Wild Card Rankings: NFL Playoff Fantasy Football

The fantasy football season isn’t over. You read that right! If you’re looking to spice up Wild Card weekend and the NFL playoffs as a whole, then I highly recommend starting a postseason league. There are plenty of ways to play, which can be done at Fantrax.com or on the Fantrax app! I’ll be compiling weekly rankings and analysis along the way, as well.

Some leagues will draft applicable players from the NFL playoffs and total the points from the Wild Card round to the Super Bowl. Obviously as teams are eliminated, so are the players. Another way to play is to have managers each build a roster, without drafting against each other, and total the points. This is similar to the first option, but teams will have similar players. If you choose either of these formats, don’t forget about the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles!

Lastly, and my favorite way to play, is to have managers set lineups on a week-to-week basis. While there may be some overlap in player selections, the catch is that once a player is selected, they cannot be again for the remainder of the NFL playoffs. That said, there is some strategy to selecting players on teams you think will be eliminated round by round. It’s also wise to consider selecting quarterbacks, kickers, and defenses from the same conference so you’re guaranteed a player at each position from the other conference once the Super Bowl rolls around. Whatever way you decide to play, just make sure you do!

Now, check out my rankings and fantasy analysis for each position for the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs!

NFL Wild Card Round Positional Rankings

QUARTERBACK

Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Jalen Hurts are the only three quarterbacks to average 24.0 or more fantasy points per game this season. Mahomes and Hurts are on a bye to open the playoffs.

The Bengals have scored the fourth-most points per game (27.7) over their last three and the seventh-most (26.1) this season. Joe Burrow should thrive at home against the Ravens who have allowed the seventh-most passing yards this season.

The Vikings have allowed the second-most passing yards per game (265.6) this season. Daniel Jones scored 19.76 fantasy points in Week 16 in a loss at the Vikings. Kirk Cousins threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns in that game. It’s worth noting Jones rushed 121 times for 708 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (44.2) and Los Angeles Chargers (41.8) are the only two teams averaging more than 40 pass attempts per game this season. Both Tom Brady and Justin Herbert have plenty of weapons and are high-volume options for the Wild Card round.

Brock Purdy has two or more touchdown passes in each of his last six games. However, he is averaging just over 218 passing yards per game and does not offer any rushing upside. The 49ers run game should dominate against the Seahawks making Purdy a touchdown-dependent option to open the playoffs.

RUNNING BACK

The Seahawks allowed the sixth-most rushing yards to running backs. Christian McCaffrey is a top play, but that nudges Elijah Mitchell into the top-15 of Wild Card rankings. Jacksonville has allowed the second-most receptions to running backs and Austin Ekeler has the fifth-most receptions amongst all players at any position this season.

The Chargers have allowed the second-most rushing yards on just the 11th-most rushing attempts against this season. Travis Etienne has a chance to finish as the best back of the weekend.

Jeff Wilson has a tough matchup, but is a high-volume option with Raheem Mostert unlikely to play due to a significant broken thumb.

Last week, Ezekiel Elliott played more snaps than Tony Pollard for the first time since Week 13. Zeke has 11 rushing touchdowns in his last 10 games played.

Kenneth Walker has the worst matchup of the Wild Card round as the 49ers have allowed the least fantasy points per game to running backs. He led all rookie backs with 1,050 rushing yards this season, but had just 57 scoreless yards total in two games against San Francisco on 16 attempts.

After a week of rest, J.K. Dobbins should carry the ball at least 15 times against the Bengals. With the Ravens being yet another team to deploy a backup quarterback in the Wild Card round, I expect Dobbins and the backfield to be busy.

WIDE RECEIVER

The first three receivers in the Wild Card rankings all finished in the top six on a points-per-game basis this fantasy football season. Ceedee Lamb was on the outside peeking in ranking eighth but was the WR1 in total points and points per game in the final four weeks of the season averaging 99.5 yards per game and scoring three touchdowns.

Tyreek Hill has a 30% target share with the Dolphins this season. Jaylen Waddle has a 21% share. Neither has caught more than five passes, topped 55 yards, or scored a touchdown in their last two games. The talent is undeniable and they are nearly 10-point underdogs at Buffalo to open the playoffs.

The Dallas Cowboys lead the league in touchdowns allowed to wide receivers. I think both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin find the end zone in the first game of the playoffs.

Brandon Aiyuk leads all 49ers with 24.5% of Brock Purdy’s target share. Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle are not far behind with 21% of the share each.

In Week 16, Isaiah Hodgins, Richie James, and Darius Slayton all logged 79 or more receiving yards against the Vikings. Hodgins and James each had eight receptions to Slayton’s four. Minnesota has allowed the most receptions and yards to wide receivers this season. Slayton is probably going to play the most snaps, but is a boom-or-bust deep threat. Hodgins and James are both averaging more than 18.0 fantasy points in their last two games together.

Joshua Palmer averaged just under seven targets per game this season. In four games without Mike Williams on the field, Palmer averaged nine per game and 12.15 fantasy points. Williams is out with a back injury.

TIGHT END

George Kittle accounts for seven of Brock Purdy’s 13 passing touchdowns. Additionally, Kittle has scored all seven in his last four games. The Seattle Seahawks have allowed the second most yards on just the 15th-most receptions to tight ends. Kittle caught four passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns against them just four weeks ago.

T.J. Hockenson has a 21.7% target share since getting traded to the Vikings. That’s the second-highest on the team behind only Justin Jefferson. He’s averaging 8.6 targets per game with Minnesota. Hockenson is a top-three fantasy tight end as long as the Vikings are in the playoffs.

Dawson Knox has scored one touchdown in each of his last four games. That includes a Week 15 home match with the Miami Dolphins where he caught six of eight targets for 98 yards. Miami is allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends per game this season.

The Buccaneers and Jaguars are tied for allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to tight ends this season. Dalton Schultz has 19 total targets in the Cowboys’ last two games. Gerald Everett is averaging five targets per game when Mike Williams doesn’t play.

KICKER

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS