ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Who will be the MVP of the fantasy playoffs?
JAMES SELTZER
There are a number of directions you can go with this answer, but I will keep it simple; I think the MVP of the 2014 fantasy playoffs will be LeVeon Bell. Bell is playing at an elite level right now, as he has crossed the 200 total yard barrier in each of his past two games -- 254 and 222 respectively. Bell's last four games are against the Falcons, Chiefs, and the Bengals twice. The Falcons have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing RBs, the Bengals have allowed the sixth-most, and the Chiefs have allowed the third-most rushing yards, of any team, in the league this season. Lastly, Pittsburgh is in the playoff hunt, so there is no chance of LeVeon being rested over the last month of the season. So to recap: Bell is playing at an elite level, has a brilliant schedule, and his team needs to win...that sounds like a perfect recipe for a monster fantasy playoff run for LeVeon Bell.
Seltzer is a writer of NFL content for Rotowire.com. Since 1997, RotoWire.com has been one of the leading fantasy sports resources on the web. Seltzer can be found on Twitter @JamesSeltzer975.
DAVID DOREY
There is no doubt that wideouts are the king currently – eight of them had double touchdowns this week which was a record going back ten years that I have records. Last year in Week 13 it was just two and in 2012 there were only three with 2 TDs in Week 13. I love Calvin Johnson/Golden Tate’s schedule and even love Brandon Marshall/Alshon Jeffery’s.
Dorey is the co-founder and lead NFL analyst for The Huddle and author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. He has projected and predicted every NFL game and player performance since 1997 and has appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, radio and television.
IAN ALLAN
Jamaal Charles and Andrew Luck are the two names that come to mind for me. In Week 15, Charles is playing at home against Oakland. The following week, he’s at Pittsburgh, which has struggled defensively. I think Charles will be big in those games. As for Luck, he’s got Houston in Week 15, followed by a trip to Dallas. Also should be outstanding in both of those games.
Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index. He's been in that role since 1987, generating most of the player rankings and analysis for that publication. His work can be seen in Fantasy Football Index magazine, and also at www.fantasyindex.com.
SAM HENDRICKS
First I consider Week 16 the end of the fantasy football season. I hate week 17 championships where some NFL teams sit their studs. Demaryius Thomas looks great for the playoffs and in fact anchors several of my teams. DEN has BUF, @SD and @CIN -- bottom line with a QB like Peyton Manning throwng to you, I will take my chances. I will even go one better and nominate two WR both from the same Bronco team. Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders both are 20 point fantasy football playoff players.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 20-plus year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall (out of 228 competitors) in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). Follow him at his web site, www.ffguidebook.com.
ALAN SATTERLEE
Not to be too obvious here but I am going to go with Andrew Luck. Fresh off his first 5-TD game Luck is on fire, easily the number one quarterback this year in most formats. Especially in weeks 15 and 16 Luck is set up for more fantasy good times. In Week 15, Luck has a home game against Houston who ranks 30th against the pass and he will play at Dallas in Week 16. Both games have zero whether risk. Indianapolis doesn't even pretend to establish a running game and they have the offense almost completely running off his right arm. Also, Luck is on pace for 4,936 yards (leading the NFL). Surely he will push to get to 5,000. Also, at 8-4 and behind Denver, Cincinnati, and New England for the best record in the AFC there will be no resting for Luck and the amazing Indianapolis Colt offense.
Satterlee is Co-Owner and Chief Editor/COO of FantasyFootballWarehouse.com. FFW features comprehensive profiles for all the major 2013 skill-position rookies, its Trading Spaces series, the team Deep Dives, the Speed Bump competition plus draft strategies, rankings, projections and more. FFW runs in tandem with its dynasty site DynastyFootballWarehouse.com.
ANDY RICHARDSON
A number of my leagues have six- or eight-team playoffs and start the postseason in Week 14. For that reason, Aaron Rodgers is probably going to put a lot of people into the second round with facing the Falcons this week, and a Buffalo team next week that is very difficult to run on (so Rodgers will have to do more). LeVeon Bell gets the Falcons and Kansas City in Weeks 15-16; scary to face him in those weeks. Finally, this is the second year in a row that Jamaal Charles has faced Oakland in Week 15. Last year he went for 215 total yards and 5 TDs in that game. There's no coming back from that.
Richardson has been a contributor and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.