I enjoy participating in fantasy playoffs leagues, at least at a low level. One entry, one shot, so odds of winning aren't great. I understand many people do multiple entries -- the "Kansas City team" or the "Green Bay team," if you will. Thought I'd share my entries; please feel free to critique where you think I've gone wrong.
The RTsports.com is one I've won before, at least at the level I enter it. You purchase a team (for either $20, $50 or $100) and are put in a 10-team league. Prizes for 1st and 2nd place after the end of the Super Bowl, with teams accruing total points throughout the playoffs. The year I won was the Bronc0s-Panthers Super Bowl, basically because the Broncos weren't expected to get there, and I happened to have C.J. Anderson on my roster.
You set a roster of 14 players before the start of the playoffs, and it locks at the first playoff game. You set 8-player lineups each week (with whoever advances) but can't add any new players. It's always amusing when there's one owner who fills his roster only with players playing the first week; it happens more than you'd expect.
Starting lineup is 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR or TE, 1 Flex, 1 PK, 1 Team D/ST. PPR Scoring, 4 point touchdown passes. Defenses are 1 for sacks, 2 for takeaways, 6 for touchdowns, 5 for shutouts, 3 for allowing under 10 points, 1 for allowing under 14 points.
Here's my team at the moment; I've got about 24 hours to change my mind.
QBs - Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen
RBs - Alvin Kamara, Ronald Jones, Aaron Jones, Derrick Henry, Chris Carson
WR/TEs - Chris Godwin, Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce
PK - Tyler Bass
D/ST - Kansas City
I don't have a strong conviction who's going to the Super Bowl. Top-seeded Kansas City and Green Bay are deserving favorites, and if they both make it I'll definitely have a roster that's missing only a running back and a kicker. That may not be enough to win, but I can't justify picking a Kansas City running back when there are three legitimate possibilities to be the team's best back. Like I said, I could still change.
Problem with taking Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers is I'd take a zero at quarterback this week. I don't think that works -- would leave me too much ground to make up. So I've got to have Allen. If neither the Bills nor Kansas City makes the Super Bowl, I've thrown my money away. Theoretically I could switch out Mahomes for Rodgers.
Carrying a Bills running back is viable. If I did I'd ditch either Carson or Henry, one of whom might be on my bench this week. It's a change I'm considering.
Teams I expect to lose this week are Chicago, Washington, Indianapolis and Cleveland. None of those guys on my team. I expect Pittsburgh to lose next week (if not this week) and don't love their offense anyway, so no Steelers. Rams-Seahawks and Ravens-Titans are tossup games (in my mind). I have Henry and Carson, because if they DO win this week, those guys might be very good playing 2-3 games.
Carrying Bass and the KC defense because I think both might play three games and be very good doing it. Obviously, they can't both make the Super Bowl. I'm hedging my bet some on these lower-scoring positions. Last year I went with Wil Lutz and the Saints D and they got upset by Minnesota; wasted roster spots.
RTSports.com is an advertiser of ours, some may have noticed, but I am not trying to promote their competition over any others; it's one of the very few I even know about. If you have your own favorite, please mention it in the comments. I've done ones in the past for ESPN and Yahoo, but not for a while.
The other one I'm currently participating in is for FootballGuys. Their challenge, run through MyFFPC.com, is a $35 per entry competition; there's also a $200 per entry one at the FFPC website. Too rich for my blood, especially because I feel there's a lot of luck involved, or else I'm not particularly good at it, or else you really need to have multiple entries to have a shot.
In this competition, you pick a 12-player lineup from the 14 playoff teams. (In past years it was a 10-player lineup from the 12 playoff teams.) 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 PK, 1 D/ST, and 4 Flex spots (last year it was 2 Flex spots). You only get one player from each playoff team. So you can't have Mahomes and Kelce, you can't have Rodgers and Adams. One or the other. (Or neither.) You want to pass entirely on two teams, and (for me anyway) stick the other two teams in the PK or Defense spots, because it's rare when you'll get a 20-point week out of one of them.
My current lineup looks like this (Flex spots in italics):
Allen (Buf.), Henry (Ten.), Kamara (N.O.), Godwin (T.B.), Adams (G.B.), Carson (Sea.), Taylor (Ind.), Robinson (Chi.), Andrews (Balt.), Kelce (K.C.), Boswell (Pitt.), Rams D (LAR).
No Washington players, no Browns players. Steelers and Rams at PK and D.
Players I could and may switch include Godwin, Carson and Robinson. I could use Ronald Jones, or Gronk (TEs get a point and a half per reception) for Tampa Bay. I could use Montgomery for Chicago, or -- and this was my initial lineup -- a Steelers wideout and Cairos Santos at PK. I could replace Carson with Metcalf.
Those are my teams right now. Opinions welcome, and feel free to let me know what you're doing for playoff challenges, and if you're interested in feedback.
Good luck!