Harris: Sneaky Fantasy Playoff Strategies To Use
By Adam Harris-
(CBS) It's fantasy football playoff time, and that means it's time to change your strategy. It's time to play each week like it's your last, because it just might be.
There's no shame in hoarding defenses, picking up players to block your opponent from getting them while doing this all by throwing away bench players who you're never going to use in a playoff scenario.
In this playoff edition of my blog, I will break down these two strategies and give you defensive suggestions to pick up based on matchups and scheduling throughout the fantasy playoffs.
Hoarding defenses
A defense can sometimes win you a week, and at the same time a defense can win your opponent a week. I call this the Connor McKnight Effect. He's knocked me out of the playoffs two years running. In 2012, it was on the strength of a 40-point performance by the Seahawks defense in Week 14 against the Cardinals. Simply put, if you owned the Seahawks there, you advanced. Even a simple 14-point performance like the 49ers had last year in Week 15 against the Buccaneers gave a simple edge to McKnight in a playoff victory against me.
Those examples are why I advise fantasy owners to pick up as many defenses as you possibly can as you enter the playoffs. This will increase your odds of playing a difference-making D/ST in the playoffs. Perhaps more importantly and more likely, it will decrease your opponent's odds of playing a difference-making D/ST against you. The more D/STs you own, the less likely your opponent can beat you in that category, because the waiver wire will be a lot thinner.
When hoarding D/STs, do so with the intent of scoring. Pick up several D/STs that would draw attention during the fantasy playoffs, whether it be the quarterfinals, semifinals or the championship.
Here are a list of defenses you should pick up via the waiver wire for this week and the future playoff weeks.
Titans (Week 15 @ Jets, Week 16 @ Jaguars)
Giants (Week 14 @ Titans, Week 15 vs. Redskins, Week 16 @ Rams)
Texans (Week 14 @ Jaguars)
Rams (Week 14 @ Redskins)
Saints (Week 14 vs. Panthers)
Packers (Week 16 @ Bucs)
Ravens (Week 15 vs. Jaguars)
Buccaneers (Week 15 @ Panthers)
The Jaguars allow the most points each week to opposing D/STs at 14.83 per week, and they have allowed five weeks of 20 or more points to a defense/special teams this year. Every team listed above faces at least one team that at least allows 11.5 points a week to fantasy defenses, thus making them more important than the WR4 who currently rots on your bench because, "He might return to his 14-touchdown form from 2012." Thin out your bench for your defense/special teams right now.
Block your opponent
Many fantasy playoff teams are still in need of help at many positions. For example, Colin Kaepernick owners may not have seen this sort of demise coming and could have planned to use him throughout the playoffs. They are now second-guessing that strategy and will head to the waiver wire to stream a quarterback with a solid Week 14 matchup. If you face a Kaepernick owner this week, you should use a waiver to pick up a quarterback like Cleveland's Johnny Manziel, who has a good fantasy matchup, even though you don't plan on playing him.
This can be done against owners of Baltimore's Joe Flacco as well because of his tough matchup in Miami this week.
Study your opponent's roster and put yourself in his or her shoes. Ask yourself, "What moves would I make if I were in his/her position to better my team?" Whatever answer you come up with, that's all you need to go grab someone off the waiver wire and drop the Bryce Brown type who's never going to play for your playoff squad.
You may take some crap from your league mates for using these strategies, and league members may even threaten to kick you out next year. Just know that the fantasy football playoff is a dog-eat-dog world and you need to do whatever you can to survive and advance.
These strategies may not feel good in your chest or your stomach, but ignore those irrational feelings and push ahead to put your team in the best situation to hold the trophy, wear the ring, hand out the tattoo, etc., when it's all said and done.
Adam Harris is a producer for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @aharris670 and feel free to ask fantasy questions.