be played, but I wouldn’t count on a lengthy playoff run if you do. They have no floor and a limited ceiling.
Mark Andrews and Dallas Goedert. Do I need to say anything else?
These are two of the three tight ends that I will just lock into my lineup and start against any opponent. If you have them, play them. It’s just that easy.
I’m not sure if kickers can be league winners, but Ryan Succop and Younghoe Koo will be as close to league winners as it gets. These two have been at the top of the kicker rankings all season and will draw favorable matchups come playoff time. If you have either of them don’t worry about streaming a kicker and simply set and forget them.
Brandon McManus and Jake Elliott have not been as consistent but both have still been solid. They both get good fantasy football playoff schedules and are well within the trust circle for a playoff run.
Harrison Butker can also be included in this group but his injury battles this season means he will not be nearly as reliable. And, you will frequently have to monitor his injury status.
Graham Gano, Cairo Santos and Mason Crosby have all been above average this season; but with a gauntlet of playoff opponents in front of them I wouldn’t want to start them unless I had no other options.
They can be started in a pitch but even the deepest of leagues would surely have better options available to stream the position.
Brett Maher and Tyler Bass have been elite options at the position this season. Despite the tough playoff schedule I simply will not be going away from them at playoff time.
They are too good and are on offense that are too high flying to not produce.
Their schedules may limit them from a big explosion but the teams they play on guarantee they will not put up a zero either.
The Eagles. They are the stud defense on this list. They currently rank third; and in combination with a favorable playoff schedule they should be a great option to set in your lineup. If you have the Eagles, don’t worry about streaming. You have one of the best.
While the Vikings haven’t been as good as the Eagles they have been above average. They also have a great schedule. If I can’t scoop up an elite defense off the waiver wire late in the season I would be happy to start the Vikings for a playoff run. They don’t have the ceiling of the Eagles DST, but very few teams do.
The rest of this list is not pretty. The best schedules come from bottom 10 defenses in the Chargers, Browns and Giants; while the worst schedules include the Colts who’ve been a top 15 unit this season.
If you have one of the elite defenses hold them tightly because things aren’t going to get better.
None of the teams mentioned in the above paragraph can be trusted in the fantasy football playoffs, and should all be dropped.
Three easy calls on this list are the Texans, Bears and Bengals.
All three defenses have been in the bottom third of the league and all face tough playoff schedules. If you are currently starting any of these teams find a better option immediately.
While the Tennessee Titans defense has not been among the elite this season, but they have been above average and seem to be improving.
I’m going to trust that they are on the right track and that they will excel when they face the easy portion of their schedule.
Trust that the Titans will hit their stride as the fantasy football playoffs roll around and start them confidently.
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