The fantasy football playoffs are upon us and the lineup options are as limited as ever. With the waiver wire picked clean and the trading block closed, the only option for fantasy football managers is to hope that they picked the right lineups for the week. If you had Peyton Manning or other disappointing performers, finding the correct lineup is crucial for building your comeback run and advancing to the next run.
If you haven’t heard, Cam Newton is likely out for the week after injuring his back in a car accident Tuesday morning. Newton posted 35 standard league fantasy points last week, but it is best to pick up another option at the quarterback position just to be safe if he is out this week.
HOT: Matt Ryan found himself in a shootout Monday night against the Packers and went toe-to-toe with Aaron Rodgers in the second half. Ryan ended the game with four touchdown passes along with 375 yards, giving him 31 points. Ryan is available in over 20 percent of ESPN.com leagues and will square off against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Georgia Dome on Sunday.
NOT: Don’t get me wrong, I am fully engulfed in the Johnny Manziel hype as much as you are, but he is not a valid option for the fantasy footballers who are in the top four bracket of their league. The Browns will try to rely on their group of running backs this week to open up the passing opportunities for Johnny Football. Sure, there is a chance that the rookie will get some opportunities to gain a few fantasy points on the ground, but it is unlikely that he will toss too many touchdowns in his first start.
Running backs.
HOT: If your league is one of the 10 percent that C.J. Anderson is available in, I question the validity of your league as a whole. However, if by some chance he is available and you can scoop him up on the wavier wire, you must do so. Anderson hasn’t scored under 23 fantasy points in his last three starts. The Chargers have not allowed a rushing touchdown by a running back since week nine, but they also haven’t played the Broncos since week eight.
NOT: The New England Patriots running back carousel. Not a single person knows who will be the workhorse for the Patriots this week outside of the organization. After last week, one could say that LeGarrette Blount is in line to take over that role. Blount got 20 carries but only accumulated 66 yards on the day. You could take a chance on Blount and hope he is more productive this week, just don’t be disappointed when Shane Vereen or Jonas Gray vulture your fantasy points.
With the way professional football is going, receivers are about to be the hot commodity in the world of fantasy football. This season, I have relied heavily on my wide receivers and made the playoffs in all three of my fantasy football leagues. With the no-touch rules of the modern NFL, it is only a matter of time before every receiving record in the book goes down.
HOT: Odell Beckham Jr. is still available in over 10 percent of ESPN.com leagues. I cannot stress to you enough that this man is a star. All he does is rack up yardage and find the endzone. Last week against the Tennessee Titans, OBJ had 17 fantasy points with a few minutes remaining in the first quarter. However, the Giants were up big and got away from taking chances downfield. It may be much of the same this week as the Giants take on a divisional opponent in the Washington Redskins. The fact that it is a divisional game leads me to believe that the score will be close and OBJ will be productive all game.
NOT: The Josh Gordon experiment for me has come to an end this week as Johnny Manziel gets his first career start. Gordon was most productive last season when he was catching the deep bombs and although I do expect the Browns to take a few chances deep, I see them relying on their defense more and have Manziel in there as more of a game-manager than a playmaker. Gordon should get a few quick screens for small chunks of yardage, but I don’t see him performing the likes of Mike Evans and other receivers ranked around him this week.
Unless you have Rob Gronkowski this season, you are more than likely as frustrated as I am with the tight end position.
HOT: Travis Kelce is not your average fantasy football tight end. He is more likely to put up high yardage numbers than find the endzone. Last week he caught seven passes for a season-high 110 yards against the Arizona Cardinals. This week he is facing off against an Oakland Raiders team at Arrowhead Stadium. I expect Kelce to once again be one of Alex Smith’s favorite and most reliable targets this week.
NOT: Larry Donnell is ranked one spot higher than Kelce on ESPN.com this week. Donnell is not much of a yardage threat but more of a redzone target. Since Odell Beckham Jr. started to play, Donnell has two touchdowns. Before OBJ made his debut, Donnell had four touchdowns in four games.
Defenses more than likely are not going to get you the amount of points you are hoping for, but it is always nice when your defense can score in the higher single-digits range.
HOT: The obvious pick here is the Baltimore Ravens. They play the Jacksonville Jaguars this week and should be able to score over 10, which is almost unheard of if a team doesn’t get a defensive or special teams touchdown. The Ravens have tallied 17 sacks in their last four games and should be able to continue that trend against a subpar Jaguars offensive line.
NOT: The Bills came into last week’s game against the Denver Broncos as the top defense in fantasy football and remain in the top spot despite playing one of the better quarterbacks in the game. The Bills still put up six points but are up against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers this week. Don’t get discouraged and drop the Bills just yet, they will face off against the Oakland Raiders in week 16.
