You’ve secured the five other addicts, agreed upon scoring and rosters, and made your individual Team Rankings. Now, it’s time to grind out your Positional Rankings and Big Board.
Winning a Fantasy Football Playoffs league is near impossible without at least one 3+ game Quarterback. Past heroes have included Colin Kaepernick (seriously) and Joe Flacco for unforeseen four game runs where oodles of points were racked up. As such, nailing down a top-end signal caller is crucial, and should be Priority #1 for Draft Day.
Yes, keeping yesterday’s Team Rankings in mind is crucial. Still, individual talent and ultimate upside need to be factored in; even though I think the Giants have a great shot at upsetting the Packers, is four games of Eli Manning really that tantalizing? The fantasy potential for an Aaron Rodgers run is a worthier investment, even if I’m skeptical it’ll happen. In the infamous words of Herm Edwards…
With that thought process in mind, here are my 2017 NFL Fantasy Playoff Quarterback Rankings
Tier One – The GOAT
1) Tom Brady (NE) – A near-lock for three games of elite fantasy QB production, Brady should be the first player taken in any fantasy playoff draft.
Tier Two – Potential Title Winners
Here’s where the thinking really starts…
2) Aaron Rodgers (GB) – I know, I know. Green Bay was low on my individual Team Rankings, and I really think they could get upset at home versus New York. But hear me out: no one offers as much individual fantasy playoff upside as a scorching hot Rodgers with the upside of four games. This is highly boom-bust, so if you’re looking for floor in your top guy, look at these next few options. But if anyone offers “you had him, you won” potential, it’s Rodgers.
3) Russell Wilson (SEA) – As explored in the Team Rankings, you’re getting at least two games, both against susceptible secondaries (Detroit then Atlanta). He also comes with real four game upside, making Wilson a sexy fantasy playoff investment, despite his inconsistent 2016 season.
4) Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) – Profiles to Wilson similarly as a near lock for two games, but his road struggles make me nervous once he travels to Arrowhead. Big Ben has come up huge in the postseason, and may shake away his 2016 road cobwebs without warning, but the risk is real.
5) Matt Ryan (ATL) – Similar to Rodgers but with a three-game maximum, Ryan offers massive per-contest upside but comes with a very real one-game floor. He consistently soils his jock strap in the playoffs, with a career record of 1-4. Nonetheless, he’s coming off a career year, is playing at home, and the Seahawks defense has taken massive hits. I’m not dying to be on the Falcons train, but am not overly upset if they end up my horse.
6) Eli Manning (NYG) – This seems aggressively low considering I feel the Giants will go on a four-game run. Still, four games of “180 yards, no TDs, 1 INT) might ultimately be worth one or two games of the higher upside options above him. New York’s defense will be the key to a four game run, not Eli’s arm. The potential longevity still makes Eli a worthy playoff QB.
7) Dak Prescott (DAL) – I’m very leery of a home upset, whether against the Giants or Packers. This could come back and bite me in the ass, but Dak is unlikely to be on any of my squads unless he falls.
Tier 3 – Yuck… best of the QB2s
The dropoff is MASSIVE here, so securing one of the top-7 options is absolutely essential. This makes a QB a borderline necessary first round investment. Given the low-upside of these guys, my strategy will be to load up on skill positions after I have a top signal caller, and then taking whatever shitbum falls to the end.
8) Alex Smith (KC) – Two game ceiling of limited individual talent? Yay.
9) Connor Cook (OAK) – He gets to chuck to Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, which is nice. Plus, Osweiler is bad enough to lose to a untested rookie at home, so you might squeeze two subpar efforts out of Cook.
10) Matthew Stafford (DET) – Will Stafford do more in one game versus Seattle than potentially two games of Brock Osweiler, Matt Moore, or Connor Cook? Yeah, even if only 250 yards and a TD, he probably will.
11) Matt Moore (MIA) – Pray for a two or three TD in his one-game effort. That’s all you’ll be getting.
12) Brock Osweiler (HOU) – Many of these 11 quarterbacks are terrible, and still better than Brock Osweiler. So are these 20 things.
