National Football League

Fantasy Football 2015 NFL Playoff Player Rankings

Published Jan. 2, 2015 5:35 p.m. ET

Fox Sports

Some may think that fantasy football ends after Week 17 (or even Week 16) of the regular season. What you may not know is that you can still play the addicting game well into the postseason. I recommend no more than six fantasy teams per league. Before the playoffs start, hold your draft with the idea of selecting 20 spots. Here is the starting lineup format:

Your scoring is just like a regular fantasy football league, but the points accumulate throughout the playoffs. The fantasy team with the most total points after the Super Bowl wins.

PLAYER RANKINGS

Obviously, it helps to have players who advance further into the playoffs. Sure, players like Manning and Rodgers will sit a week, but there is a good chance they will play the most games. I give the nod to Romo and Newton over the others because their teams are strong favorites in the Wild Card round, which almost guarantees that they play two games. The quarterback position in Arizona is muddled, at best. I would draft my quarterbacks early to avoid drafting a Cardinal QB late.

More games equal more chances for stats. Murray would be the top running back if he wasn’t dealing with a hand injury. Lynch is a playoff vet. When the chips are on the table, Beast Mode churns out his best performances. As for Denver, Anderson could be considered the MVP of the offense. With the presence of a strong running attack, the Broncos are less reliant on their future Hall Of Fame QB. The Patriots don’t have a RB in the top eight of my rankings because there isn’t a standout player in the bunch. On any given week the starting New England running back can change. Finally, comes the question about Bell. This is written after the news of him missing the Wild Card round. Drafting him will be the biggest risk. While his numbers can help you win the league, his Steelers might not advance, which means Bell might not even record a carry.

This is the deepest position in the draft. Just by looking at the top ten receivers, you might think that you are just seeing a normal season ranking and not a condensed playoff player pool. You can even get receivers from Seattle later in the draft, with hopes that their potential for multiple games makes them more valuable than a likely one-and-done stud like Megatron. Wide receivers from Green Bay should be the most coveted target. Denver receivers are next on that list.

Much like the regular season rankings, Gronk leads the way with little debate. For that reason, I would highly consider him as a first round draftee. Every other TE is battling for second.

When it comes to kickers and D/STs, it all boils down to who you think will play in the Super Bowl. More games, more stats. In my opinion, the AFC is a two team race between New England and Denver. As for the NFC, the battle extends to three teams: Seattle, Green Bay, and Dallas.