Not only can you show your fantasy football knowledge this postseason, you can also win some free FanSided swag. The top five finishers in our group will get a free FanSided shirt which is dark grey and features the FanSided three color logo. Right now our group has over 150 entries in it, but if we can get more people in the group, we’ll increase the number of shirts we’re giving out.
The best part of the contest is that entry is totally free! The FanSided group is on NFL.com in the Playoff Challenge game with is free to play and easy to join. Our group is called FanSided and you can join by searching for us or following this link.
It just takes a few minutes to set your lineup each week of the playoffs, but there is some deep strategy involved in who you want on your team.
One thing to consider if you’re picking players for this weekend is the weather. The Eagles host the Saints in a game that’s expected to be cold but clear, the Bengals host the Chargers in a game that currently looks like it could feature a wintery mix of snow or rain, and the Packers host San Francisco in a game where the temperature could drop below zero. The fourth Wild Card game is in Indianapolis where the weather will be brutal but the game will be inside, so there’s no weather affect on the game itself.
Make sure you also consider the multipliers since stocking up on players that you think will go deep into the playoffs is the key to big payouts in later rounds. If a player is on your roster for multiple weeks you get more points every time he scores. For example, if you go with LeSean McCoy and the Eagles win their Wild Card round game you would get a 2x multiplier in their Divisional Round game, a 3x multiplier in the NFC Championship, and potentially a 4x multiplier in the Super Bowl.
The high-risk, high-reward strategy is actually rostering players who aren’t playing this weekend. For example, if you stash Peyton Manning this week you’ll get zero points, but you will get double his points for the Divisional Round, potentially triple for the AFC Championship, and potentially quadruple for the Super Bowl. If you’re confident a team will advance that far, it’s a risky strategy that could pay off.
To succeed in NFL Playoff challenge you’ll need to blend together knowing who has the best matchups (outlined here) and who is poised to make it to the Super Bowl.
I’ll be posting my picks tomorrow, so be sure to drop a bookmark at our Fantasy Football page. Make sure to get in our group and spread the word about the chance to get free gear for showcasing your fantasy football strategy against the readers, bloggers, and editors from across the FanSided network.