My Playoff League Lineup

Hey everyone.

I decided to go ahead and use a variation of my Strategy #2 for this year's Playoffs Fantasy Football season on NFL.com.

I have chosen to isolate the two teams that I feel have the best shot at winning the NFC. Meaning that I will not be playing any Packers or Saints. So it should be pretty easy picking for the first two weeks. The tough calls will definitely come in the round before the Super Bowl when I need to pick the winner... or go home crying.

My lineup for Week 1:

QB: Matthew Stafford
It was between Stafford and Matt Ryan for me. Both quarterbacks are playing defenses that can give up big points through the air. And both are playing on the road. I went with the team that I think would have the highest score, and since Stafford did some great things in the regular season, he is my man. And I don't feel like I have to save him for later, because I think the Saints take this one.

RB1: Arian Foster
If you have looked at my playoff rankings, you will see that I have Cincinnati winning in Houston this weekend. I don't think it is too far fetched seeing how the Texans have fared in the past few weeks. With all of the injuries, the only real threat for the Texans is Foster, which is why I have him plugged in today. Just hoping that my upset prediction pays off. This one does feel a bit risky.

RB2: Michael Turner
I like the Giants at home, so I wanted to get him on my fantasy playing field before all Atlanta Falcons become null. Giant's front has been pretty good this year, but not spectacular. And really I just like Turner here over the others that I have to choose from: Kevin Smith, Cedric Benson, Willis McGahee, Isaac Redman, Ahmad Bradshaw, and backups.

WR1: Calvin Johnson
I am putting a lot of my eggs in the Saints beating the Lions basket... but go big or go home. Johnson has been a beast all year. I don't expect that to change any, especially with the first Lions playoff game, seemingly since the inception of the NFL.

WR2: Victor Cruz
My first player that I've decided to go with who is on a team that I predicted to win. I feel that he is safe to use, because even if the Giants find a way to make it further in the playoffs, I still have Hakeem Nicks that I can rely on.

TE: Tony Gonzalez
All of the high tight ends either have byes or are on the team that I decided to save til the end. Gonzo has to be the highest ranked tight end this weekend that isn't in a Saints jersey. Although I did toy with the idea of going Gresham, he's just too up-and-down for me.

K: Neil Rackers
As long as you don't end up playing both kickers that make it to the Super Bowl, you really can't miss here. I'm choosing to save the six kickers that I think have the best shot of making it to the big show. Next week... David Akers.

Defense: Pittsburgh Steelers
Defense is tough. Hard to expect any defense to really put up a lot of points. Almost all twelve teams in the playoffs are putting up insane numbers on offense no matter who they play. So I'll be going with the Steelers here. Denver is awful. Tebow has been a turnover machine lately. It doesn't get much easier than this.
My Defense strategy (Which is really one that you can use at the QB, TE and K positions as well) is simple. I'm only going to be playing AFC defense. That way I can ensure that I will be able to play a defense when the Super Bowl rolls around. I'll likely be doing the same with my kicker after this week where I will only play those in the NFC. Saving an AFC kicker for the Super Bowl.

So there you go. Hope everyone has a roster filled out. Enjoy Wildcard Weekend!