Over? Did you say over? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was the fantasy football season over when Jamaal Charles bombed your team in Week 17? OK, so Bluto I am not, and this is a fantasy football blog, not the set of "Animal House." Still, you get the point. You either won or didn't win your fantasy football league. Either way, you turn the page and start over again in the playoffs. And the best part is we no longer have to worry about which players will or will not get rested after a few series. Hey, Peyton Manning, get out there and show us something.
Well, not this week, but next week!
I'm sure you all know about our cool Gridiron Playoff Challenge, in which you can pick a pair of quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers, plus a tight end, kicker and defense using standard fantasy scoring in a salary cap-style system, and compete against your pals, fantasy writers, whomever you like. I won't bore with you too many details; you can read all you need to know on the game page. But suffice it to say, you should get into the game.
Let's get right to the rankings. I'm issuing two sets of them, and for good reason. Some people need to know about the entire playoffs, as though they were drafting today in a league in which players cannot be changed out (as I am in another league), and certainly with adjusted salaries in our official game, it behooves game players to select NFLers who will be around for that game in Miami in February. I've also listed rankings for this week, and will discuss my strategies after each position, as well as what players I chose in the Gridiron Playoff Challenge.
Quarterbacks for the entire playoffs:
1. Philip Rivers, Chargers
2. Drew Brees, Saints
3. Aaron Rodgers, Packers
4. Tony Romo, Cowboys
5. Peyton Manning, Colts
6. Brett Favre, Vikings
7. Tom Brady, Patriots
8. Donovan McNabb, Eagles
9. Kurt Warner, Cardinals
10. Joe Flacco, Ravens
11. Carson Palmer, Bengals
12. Mark Sanchez, Jets
Quarterbacks for the Jan. 9-10 weekend:
1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers
2. Tony Romo, Cowboys
3. Tom Brady, Patriots
4. Donovan McNabb, Eagles
5. Kurt Warner, Cardinals
6. Joe Flacco, Ravens
7. Carson Palmer, Bengals
8. Mark Sanchez, Jets
Analysis: I don't think the Minnesota Vikings are Super Bowl-bound. Of the four teams that earned byes, the Vikings were the one team that kind of backed into the honor, and whether you agree or disagree with this, the fact is if you don't like a team's chances and that team isn't even playing the first weekend, their players aren't strong choices in this game. Byes are not good in a postseason fantasy tournament. You covet games played to get points. The Green Bay Packers' Rodgers, for example, is playing this weekend, and if he wins, he'll play next weekend, too. Favre and the Vikings might beat Rodgers and the Packers in that second-round game, but if Favre loses the following weekend, he and Rodgers would have played the same number of games. And I'll take Rodgers to outperform Favre statistically in the same number of games. Rodgers was easily the top quarterback in fantasy this season. Even if the Packers play just one game, I still think Rodgers would put up good numbers. I trust him a lot more than I do Warner and McNabb. And by the way, recent history tells us teams that play on wild-card weekend still have a good shot at playing in the Super Bowl. Happens nearly every year these days.
I'm picking the San Diego Chargers to upset the Indianapolis Colts (is it even an upset at this point?) if/when they meet to decide the Super Bowl trip. Unlike the NFC, which I see as largely wide open -- remember, last season's top NFC seeds did not win any games -- I think the teams that earned the AFC byes are going to win at least one game and, as such, one of them wins two and possibly three games. I like Rivers and the Chargers better, so Manning's rank suffered in comparison to the NFC, where any of the six teams could make it to the Super Bowl in Miami. If you think the Colts will beat the Chargers, flip the rankings for Manning and Rivers. The other thing is, if the Patriots win this weekend (against the Ravens), that's the defense Rivers gets to face in the divisional round. Manning has to face either the Cincinnati Bengals or Darrelle Revis and the New York Jets in Round 2, and neither of those defenses are pushovers.
In the NFC, I could see the Vikings and New Orleans Saints going winless. Neither team played particularly well down the stretch, while the Packers and Dallas Cowboys are serious threats, and their quarterbacks are rolling. The Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals don't have strong running games, so McNabb and Warner could be real bargains if they can get by this weekend. Quarterbacks are more critical in a playoff pool or Gridiron Playoff Challenge than they are in a standard fantasy football draft in August. You don't want Palmer or Sanchez, even if one of them manages to win their second game. Those teams run. Same with Flacco, really.
