Playoff football means playoff fantasy football. A chance to keep the fun going for a few more weeks. An opportunity to redeem a lost season, make a little cash, earn some final bragging rights or complete a title run with another victory. Whatever the circumstance, the fantasy playoffs will be a fun coda to the 2019 fantasy season.
Just don't forget that, at this point, the real games come first.
As fun as the fantasy playoffs can be (different formats, finite player pool, a national audience for every game) it won't compare to the regular season. If things didn't go your way this year, nothing in the next month will change that. The heroic finishes, incredible comebacks and bizarre drama you might find over the course of the first 14 games simply won't be there in a new game. Win or lose, it simply won't have the same impact as your league's regular season.
And that's perfectly okay. It's preferable, really. If we're being honest, we need fantasy football to get through some of the less-glamorous matchups during the regular season. The reason we're watching football on Thursday, Sunday and Monday nights instead of anything else is because of the fantasy implications of the games. Too often, they wouldn't hold our attention unless we had a rooting interest in one of the teams. Fantasy football helps turn mediocre games into must-see TV.
But it should be different in the playoffs. The games matter. The final chapters of the NFL season are being written. Guys like Drew Brees and Tom Brady don't have many years left. If these future Hall of Famers are ever going to meet in a Super Bowl, this is probably their best chance (substitute Aaron Rodgers for Brees and it's the same story). Younger players like Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes would love to get an early ring on their resume. This year's juggernaut could become next year's Rams, so the time to act is now. You never know when they'll be back in this position.
Will the Bills prove to be a dangerous out? Can the 49ers establish a new era of success? Is it time for Houston to make it past the divisional round? Can Carson Wentz carry the Eagles beyond expectations? Jobs are on the line. Contracts are on the line. Every matchup matters.
So have fun with playoff fantasy football. Just don't lose track of the other stories that will play out in January and beyond. In the current Fantasy Index poll, nearly 40 percent of voters preferred their fantasy team win a title over their favorite NFL team winning the Super Bowl. I understand that, since only one of those outcomes puts money in your pocket (unless you're a gambler) and we're pretty invested in our fantasy teams.
But the fantasy season is over. If your favorite team is still alive, that should be your primary focus. If not, enjoying the playoffs should take its place. Fantasy football is still there, but it's easy to miss out on the in-game drama while we're pouring over statistics. That's fine when the games aren't that important on their own, but the playoffs should be different. When you watch a great catch over the next few weeks, don't scramble to identify the jersey number. Don't focus on who gets the ball at the goal line. The battles in the trenches, the coaching decisions and the speed of the league's elite should provide their own entertainment.
Of course you want to win your fantasy playoff game, but there should be a little more to it than that. The desire to win should accompany a genuine interest in the games. If it's a substitute, something went wrong. Either the matchup isn't compelling, or we're not paying enough attention to it. I'll try to do my part, and hope the NFL does theirs.
And I hope we all win a little something along the way. Good luck this week.
Do you focus more on the playoff games, or your fantasy fortunes? Is your favorite team still alive? Do you pay more attention to the actual games this time of year? Share your thoughts below.