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?
JOSHUA SIMMONS
This one is especially fun, as we're largely resorting to conjecture in highlighting players who seem to stand out. Greg Olsen currently stacks up as the fourth best fantasy tight end in most formats, in terms of year-to-date scoring. I like Carolina's star pass catcher to surpass his peers by a wide margin, though, affording fantasy owners a Gronk-esque competitive advantage. Albeit on the road in each case, Olsen faces the two worst defenses versus opposing tight ends, in Weeks 13 & 15. And his opponent in both Weeks 12 and 14, the Atlanta Falcons, is also a bottom rung defense in this regard. Go get him if possible.
Simmons has been a contributor for FantasySharks.com since 2007. His responsibilities include dynasty rankings, weekly projections-driven content and staff representation in various leagues.
DAVID DOREY
Here’s one that I really like for the playoffs and maybe it is a surprise – Drew Brees. He wants to finish out the bad year on a high note. He may not even be there next year. And he has a sweet schedule of Week 14 - @TB, Week 15 – DET and Week 16 – JAC.
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.
ALAN SATTERLEE
Calvin Johnson (and therefore Matthew Stafford as well) is lined up for a strong finish to the season and is well-positioned to be the MVP of the fantasy playoffs. For starters, the Lions are simply playing better and have momentum on their side. Detroit is on a three-game winning streak with the 7th-best passing attack over those games, and simply playing much better now under new offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. It's the upcoming schedule though that is particularly attractive. The Lions have nothing but dome games left in the fantasy season. They are at home this week against the reeling Packers, then at St. Louis in Week 14. The key weeks -- Week 15 and 16 are simply money -- at New Orleans in Week 15 and then home for the Niners in Week 16, the 31st- and 28th-ranked teams against the pass respectively in the prime fantasy playoff and championship weeks.
Satterlee is a co-owner and senior writer for Dynasty Football Warehouse. DFW is comprehensive site covering dynasty, redraft, IDP and Daily formats. DFW has a large writing crew with many people from the DFW community contributing to the insights and discussion. Alan is also the Fantasy Football Insider for the Charlotte Observer and is syndicated in a few other newspapers in the southeast.
JAY HARDING
Alex Smith. . . . I love Kansas City's schedule in Week 14 to 16. First, they are at home to face San Diego, then at Baltimore, and finally Cleveland at home, that is definitely manageable. Besides their favorable schedule, Spencer Ware's emergence has been impressive and surprising, plus West is poised to return soon. Add to that the solid defensive and kicker play we have seen and I believe you have a team that is set up for a strong finish and Smith will be leading the charge.
Harding, owner of The Fantasy Football Firm has been playing and winning fantasy football since 1987. The Firm specializes in helping fantasy owners win in three key post-draft areas. Senior Partners at The Firm get all three publications: “Effective Team Management”, “Waiver Wire Wisdom” and “The Trade Maker” a combined 57 pages packed with sound, proven and effective strategies focused solely on helping partners win their league championships and to do so more consistently than ever before. On Twitter: @UDONTWINONDDAY.
ANDY RICHARDSON
If we can include Week 13, Cam Newton needs to be in the discussion. He faces the Saints this week, the Falcons in Week 14 and 16, and the Giants in Week 15. Boom. All of those teams have struggled to cover receivers, and I think Newton will be gunning for that undefeated season, calling his own number plenty when the team is near the goal line. In Week 15 and 16, Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald look good -- at Philadelphia and home against the Packers.
Richardson has been a contributing writer 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.