Fantasy football: five tips to help win in the playoffs
Here are five tips to help you win your fantasy playoffs:
- Trade your depth.
If your league still allows trades, get rid of every decent player on your bench. There is no reason to have depth anymore, not even if you’re looking to start a player for a later playoff game. It’s a cliché, but if you don’t win, you go home. There is no point saving a player if you never get to use him.
Also, there is no point to worry about injuries. If the Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson goes down, maybe in a high-speed accident), your fantasy team is going to be screwed whether you have a backup like the Seattle Seahawks’ Justin Forsett on your bench or not. There are other playoff teams that are probably hurting in some aspect. Try to take advantage of a team that’s down. Be wary of trading with anyone in your division because you don’t want to help a team that you might have to play down the road.
- Trust your guns.
When it gets this late in the season, don’t start a good match-up over your go-to guy. If you’re in the playoffs it means, at some level, you have some studs and they have helped carry your team to a handful of wins.
- Match-ups still matter, so try to exploit the weaker teams in the NFL.
We know the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams are going to give up points. We also know the Rams, the Cleveland Browns and the Oakland Raiders are offensively challenged. These trends aren’t going to change for the rest of the season.
To paraphrase the wise Dennis Green, former Arizona Cardinals coach, they are who we thought they were. Teams and players have shown their true colors, revealing what they are good at and what they are susceptible to. Match-ups shouldn’t apply to any of your main starters (quarterback, running backs, top wide receivers), but it’s worth considering for kickers, defenses and, maybe, wide receivers if you’re in a league that starts three or more.
- Look to the future.
Don’t be afraid to pick up a player that has a great Week 15 or 16 match-up. Plan your team as if you’re going to be playing in the championship. One, the positive thought might help you sleep at night, and two, this will give your team a leg up against the other team if you do manage to advance.
There is a distinction between this idea and my first point. My first idea is to trade a player you’re not going to use, or “might” use. Looking ahead is almost a form of fantasy defense against other teams in your league. You don’t want them to pick up a great match-up, especially if you’re playing them. Some of these possible pick-ups are for the Washington Redskins’ defense for their match-up next week (Week 14), the Houston Texans who the get the Rams Week 15 or the Arizona Cardinals who play the Rams Week 16.
- Pray.