By Brandon Silva:
The fantasy football playoffs are finally upon us. We have waited for this week since we drafted months ago. This season was harder and different compared to previous ones and it took a week longer to get to this point due to the NFL extending the regular season by one week. Every playoff team has the guys that got them here and the players that they trust to put up points. Many of them may have been players that weren’t expected to do this but were able to outperform their ADP. I’m here to tell you who I trust most going into the first week of the fantasy playoffs.
Tom Brady
It’s not so surprising that Tom Brady is at the top of any list considering that’s where he usually finds himself in terms of stats. Tom Brady has been the vintage version of himself, the player he always has been and finished the season as the top-scoring fantasy quarterback. He was drafted around QB10 in drafts this year and that decision has paid off majorly for anyone who decided to pull the trigger on him. Tom is coming off back-to-back 30 point fantasy performances and is looking to make that a 3rd this week when he and the Bucs draw a home matchup against division foe New Orleans Saints. The Saints are ranked 21st against the pass this season making this a favorable matchup for Brady. In their previous matchup this season, Brady accumulated27.2 points in a 4 TD performance. I would look for Brady to keep it rolling this week against a familiar opponent and he would be the quarterback I would most want starting for me for this upcoming week.
Nick Chubb
It’s easy to want to put Jonathan Taylor or Dalvin Cook at the top of this list for this upcoming week, but I’m going to take a little bit of a risk on a player that should finish as the top running back of the week. That player is obviously Nick Chubb. Chubb hasn’t been the back we’re so used to seeing as of late. His last two performances were forgettable, but he did get back up to 17 carries this past week. Fellow running back Kareem Hunt is doubtful for their upcoming matchup against the Raiders. The Raiders run defense is ranked 30th in terms of giving up fantasy points to the position and is a big reason why I love this play this week. Chubb should be the workhorse back with a little bit of D’ernest Johnson sprinkled in. I expect Chubb to have a huge bounce-back game this week against a weak opponent and make people who started him very happy. Justin Jefferson
At this point, it’s almost impossible to not have Cooper Kupp ranked amongst the top of the position. Well, he falls second on my list this week only trailing Vikings WR Justin Jefferson. Jefferson has been fantastic as of late and has scored in back-to-back games. He’s benefitted from his co-star Adam Thielen being unavailable. He has received 14+ targets in each of his last 2 games. This game is Monday night so Thielen does have a chance to play but he will be a true game-time decision and be listed questionable all week. Jefferson is still my top guy regardless of Thielen’s status for this game. He is going against a Bears secondary and defense that is ranked 25th in the receiving game. Big-time players have big-time games against this secondary and that is exactly what Jefferson will do. This is his first matchup of 2 against the Bears this season. I expect Jefferson to find the endzone again in this contest while also being able to bring in at least 8 of his targets as he has already done 5 times this season. Good luck to everyone in the playoffs and it’s time to make that run to the championship. Don’t get too ahead of yourself and take every game week by week to ensure that you have the best chance to continue advancing.