RADIO
The Fantasy Football Players Championship a.k.a. FFPC has long been an industry leader among competitive high-stakes sites for season-long fantasy football. If you are looking for playoff action in the same vein, look no further. Once again, they are offering the FFPC Playoff Challenge and the FootballGuys Playoff Challenge with big prizes up for grabs.
As always, if there is a big-industry fantasy football event, RotoBaller is there and the NFL playoffs are no different.
Find out how this competition works, what strategies you should keep in mind, and how to build the optimal lineup for success.
Always Read the Manual
You have to know the ground rules before you play the game. Entering a high-stakes fantasy contest like this without knowing every detail of the scoring system would be like trying to put together a furniture set from IKEA without the instruction manual. Actually, that might be easier. Bad example. You get the idea though.
The playoff challenge is unique first and foremost because, unlike DFS lineups, you can only pick one player per NFL team. That means no stacking your favorite QB-WR combo and it will be harder to dodge bad matchups. You may even have to pick a player from the NFC East representative which is.... *checks bracket.... Washington.
This year, with an extra team in each conference, two extra flex spots have been added. That means choosing exactly 12 players from the 14 playoff teams, so two will be omitted but all others must be represented.
In terms of scoring, the FFPC Playoff Challenge isn't far off from the typical full PPR format, with a couple of exceptions. Most notably, like most FFPC contests, it has a tight end premium of 1.5 points per reception. Full details are listed below. Click image for full-screen view.
About That TE Premium...
This can be a gamechanger in any format. Many a best-ball league was won with Travis Kelce taken in the first round while avoiding RB landmines like Joe Mixon. Obviously, this makes Kelce a tempting choice but that also means foregoing Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill. If the Chiefs are poised to make it back to the big game, having Kelce rack up three points per catch is a tempting proposition. In Super Bowl LIV against San Francisco, Kelce finished with six receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. That made him more valuable than Mahomes or Hill, although he was narrowly edged out by Damien Williams thanks to his 133 total yards and two touchdowns.
Last year, it was all about the big three of Kelce, George Kittle, and Zach Ertz, so there were tough choices to be made. This year, it boils down to Kelce or possibly Mark Andrews. Of course, with two more flex spots available, you could even consider playing both, although that means bypassing Lamar Jackson, J.K. Dobbins, the Ravens Defense, not to mention the wealth of talented RB/WR options you could choose instead of Andrews. If Baltimore gets bounced in the first round and only puts up 12 points against Tennessee as they did in 2019, then perhaps none of those options would be wise.
Who's the Boss?
Quarterbacks receive four points per TD and -1 per INT, so you will probably find that the top passers wind up as the leading scorers. If there is a position to choose first, it would be QB. There is no dearth of options as far as franchise quarterbacks go. The question then becomes, who do you trust to lead their team to multiple victories?
Picking Kelce would mean nixing Mahomes, which makes for a natural starting point of your decision-making process. MVP candidates Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen both deserve strong consideration. Tom Brady finished with 40 passing TD, including four in each of the last two games. Then again, the Bucs have had a cake schedule down the stretch and will have to face the formidable front line of Washington, which allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Whoever you put your faith in at signal-caller, make sure it's someone you feel confident to make a deep run in the playoffs, which brings us to the next point.
Play the Long Game
You may want to consider filling out an NFL playoff bracket, NCAA basketball tournament-style, before creating your lineups. If you can't decide whether to trust Brady or Allen, ask yourself which team is more likely to win and advance to the Conference Championship and possibly the Super Bowl. If your gut tells you the Chiefs are going to repeat, go with Mahomes (or Kelce). If you feel the Bucs are destined to give Tom Brady a seventh ring (bleeeaach) while playing in their home stadium, then he may be your guy. The player with the highest ceiling and point potential should be one of your Super Bowl picks, not just for the extra game played but also because those fantasy points are doubled!
The Chiefs are the current favorite in Vegas for obvious reasons. The Packers are next, followed by the Bills and Saints with the Bucs fifth. Beyond that, it gets much dicier. It should be noted that the Saints beat the Bucs twice during the regular season in easy fashion. That said, the Saints have been a strong regular-season team for four years running, only be bounced early from the playoffs. The bye offers players like Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, and Davante Adams one less game than a Wild Card team that might advance but the Pack certainly look to be the safest of all NFC teams. Adams' dominance at wide receiver is too hard to ignore, so I guarantee he'll be a part of my lineups.
