2021-2022 Playoff Fantasy Football Rankings

Playoff fantasy football comes in many forms, just like its better-known regular season counterpart. Some are bestball, others require set lineups. A few, like NFL.com’s Playoff Challenge, use multipliers that double, triple, or quadruple the fantasy point totals for players whose teams advance through the playoffs.

NFL.com allows fantasy football managers to swap players out after every round of the playoffs, a nice wrinkle that offers flexibility for fantasy enthusiasts. Other platforms lock rosters for the duration of the playoffs once the first Saturday game of Wild Card Weekend kicks off.

BabyBowl 2021, a charity tournament benefitting the March of Dimes and Ashlie’s Embrace, employs a “One And Done” approach. This means any player can be used only once all season (or in this instance, once for the entire duration of the playoffs). Choosing quality players from teams that are most likely to bow out early is a key strategy in this style of tournament.

While players from teams with first-round byes a bit more heavily in multiplier leagues, our rankings assume a PPR scoring system in a more traditional format, with no round multipliers. Our battle-tested strategy for more generic playoff fantasy football leagues: stockpile players from teams that are most likely to play multiple games. With this in mind, we placed the fourteen playoff teams into tiers to help us identify which teams to target.

 

Tier 1: Super Bowl Favorites

 

1. Green Bay Packers – Vegas lists the Packers as the favorites to win the whole thing, and we agree: it’s a tall order for any team to go into Green Bay and win in January. The next closest thing to a cold weather team on the NFC side of the bracket is the Philadelphia Eagles, who would have to beat Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in Tampa to earn their shot.

2. Kansas City Chiefs – Everyone knows that the Chiefs go as Patrick Mahomes goes, but the defense isn’t getting the credit it deserves. After Week 5, Kansas City was allowing 32.6 points per game. They’ve allowed just 16.8 points per contest in the 12 games since. As winners of nine of their last ten games, we see the Chiefs as the team most likely to hoist the Lamar Hunt trophy for the third consecutive season.

 

Tier 2: Likely to Play Two or More Games

 

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Earlier this season, the Buccaneers traveled to Philadelphia and rolled the Eagles during the first half of a Thursday night game. An Eagles team that had yet to find its identity then asserted itself in the second half and made it a ballgame, pulling to within six points with five minutes and change left. That Buccaneers team featured both Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin, neither of whom will be suiting up this Sunday. Tampa Bay should win, but it’ll be closer than many think; a first round scare that should serve as motivation to propel the Bucs to the NFC Championship Game.

4. Cincinnati Bengals – While the Bengals offense has been a fixture in highlight reels this season, their defense has flown under the radar, by comparison. We expect the Bengals to roll the Las Vegas Raiders this weekend, thereby cementing the likelihood of Cincinnati as a team that will play multiple post-season games. Don’t be surprised when they get past the Titans and find themselves in the AFC Championship Game.

5. Buffalo Bills – The Bills righted the ship after a midseason lull, closing out the regular season with four straight wins. Buffalo draws the New England Patriots in a rubber match out of the gate; the two teams split the season series and square off against each other for the third time in seven weeks. The Bills will face the Chiefs in what should be (but won’t be) the AFC Championship Game.

6. Los Angeles Rams – It’s hard to envision a scenario in which the Rams, winners of five of their last six games, drop a high-stakes game to the Cardinals, a team that has dropped four of its last five. The running game is a bit of a mess due to a myriad of injuries, but the Cardinals don’t have an answer for Cooper Kupp. The Rams should waltz into the second round of the playoffs, but don’t expect them to dance beyond that.

 

Tier 3: Could Potentially Play Two Games

 

1. Dallas Cowboys – The Dallas Cowboys are currently three-point favorites at home against the San Francisco 49ers, meaning they’d essentially be a pick ’em at a neutral site. Dak Prescott hasn’t been sharp down the stretch, but his exceptional performance in a tune-up game against the Philadelphia Eagles’ JV squad in Week 18 offers reason for optimism. The Cowboys’ defense has been a revelation this year; their performance against the likes of Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Elijah Mitchell in the red zone will determine whether or not the team lives to play another game.

2. Tennessee Titans – The Titans dominated inferior competition this season, going 8-2 against teams who missed the playoffs. A 4-3 record against playoff teams is far from terrible, but Tennessee had to survive a scare from the lowly Houston Texans in order to secure a first-round bye. The Titans are one of the more beatable top seeds in recent memory.

3. San Francisco 49ers – The Cowboys should beat the 49ers, but that doesn’t mean they will: the 49ers match up well against the Cowboys and should give the NFC East Champions all they can handle. If the 49ers earn a meeting with the Packers in Green Bay next week, it wouldn’t be a surprise. However, life after Lambeau Field would be a shocker.

