So, you’ve done it. Your draft went well, you grabbed the right players from waivers, and you made a few savvy trades to finally put together the fantasy season of your dreams. Maybe you’re sitting at 6-3, 7-2, or even 8-1, and you’re counting down the weeks until playoff season when you can start the chase for that coveted championship. At least in terms of the regular season, your work here is done, right?
WRONG.
These weeks are just as crucial for those of you with contending rosters as those who are fighting tooth and nail for the fifth or sixth playoff seed. With great power comes great opportunity, and as one of the top dogs in your league, now is the time to pounce and position your roster to have the best possible lineup during the playoffs so you can leave no doubt and take home that trophy.
The concept for this piece is simple: We’re looking for players to buy (relatively) low who have a great chance to deliver in the fantasy playoffs (Weeks 15-17). The process for finding those players is a little more complicated, but we’re still trying to keep things as straightforward as possible. The strongest indicator of a playoff buy is a favorable schedule for their position, but there are other factors to consider, such as players returning from injury or a potential increase in their role near the end of the season. With that said, let’s dive right in!
George Kittle, TE, SF
Playoff schedule: vs. TEN, @ IND, vs. CHI
I know what you’re thinking — the results for George Kittle since returning from his hamstring strain have not been promising for his rest-of-season outlook. A goose egg in Week 7 and underwhelming results in his other two games aside from a Week 8 touchdown don’t exactly inspire confidence that Kittle will return the top-50 ADP investment many spent to get him. But hope lingers on the horizon with the return of Brock Purdy coming in the next couple of weeks. Kittle is one player who has performed much better with Purdy under center compared to other options like Mac Jones since Purdy entered the league in 2022:
Splits courtesy of FTN Fantasy NFL Splits Tool
Obviously, Kittle has played far more games with Purdy than without, but it’s a large enough sample to notice a downward trend in the stud TE’s production when Purdy is out. We’ve seen the connection between these two in the only drive they played together this season in Week 1 against the Seahawks. Before Kittle exited with a hamstring injury, he caught four passes for 25 yards and a touchdown. When Purdy returns, I expect Kittle’s production to go up, even with Christian McCaffrey admittedly siphoning a good chunk of targets in the passing game.
A key aspect of Kittle’s rest of season schedule: his bye occurs in Week 14, so a team fighting for a playoff spot might need to fill that spot with another player. If you roster assets like Kyle Pitts, Dallas Goedert, or Harold Fannin Jr., those may be players you could add in a potential deal to the Kittle owner to snag a higher-upside option for the playoffs. His playoff schedule includes two favorable matchups against the Colts and Bears, who allow the fourth-most and 11th-most points to TEs, respectively. The Week 15 matchup against Tennessee is tougher, as the Titans allow the seventh-fewest points to the position, but Kittle is one of those matchup-proof players who could go off at any time. He’s my top tight end trade target for playoff-bound teams.
DK Metcalf, WR, PIT
Playoff schedule: vs. MIA, @ DET, @ CLE
As is typical with his track record, it’s been an up-and-down season for DK Metcalf in his first year with the Steelers. Metcalf has three weekly PPR finishes inside the top 13, but his other five games have been as WR28 or lower. His low-water mark came in Week 9 against the Colts, when he caught just two passes for 6 yards. Still, with the Steelers remaining steadfast at the trade deadline and Metcalf being the team’s unquestioned WR1, there is plenty of upside to love in his profile and playoff schedule. Things admittedly start off difficult against the Dolphins, who allow the second-fewest points to opposing WRs, but softer matchups in Weeks 16 and 17 against the Lions (eighth-most) and Browns (13th-most) are better smash spots for Metcalf. Chasing upside in the playoffs is what wins championships, and Metcalf is the type of player whose performance can significantly boost your chances of winning. He’s one of my favorite WRs to target right now after a poor Week 9 performance, especially if you feel good about your chances of securing a playoff bye and avoiding the matchup against Miami.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is a favorite player of mine to sell right now if you own him. Things might be looking up with Jacoby Brissett named the team’s starter, but he has a brutal beginning of the playoff schedule against Houston and Atlanta in Weeks 15 and 16, respectively. If you can sell his recent production against the Cowboys’ porous secondary for Metcalf plus another asset, it could pay dividends for you in the playoffs.
J.J. McCarthy, QB, and Jordan Addison, WR, MIN
Playoff schedule: @ DAL, @ NYG, vs. DET
It’s hard to imagine a juicier playoff schedule for quarterbacks than the slate J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings face in Weeks 15-17. The Cowboys (first), Giants (seventh), and Lions (10th) are all in the top 10 in terms of fantasy points allowed to QBs, making the second-year pro an enticing target after his best game as a starter against the Lions in Week 9. McCarthy is more of a Superflex trade target, as you won’t be starting him over players like Jalen Hurts or Lamar Jackson in single-QB formats, but even then, he’s a great insurance policy to add for cheap in those leagues. McCarthy doesn’t have quite the same dual-threat ability as a player like Jaxson Dart, but as he gets further removed from his high ankle sprain that sidelined him for well over a month, I anticipate he’ll use his legs more and more.
This favorable schedule for the Vikings also extends to Jordan Addison as a solid buy. You likely aren’t going to get Justin Jefferson for cheap, but after a down week, you may be able to buy Minnesota’s WR2 for a reasonable price and a great chance to get boom performances in plus matchups. Even with last week’s down performance, Addison is still the PPR WR14 in points per game at 14.5, and his chemistry with McCarthy should build as the two get more reps together. Addison nearly had a touchdown catch on Minnesota’s first drive against Detroit, but the pass went in and out of his hands. The opportunity and matchups should be there for both legs of this tandem to be quality contributors in all three weeks of the fantasy playoffs.
