Okay, so I’ve been diving deep into fantasy football, specifically trying to figure out the best running back playoff schedules. It’s crunch time, and I needed to make some moves to give my team the best shot at a championship. Here’s what I did:
First, I grabbed my league’s playoff schedule. Most leagues are weeks 15-17, some might do 16-17, so it is important to know that to start.
Next, I listed out all my running backs. I mean all of them, even the benchwarmers. You never know when a surprise injury might thrust someone into a starting role.
Digging into the Matchups
This is where it got tedious, but it’s super important. I went week-by-week, looking at each running back’s opponent for weeks 15, 16, and 17 (in my case). I was paying close attention to:
- Run Defense Rankings: I mainly used some basic online tools.
- Recent Performance: Some defenses start the season strong but fade down the stretch. I wanted to see if there were any trends, like a team suddenly giving up a ton of rushing yards.
- Injuries: If a key linebacker or defensive lineman is out, that can drastically change a defense’s effectiveness.
The Sorting Process
After I had all this matchup data, I started sorting my running backs. I basically created three tiers:
- Green Light (Great Matchups): These guys were facing bottom-tier run defenses consistently throughout the playoffs.
- Yellow Light (Okay Matchups): These were the middle-of-the-road guys. They might have one good matchup, one bad, and one average.
- Red Light (Tough Matchups): These poor souls were staring down top-5 run defenses all three weeks.
Making Moves
Once that all of my data was collected, I could now put it into a much simple format.
Based on my tiers, I started looking at potential trades. My goal was to acquire at least one “Green Light” running back, even if it meant giving up a decent player at another position. The playoffs are all about maximizing points, and a strong running back with great matchups can be a league-winner.
It’s a lot of work, I should figure out the best way to do this, but it’s worth it. Having this kind of information gives you a serious edge in the fantasy playoffs. Good luck to everyone still in the hunt!