In terms of just this week, I like Rodgers and Romo the best, regardless of what awaits them in the divisional round. I think those are the only two quarterbacks we can count on for big numbers this weekend, though Brady should get plenty of yards.
Running backs for the entire playoffs:
1. Joseph Addai, Colts
2. Adrian Peterson, Vikings
3. LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers
4. Ryan Grant, Packers
5. Marion Barber, Cowboys
6. Ray Rice, Ravens
7. Thomas Jones, Jets
8. Pierre Thomas, Saints
9. Cedric Benson, Bengals
10. Darren Sproles, Chargers
11. Brian Westbrook, Eagles
12. Sammy Morris, Patriots
13. Felix Jones, Cowboys
14. Beanie Wells, Cardinals
15. Shonn Greene, Jets
16. Mike Bell, Saints
17. Reggie Bush, Saints
18. Tim Hightower, Cardinals
19. LeSean McCoy, Eagles
20. Donald Brown, Colts
21. Willis McGahee, Ravens
22. Fred Taylor, Patriots
23. Laurence Maroney, Patriots
24. Chester Taylor, Vikings
Running backs for the Jan. 9-10 weekend:
1. Ray Rice, Ravens
2. Ryan Grant, Packers
3. Thomas Jones, Jets
4. Marion Barber, Cowboys
5. Sammy Morris, Patriots
6. Cedric Benson, Bengals
7. Felix Jones, Cowboys
8. Brian Westbrook, Eagles
9. Beanie Wells, Cardinals
10. Willis McGahee, Ravens
11. Shonn Greene, Jets
12. Fred Taylor, Patriots
13. Tim Hightower, Cardinals
14. LeSean McCoy, Eagles
15. Laurence Maroney, Patriots
16. Leonard Weaver, Eagles
Analysis: This is not an inspiring position for fantasy goodness. Addai, Peterson and LT? Yuck. I trust Peterson will put up numbers.
Well, no I don't, actually. The Vikings are likely to face the Packers or Cardinals, and in three games against those teams this season, Peterson totaled 171 rushing yards on 63 rushes. Do the math; that's an unimpressive 2.7 yards per carry. Plus, you know that Favre fellow will be calling audibles for himself. The problem is how high can I really rank running backs playing this week? Rice might be one and done, though the one should be really good. Thus, I gave Tomlinson a sweet rank. I see him scoring at least one touchdown per week, but it has been more than a year since he ran for 100 yards in a game. I kind of like the Packers' Grant but will surely be careful to avoid taking too many Packers on my teams, even if I think they're Miami-bound. You have to mix it up, not only from teams, but get a few players from each conference. Give yourself a chance to have multiple Super Bowl options.
The lack of prime running backs in these playoffs would push me to spend a first-round pick -- or spend the big bucks in the Gridiron Playoff Challenge -- on a quarterback.
As for this week, I like the Ravens to run the ball in New England, and Thomas Jones should have his way. In terms of the Patriots, I think Maroney is buried. You can't fumble the ball in key spots, and he continues to prove he does.