Chase Brown, RB, CIN
Playoff schedule: vs. BAL, @ MIA, vs. ARI
Yeah, yeah, I know. Has Chase Brown been good this year? No. But much like the rest of the Bengals’ offense, his production has seen a boost in recent weeks with Joe Flacco at the helm. In the four games in the Flacco era, Brown has finished as a top-24 RB in all four of them and a top-six option in each of the past two weeks. Sure, he won’t see the whopping 14 targets he did against the Bears every single week, but with Samaje Perine now dealing with a high ankle sprain, the Cincinnati backfield belongs to Brown and Brown alone. He played a season-high 96% of snaps in the Week 9 shootout, and sixth-round rookie Tahj Brooks is the only other man behind him. To top it all off, he has a great playoff schedule for RBs, with Baltimore (fourth) and Miami (sixth) being among the most friendly matchups for the position.
With the recent turnaround, you likely won’t be able to get Brown for the same reduced price you could have a month ago. However, there are still plenty of valid concerns with the Bengals’ offensive line and Brown’s overall efficiency that you might be able to snag him at a discount while the Bengals are on bye in Week 10. Sending an offer with players like Kyle Monangai or J.K. Dobbins, who have better short-term value or more difficult playoff schedules, is a good place to start.
TreVeyon Henderson, RB, NE
Playoff schedule: BUF, @ BAL, @ NYJ
We’ve got back-to-back whammies with TreVeyon Henderson being an even more disappointing draft pick this season than the aforementioned Brown. Henderson has infamously failed to take over the backfield from the ball security-agnostic Rhamondre Stevenson, but a mysterious toe injury to the latter has opened the door for Henderson to prove himself. His Week 9 performance was a mixed bag: he was on the field for 75% of snaps and accrued 87 total yards on 19 touches. However, he ceded a touchdown to UDFA Terrell Jennings, keeping his fantasy score suppressed. However, I see this development as a chance to buy Henderson even cheaper than you should be able to right now. With Stevenson still not practicing, Henderson has a good chance to operate as the lead back in Week 10 against Tampa Bay. If Henderson shows out, he could earn a larger opportunity in future weeks, even when Rhamondre is back in the fold.
The Patriots have a very favorable schedule for RBs in the playoffs, facing the Bills (seventh-most points allowed), Ravens (fourth-most), and Jets (eighth-most) in Weeks 15-17. The best thing about trading for Henderson is that he shouldn’t cost too much to acquire compared to other RBs and could be a smaller piece in a larger deal. He’s a low-cost, high-upside asset I’m looking to acquire from teams needing pieces to help them win now.
Packers Wide Receivers
Playoff schedule: @ DEN, @ CHI, BAL
Picking which Packers wide receiver to latch onto in recent seasons has felt a little like putting on a blindfold, spinning around three times, and throwing a dart in the general vicinity of a dartboard with the hope of hitting a bull’s-eye. However, there is still a great opportunity to find weekly high-upside players in this offense with Tucker Kraft going down for the rest of the season with an ACL tear. Kraft commanded an 18.8% target share and had 12 red-zone targets this season, the most of any Packer.
Romeo Doubs has been the most reliable receiver for Jordan Love this season and could take advantage of a favorable playoff schedule that includes two of the league’s most vulnerable passing defenses in the Bears and Ravens. While he’d likely be the most expensive to acquire, I think he’s worth the investment if you can pry him from the current owner. Where the fun upside lies is in some of Green Bay’s other receivers: Matthew Golden, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and even Dontayvion Wicks. Many of these players could be readily available in your leagues, and if they’re rostered, they shouldn’t take too much to acquire. I see Doubs as a weekly flex-worthy player, while the other options are more high-upside dart throws if they show promise before their playoff matchups.
Forever Targets: Injured Players
I decided to leave this piece until the end of the article because the fantasy community has, as a whole, become more savvy over the years. Spending a lot of time saying that Omarion Hampton is a screaming buy for contending teams doesn’t add a ton to what most of you already know, but it does bear repeating: injured players projected to return around the fantasy playoffs are excellent targets that you can often buy at a discount. However, what’s important is that the likelihood of these buys varies drastically from league to league. A Hampton team sitting at 7-2 or 6-3 is unlikely to part with that asset for the same reason you’re trying to buy.
Here’s a list of injured players worth targeting who could return in time for the playoffs, along with their playoff schedules.
Omarion Hampton (RB, LAC): @ KC, @ DAL, vs. HOU. Will he return in time for the fantasy playoffs? Perhaps only Jim Harbaugh knows. A high-risk, high-reward buy.
Bucky Irving (RB, TB): vs. ATL, @ CAR, @ MIA. Irving missed Wednesday’s practice this week, but should still return to action at some point, right? … Right?!
Travis Hunter (WR, JAX): vs. NYJ, @ DEN, @ IND. Hunter had his best game as a pro before suffering his knee injury and doesn’t appear headed for a long-term absence.
Ricky Pearsall (WR, SF): vs. TEN, @ IND, vs. CHI. Pearsall could be back as soon as this week and is worth trying to buy before he pops off.
Joe Burrow (QB, CIN): vs. BAL, @ MIA, vs. ARI. Burrow is available in plenty of leagues and could return in mid-December, just in time for the playoffs.
Jalen McMillan (WR, TB): vs. ATL, @ CAR, @ MIA. McMillan showed out in the back half of the 2024 season and could soon rejoin the Bucs, who are in desperate need of receivers with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin out.
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurt_player02 on Instagram and Threads | @kuwasemiller.bksy.social on Bluesky)