4. New England Patriots – The Patriots have leveraged a cold-weather advantage during the playoffs many times in recent years. However, they get no edge over the Buffalo Bills in that department. The Patriots are obviously a well-coached team, but the Bills offer more talent on both sides of the ball. A near-flawless game from a rookie quarterback might be necessary for the Patriots to advance.

 

Tier 4: Unlikely to Play Two Games

 

1. Arizona Cardinals – Much like certain cool kids in middle school, the Cardinals peaked way too early this season. A lot would have to go right for the Cardinals to upset the Rams at SoFi Stadium. However, while Los Angeles is stacked on both sides of the ball, their lack of chemistry and continuity could open the door for Kyler Murray and friends.

2. Philadelphia Eagles – Philadelphia came within a touchdown of coming back to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this season, but that was before the Eagles looked in the mirror and realized they’re a team that does best when pounding the football on the ground. While the Buccaneers are heavy favorites, we expect the Eagles to make it a game. A victory would be a tall order, however.

3. Las Vegas Raiders – The Raiders stumbled out of their Week 8 bye and lost five of their next six games. Amazingly, they rattled off four straight wins to punch their playoff tickets. Hats off to this team for enduring a constant circus of distractions, from the firing of Jon Gruden to the release of Henry Ruggs. Unfortunately, the Bengals’ potent offense and underrated defense should prove to be too much for the Raiders.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers – The Steelers face long odds to advance beyond the first week of the playoffs. Ben Roethlisberger has not played inspiring football, and their narrow 16-13 overtime victory over a Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore Ravens team was their first road win since October. The Steelers need to show up the Chiefs in hostile Arrowhead Stadium to advance beyond Round 1. Nope. Don’t see that happening.

 

QUARTERBACKS

QB			RANKINGS
Name	Team	Position	Drew DeLuca	Adam Sloate
Patrick Mahomes II	KC	QB	1	2
Aaron Rodgers	GB	QB	2	1
Josh Allen	BUF	QB	3	3
Joe Burrow	CIN	QB	4	5
Tom Brady	TB	QB	5	4
Dak Prescott	DAL	QB	6	6
Matthew Stafford	LAR	QB	7	8
Kyler Murray	ARI	QB	8	7
Jimmy Garoppolo	SF	QB	9	12
Derek Carr	LV	QB	10	9
Jalen Hurts	PHI	QB	11	11
Ryan Tannehill	TEN	QB	12	10
Mac Jones	NE	QB	13	14
Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	QB	14	13
Trey Lance	SF	QB	15	15
Marcus Mariota	LV	QB	16	16

 

RUNNING BACKS

RB			RANKINGS
Name	Team	Position	Drew DeLuca	Adam Sloate
Joe Mixon	CIN	RB	1	2
Derrick Henry	TEN	RB	2	1
Aaron Jones	GB	RB	3	3
Devin Singletary	BUF	RB	4	8
Leonard Fournette	TB	RB	5	7
Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	RB	6	5
Elijah Mitchell	SF	RB	7	6
Najee Harris	PIT	RB	8	4
James Conner	ARI	RB	9	10
Josh Jacobs	LV	RB	10	9
Damien Harris	NE	RB	11
Sony Michel	LAR	RB	12
Darrel Williams	KC	RB	13
AJ Dillon	GB	RB	14
Clyde Edwards-Helaire	KC	RB	15
Tony Pollard	DAL	RB	16
Chase Edmonds	ARI	RB	17
Miles Sanders	PHI	RB	18
Rhamondre Stevenson	NE	RB	19
Ke’Shawn Vaughn	TB	RB	20
Boston Scott	PHI	RB	21
Ronald Jones II	TB	RB	22
Jordan Howard	PHI	RB	23
Kenneth Gainwell	PHI	RB	24
Jerick McKinnon	KC	RB	25
Zack Moss	BUF	RB	26
D’Onta Foreman	TEN	RB	27
Samaje Perine	CIN	RB	28
Giovani Bernard	TB	RB	29
Benny Snell Jr.	PIT	RB	30
Le’Veon Bell	TB	RB	31
Jeff Wilson Jr.	SF	RB	32
Brandon Bolden	NE	RB	33
Dontrell Hilliard	TEN	RB	34
Eno Benjamin	ARI	RB	35
Jalen Richard	LV	RB	36
Anthony McFarland Jr.	PIT	RB	37
Derrick Gore	KC	RB	38
Kyle Juszczyk	SF	RB	39
Trey Sermon	SF	RB	40
Kalen Ballage	PIT	RB	41
Matt Breida	BUF	RB	42
JaMycal Hasty	SF	RB	43
Chris Evans	CIN	RB	44
Corey Clement	DAL	RB	45
Peyton Barber	LV	RB	46