The Bills have been steamrolling into the postseason but they face a Colts Defense that is no joke in the first round and then draw Kansas City if they win. While Stefon Diggs is a safe bet, especially with Cole Beasley unlikely to play, I would have a hard time choosing Josh Allen over Mahomes or Rodgers despite how great he's been since Week 13.
Consequently, you can start by eliminating the two teams you feel least confident in. As great as it is to see the Browns finally have regular-season success and return to the postseason for the first time since 2002, it's hard to put much faith in their offense against a really tough Steelers Defense.
The game I'm most likely to fade is the divisional rematch between the Seahawks and Rams. The two previous games between these teams in 2020 resulted in final scores of 23-16 and 20-9 with the teams splitting decisions. Jared Goff isn't a sure bet to even play, Cooper Kupp is on the COVID/IR list, and Cam Akers doesn't look 100%. Second-half Russell Wilson looks like a shell of his early-season self and they have only broken the 28-point mark once in the past six games. That came against the Jets in Week 14. The only Seahawk I want on my roster might be the one who scores three points by striking it through the goal post.
Begin With the End in Mind
Although your first decision should come at the quarterback position, followed by tight end, it is then most sensible to nail down the least important positions. Team defenses and kickers are required, so once you've crossed off the two least desirable teams from your list, peg the next two for these spots. Mind you, these don't have to come from the teams that are the worst or even good bets to lose. A team like Pittsburgh may put up plenty of points on Cleveland, but can you guarantee which player will score the most? They have three strong receivers who have volatile weekly production, an inconsistent running game, and a veteran QB in Ben Roethlisberger who alternates between looking brilliant and looking old. In 2020, Big Ben has gone over 300 passing yards five times and under 200 yards four times. Their DST might be the most appealing thing about them in fantasy.
Choosing a defense from a team unlikely to have any big games from the Flex spot is more important than the actual performance of the defense itself. Despite the allure of the big bonus for shutouts and low-scoring games, there are unlikely to be any teams held under 10 points in the postseason. Go with a defense that can hold its own and collect a couple of sacks along with a turnover or two while getting eliminated. This has been a successful strategy in the past, which meant selecting New England in 2019, Chicago in 2018, and so on. If you roll with a Steelers wide receiver rather than their DST, then the Rams Defense and Washington Football Defense are solid options.
As far as kickers go, whoever you choose will not make or break your lineup. It's best to pick someone from an inconsistent offense that is more likely to struggle finding the end zone. Rodrigo Blankenship and Jason Myers are my first two choices but I wouldn't blame you for taking Justin Tucker either.
Differentiation Matters (Sort Of)
If you've ever played DFS, you're familiar with this concept. If everyone picks the same player, his point totals effectively mean nothing in terms of winning or losing. You want to build the best team possible but you also want to do your best to seek out players that separate you from the competition just enough to get an edge. The trick is to do so but in a limited fashion so as not to pick an all boom/bust team that is prone to letting you down. With such a shallow player pool, you should be able to effectively start a stud at every position so your differentiation play should be at the flex spot, not in place of a top-five QB, RB, or WR. This isn't the time to get cute and take Mitch Trubisky.
The aforementioned Damien Williams has been a league-winner in postseason competitions the last two years. Your sleeper pick doesn't have to be from a winning team either, they just need to have a high ceiling.
It's typically a good bet to stick with a young running back likely to get significant touches such as Jonathan Taylor or J.K. Dobbins. This season, I am opting to go WR-heavy in the Flex spot. There are so few reliable options at running back and it's a passing league now more than ever.
Some differentiation plays to consider are: Nyheim Hines, J.D. McKissic, John Brown, Rashard Higgins, and Eric Ebron. Just make sure you don't include multiple players like this in any one lineup you submit.
Take the Challenge
Now that you've got the lowdown on how the league is played and some pointers on building a championship team, it's up to you to take the next step. Sign up for the FFPC Playoff Challenge and try it out!
Playoff leagues provide a different twist on season-long fantasy football and offer a way to come up with unique strategies that will keep you invested in the NFL postseason even if your favorite team isn't involved. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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