Wide receivers for the entire playoffs:
1. Vincent Jackson, Chargers
2. Reggie Wayne, Colts
3. Miles Austin, Cowboys
4. Randy Moss, Patriots
5. Sidney Rice, Vikings
6. Greg Jennings, Packers
7. Marques Colston, Saints
8. Robert Meachem, Saints
9. DeSean Jackson, Eagles
10. Julian Edelman, Patriots
11. Donald Driver, Packers
12. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals
13. Pierre Garcon, Colts
14. Malcom Floyd, Chargers
15. Percy Harvin, Vikings
16. Austin Collie, Colts
17. Roy E. Williams, Cowboys
18. Anquan Boldin, Cardinals
19. Derrick Mason, Ravens
20. Legedu Naanee, Chargers
21. Braylon Edwards, Jets
22. Jeremy Maclin, Eagles
23. Chad Ochocinco, Bengals
24. Jerricho Cotchery, Jets
25. Patrick Crayton, Cowboys
26. Devery Henderson, Saints
27. James Jones, Packers
28. Steve Breaston, Cardinals
29. Bernard Berrian, Vikings
30. Laveranues Coles, Bengals
Wide receivers for the Jan. 9-10 weekend:
1. Randy Moss, Patriots
2. Miles Austin, Cowboys
3. Greg Jennings, Packers
4. Julian Edelman, Patriots
5. Donald Driver, Packers
6. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals
7. DeSean Jackson, Eagles
8. Roy E. Williams, Cowboys
9. Anquan Boldin, Cardinals
10. Derrick Mason, Ravens
11. Braylon Edwards, Jets
12. Jeremy Maclin, Eagles
13. Chad Ochocinco, Bengals
14. Jerricho Cotchery, Jets
15. Patrick Crayton, Cowboys
16. James Jones, Packers
17. Steve Breaston, Cardinals
18. Laveranues Coles, Bengals
Analysis: This is probably a stronger crew at the top than the running back position, based on matchups. Obviously, I don't have concerns about Edelman stepping in for Wes Welker -- though Welker might have been ranked first for this weekend -- and it looks safe that Jennings has passed Driver again as a Rodgers target. And be careful of Philly's Jackson; he has been shut down by Dallas twice this season.
Tight ends for the entire playoffs:
1. Antonio Gates, Chargers
2. Dallas Clark, Colts
3. Jason Witten, Cowboys
4. Jermichael Finley, Packers
5. Brent Celek, Eagles
6. Visanthe Shiancoe, Vikings
7. Benjamin Watson, Patriots
8. Todd Heap, Ravens
9. Dustin Keller, Jets
10. Chris Baker, Patriots
11. Jeremy Shockey, Saints
12. David Thomas, Saints
13. Donald Lee, Packers
14. Martellus Bennett, Cowboys
15. J.P. Foschi, Bengals
16. Alex Smith, Eagles
Analysis: Here I think you have to consider Gates and Clark early, because I expect one of them to be in the Super Bowl, and they're basically like wide receivers in terms of production. No other tight ends are close to this valuable, though Witten is a really nice option this week if you think the Cowboys are Miami-bound.
Kickers for the entire playoffs:
1. Nate Kaeding, Chargers
2. Mason Crosby, Packers
3. Garrett Hartley, Saints
4. Ryan Longwell, Vikings
5. Matt Stover,Colts (not Adam Vinatieri)
6. Shaun Suisham, Cowboys
7. Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots
8. David Akers, Eagles
9. Jay Feely, Jets
10. Neil Rackers, Cardinals
11. Shayne Graham, Bengals
12. Billy Cundiff, Ravens
Analysis: Don't spend more than five seconds thinking about kickers. Last-round pick in every league, and if you have only enough money for Cundiff, so be it.
Defenses for the entire playoffs:
1. San Diego Chargers
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Green Bay Packers
5. Minnesota Vikings
6. Dallas Cowboys
7. New York Jets
8. New England Patriots
9. Cincinnati Bengals
10. Philadelphia Eagles
11. Baltimore Ravens
12. Arizona Cardinals
Analysis: Just like kicker, I'd be fine taking a team that might not get past this weekend, like the Jets. I kind of like the Packers here, too.
So what are my picks in the Gridiron Playoff Challenge? Remember, you can't just pick whomever you want, since there is a salary cap. Do not pick any Chargers, Colts, Saints or Vikings this week, because their salaries will be the same the following week. As such, I'll certainly be eyeing Rivers, Addai and Gates in a week. For this week, it's Brady and Rodgers at quarterback. I like Romo's value, but I want a quarterback in each conference, and back in the NFC, I'm more confident Rodgers is winning, and when his salary rises, I'll be locked in to pair Rivers with him. At running back, I really wanted the Ravens' Rice, and paired him with Green Bay's Grant. Remember, mix it up in terms of conferences. That said, I didn't do that at wide receiver, where I chose Jennings and Austin, but I've basically written off the passing games in Bengals-Jets, and didn't want to trust Edelman to that degree. Celek is the tight end, so if the Eagles win, I've got a strong option locked in cheap, and I can replace Austin at wide receiver. I like the Jets' defense, and that left with me just enough money for only one kicker. Welcome to the team, Mr. Cundiff! Don't let me down!
Good luck to all! I'll blog next Thursday with divisional-round rankings, as well as other football blogs this offseason.