Scott Engel is in his 14th year as the official Fantasy Football writer and analyst for Seahawks.com. He is an inaugural member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association’s Hall of Fame. Scott is a four-time FSWA award winner and a 13-time nominee. You can find more of his fantasy football analysis and weekly fantasy football rankings at RotoBaller.com and he is also a host on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio.
The fantasy football playoffs are here, and with it comes extra pressure. Now we are at the point where it’s win or see your season end, and so fantasy players tend to put more thought into their lineup decisions. It is always good to make the most informed and educated lineup choices, but there comes a point where you may be ‘overthinking’ start/sit calls.
If you have made it this far, then a lot has been done right. Stick with the players and approaches that have brought your team this far. It’s well established by this point of the season who you can rely on, and what lineup spots will require streamers.
Don’t let certain fantasy myths or unproven theories trip you up when making lineup decisions. For instance, don’t make lineup decisions based on the other team’s starters. Going with a wide receiver because the other team has a quarterback on the same NFL roster does not “cancel out” or “maintain pace” with the other side. The scoring is different at both positions. The QB can have a bad day and the WR still posts quality numbers.
The reasons for starting a certain player over another need to be solid. If you have to start two to three players from the same team, and they are your best options, just keep them activated. When it comes to injuries, one of my longtime strong stances is when you are in doubt, always go with the healthy player.
Another is not to overthink injuries. If an NFL team clears a player to be active with no reported limitations, he is also cleared for my fantasy lineup. This is especially true for players on NFL teams that are fighting for playoff positioning. When NFL teams need key players to deliver, those are very often the types of guys that you will count on heavily, too.
Heading into the first round of the fantasy playoffs, it is apparent who your must-start players are. As always, we feature the players to go with when facing tough lineup decisions. Analysis leans to PPR formats. Players are listed in order of starting preference.