Did your fantasy football season end at the hands of Russell Wilson, Todd Gurley or DeAndre Hopkins? Did you start A.J. Green over JuJu Smith-Schuster in Week 16? Did you rest your championship hopes and dreams on Drew Brees? I feel for you my friends, but I'm here with a solution to ease the pain of defeat (at least somewhat) with a new challenge. The NFL Playoff Challenge! You can set up your own league with friends and family, or you can join my league and compete against me. You could win a trip to Super Bowl LIII scheduled for February 3, 2019, in Atlanta, Georgia!
So what is the NFL Playoff Challenge?
Well, Alex Gelhar gives a great description here. Unlike daily fantasy leagues, a player's value includes how far you project his team to advance in the postseason. We all know Julio Jones is a better fantasy wideout than Brandin Cooks, right? Well, that's not the case in the NFL Playoff Challenge, at least not if you believe that the Patriots will advance a round or two further in the postseason than Atlanta. That's where you'll see a difference in the player rankings below. One set is for the Wild Card Weekend alone (DFS), and one is for the entire duration of the postseason (NFL PC).
I'll be updating these rankings throughout the postseason, so check back after each round. Enjoy!
Quarterbacks -- Wild Card Round (DFS)
- Cam Newton, Panthers
- Alex Smith, Chiefs
- Jared Goff, Rams
- Drew Brees, Saints
- Blake Bortles, Jaguars
- Matt Ryan, Falcons
- Tyrod Taylor, Bills
- Marcus Mariota, Titans
Quarterbacks -- NFL Playoff Challenge
- Tom Brady, Patriots
- Case Keenum, Vikings
- Jared Goff, Rams
- Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
- Drew Brees, Saints
- Cam Newton, Panthers
- Nick Foles, Eagles
- Blake Bortles, Jaguars
- Alex Smith, Chiefs
- Matt Ryan, Falcons
- Tyrod Taylor, Bills
- Marcus Mariota, Titans
Running backs -- Wild Card Round (DFS)
- Todd Gurley, Rams
- Alvin Kamara, Saints
- Leonard Fournette, Jaguars
- Mark Ingram, Saints
- Kareem Hunt, Chiefs
- Devonta Freeman, Falcons
- LeSean McCoy, Bills
- Derrick Henry, Titans
- Christian McCaffrey, Panthers
- Tevin Coleman, Falcons
- Jonathan Stewart, Panthers
- T.J. Yeldon, Jaguars
- Mike Tolbert, Bills
- Charcandrick West, Chiefs
- Malcolm Brown, Rams
- Chris Ivory, Jaguars
- Marcus Murphy, Bills
- Cameron Artis-Payne, Panthers
- David Fluellen, Titans
- Akeem Hunt, Chiefs
Running backs -- NFL Playoff Challenge
- Todd Gurley, Rams
- Le'Veon Bell, Steelers
- Alvin Kamara, Saints
- Kareem Hunt, Chiefs
- Mark Ingram, Saints
- Dion Lewis, Patriots
- Rex Burkhead, Patriots
- Latavius Murray, Vikings
- Leonard Fournette, Jaguars
- Devonta Freeman, Falcons
- Jerick McKinnon, Vikings
- Christian McCaffrey, Panthers
- LeSean McCoy, Bills
- Jay Ajayi, Eagles
- James White, Patriots
- Tevin Coleman, Falcons
- Derrick Henry, Titans
- LeGarrette Blount, Eagles
- Jonathan Stewart, Panthers
- Corey Clement, Eagles
Wide receivers -- Wild Card Round (DFS)
- Michael Thomas, Saints
- Julio Jones, Falcons
- Tyreek Hill, Chiefs
- Robert Woods, Rams
- Sammy Watkins, Rams
- Devin Funchess, Panthers
- Cooper Kupp, Rams
- Mohamed Sanu, Falcons
- Ted Ginn, Saints
- Rishard Matthews, Titans
- Marqise Lee, Jaguars
- Keelan Cole, Jaguars
- Dede Westbrook, Jaguars
- Corey Davis, Titans
- Albert Wilson, Chiefs
- Allen Hurns, Jaguars
- Kelvin Benjamin, Bills
- Eric Decker, Titans
- Deonte Thompson, Bills
- Kaelin Clay, Panthers
Wide receivers -- NFL Playoff Challenge
- Brandin Cooks, Patriots
- Adam Thielen, Vikings
- Antonio Brown, Steelers
- Michael Thomas, Saints
- Tyreek Hill, Chiefs
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers
- Robert Woods, Rams
- Stefon Diggs, Vikings
- Sammy Watkins, Rams
- Alshon Jeffery, Eagles
- Julio Jones, Falcons
- Cooper Kupp, Rams
- Nelson Agholor, Eagles
- Chris Hogan, Patriots
- Ted Ginn, Saints
- Devin Funchess, Panthers
- Mohamed Sanu, Falcons
- Marqise Lee, Jaguars
- Danny Amendola, Patriots
- Martavis Bryant, Steelers
Tight ends -- Wild Card Round (DFS)
- Travis Kelce, Chiefs
- Greg Olsen, Panthers
- Delanie Walker, Titans
- Charles Clay, Bills
- Austin Hooper, Falcons
- Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars
- Tyler Higbee, Rams
- Josh Hill, Saints
Tight ends -- NFL Playoff Challenge
- Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
- Zach Ertz, Eagles
- Travis Kelce, Chiefs
- Kyle Rudolph, Vikings
- Greg Olsen, Panthers
- Delanie Walker, Titans
- Jesse James, Steelers
- Austin Hooper, Falcons
- Charles Clay, Bills
- Tyler Higbee, Rams
- Gerald Everett, Rams
- Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars
Kickers -- Wild Card Round (DFS)
- Wil Lutz, Saints
- Harrison Butker, Chiefs
- Matt Bryant, Falcons
- Josh Lambo, Jaguars
- Ryan Succop, Titans
- Sam Ficken, Rams
- Graham Gano, Panthers
- Steven Hauschka, Bills
Kickers -- NFL Playoff Challenge
- Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots
- Kai Forbath, Vikings
- Wil Lutz, Saints
- Chris Boswell, Steelers
- Jake Elliott, Eagles
- Sam Ficken, Rams
- Harrison Butker, Chiefs
- Matt Bryant, Falcons
- Graham Gano, Panthers
- Josh Lambo, Jaguars
- Ryan Succop, Titans
- Steven Hauschka, Bills
Defense/special teams -- Wild Card Round (DFS)
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Kansas City Chiefs
- New Orleans Saints
- Los Angeles Rams
- Atlanta Falcons
- Buffalo Bills
- Carolina Panthers
- Tennessee Titans
Defense/special teams -- NFL Playoff Challenge
- New England Patriots
- Minnesota Vikings
- Los Angeles Rams
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Kansas City Chiefs
- New Orleans Saints
- Carolina Panthers
- Atlanta Falcons
- Buffalo Bills
- Tennessee Titans
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Do you want the most up-to-date fantasy football news, updates and analysis? Follow Michael on both Twitter _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or **Facebook**!