WIDE RECEIVERS

WR			RANKINGS
Name	Team	Position	Drew DeLuca	Adam Sloate
Davante Adams	GB	WR	1	1
Cooper Kupp	LAR	WR	2	2
Tyreek Hill	KC	WR	3	3
Ja’Marr Chase	CIN	WR	4	4
Deebo Samuel	SF	WR	5	5
Stefon Diggs	BUF	WR	6	6
Mike Evans	TB	WR	7	7
A.J. Brown	TEN	WR	8	9
CeeDee Lamb	DAL	WR	9	8
Tee Higgins	CIN	WR	10	10
Amari Cooper	DAL	WR	11	11
Diontae Johnson	PIT	WR	12	13
Odell Beckham Jr.	LAR	WR	13	14
Hunter Renfrow	LV	WR	14	12
Brandon Aiyuk	SF	WR	15	15
Allen Lazard	GB	WR	16	16
Tyler Boyd	CIN	WR	17	18
Mecole Hardman	KC	WR	18	21
Christian Kirk	ARI	WR	19	19
Julio Jones	TEN	WR	20	20
Van Jefferson	LAR	WR	21	24
Cole Beasley	BUF	WR	22	25
DeVonta Smith	PHI	WR	23	17
Gabriel Davis	BUF	WR	24	22
Chase Claypool	PIT	WR	25	23
Marquez Valdes-Scantling	GB	WR	26	26
Cedrick Wilson Jr.	DAL	WR	27	27
Jakobi Meyers	NE	WR	28	28
A.J. Green	ARI	WR	29	29
Byron Pringle	KC	WR	30
Kendrick Bourne	NE	WR	31	30
Nelson Agholor	NE	WR	32
Randall Cobb	GB	WR	33
Emmanuel Sanders	BUF	WR	34
Zay Jones	LV	WR	35
Breshad Perriman	TB	WR	36
Rondale Moore	ARI	WR	37
Bryan Edwards	LV	WR	38
Jalen Reagor	PHI	WR	39
DeSean Jackson	LV	WR	40
Demarcus Robinson	KC	WR	41
Anthony Miller	PIT	WR	42
Cyril Grayson Jr.	TB	WR	43
James Washington	PIT	WR	44
Isaiah McKenzie	BUF	WR	45
Tyler Johnson	TB	WR	46
Antoine Wesley	ARI	WR	47
Quez Watkins	PHI	WR	48
Jauan Jennings	SF	WR	49
Scotty Miller	TB	WR	50
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine	TEN	WR	51
Ray-Ray McCloud	PIT	WR	52
Josh Gordon	KC	WR	53
N’Keal Harry	NE	WR	54
Amari Rodgers	GB	WR	55
Equanimeous St. Brown	GB	WR	56
Ben Skowronek	LAR	WR	57
Noah Brown	DAL	WR	58
Chester Rogers	TEN	WR	59
Greg Ward	PHI	WR	60

TIGHT ENDS

TE			RANKINGS
Name	Team	Position	Drew DeLuca	Adam Sloate
Travis Kelce	KC	TE	1	1
Rob Gronkowski	TB	TE	2	3
George Kittle	SF	TE	3	2
Dalton Schultz	DAL	TE	4	4
Dawson Knox	BUF	TE	5	5
Dallas Goedert	PHI	TE	6	6
Zach Ertz	ARI	TE	7	8
Tyler Higbee	LAR	TE	8	9
Darren Waller	LV	TE	9	7
Pat Freiermuth	PIT	TE	10	11
Hunter Henry	NE	TE	11	10
Josiah Deguara	GB	TE	12	12
C.J. Uzomah	CIN	TE	13	13
Anthony Firkser	TEN	TE	14	14
Cameron Brate	TB	TE	15	15
Foster Moreau	LV	TE	16	16
O.J. Howard	TB	TE	17	17
Marcedes Lewis	GB	TE	18	18
Blake Jarwin	DAL	TE	19	19
Jonnu Smith	NE	TE	20	20
Tyree Jackson	PHI	TE	21	21
Geoff Swaim	TEN	TE	22	22
Eric Ebron	PIT	TE	23	23
MyCole Pruitt	TEN	TE	24	24

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS

1. Kansas City Chiefs KC
2. Green Bay Packers GB
3. Buffalo Bills BUF
4. Los Angeles Rams LAR
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers TB
6. Dallas Cowboys DAL
7. Cincinnati Bengals CIN
8. New England Patriots NE
9. San Francisco 49ers SF
10. Tennessee Titans TEN
11. Arizona Cardinals ARI
12. Philadelphia Eagles PHI
13. Las Vegas Raiders LV
14. Pittsburgh Steelers PIT

KICKERS

1. Harrison Butker KC
2. Ryan Succop TB
3. Tyler Bass BUF
4. Matt Gay LAR
5. Mason Crosby GB
6. Evan McPherson CIN
7. Greg Zuerlein DAL
8. Robbie Gould SF
9. Randy Bullock TEN
10. Nick Folk NE
11. Matt Prater ARI
12. Daniel Carlson LV
13. Jake Elliott PHI
14. Chris Boswell PIT

 

Images by Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@justparadesigns on Twitter)