Ask the Experts

December 19, 2024

Which lesser light could be MVP of the fantasy playoffs?

Chase Brown, Bucs earn nods

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Which lightly regarded player could be the MVP of the fantasy playoffs?

SAM HENDRICKS

I will go one better and give you two. First Chase Brown. Running backs are few and far between in the last two fantasy playoff weeks. Sure there's Gibbs, Barkley and Robinson but after that it gets kinda thin. Brown has a high ceiling and a pretty consistent floor. He faces Cleveland and then the Broncos both at home. Second choice is Khalil Shakir. Shakir is not on many radars this year. But with the season Josh Allen is having Shakir is getting hand-me-downs that make him a significant play the next two weeks. His opponents are New England and the Jets both at home.

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 30-year fantasy football veteran who participated in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013 and 2018.

KEN HOLIZNA

Baker Mayfield presents an intriguing possibility. Despite my season long skepticism of his performance (and Sam Darnold), his upcoming schedule features favorable matchups against Carolina, Dallas, and potentially New Orleans in Week 18. This relatively easy path makes him a compelling starting option, potentially outperforming many quarterbacks drafted ahead of him. Second, James Conner's situation in Arizona warrants consideration. With the Cardinals facing a crucial playoff push and hampered by injuries at the running back position, Conner is likely to receive a significant workload. His consistent production makes him a reliable option for a fantasy playoff run. Finally, Terry McLaurin's recent surge in performance, coupled with the Washington Commanders favorable schedule against defenses vulnerable to the pass (including Atlanta and Dallas), positions him as a strong contender. These matchups offer a high-scoring game script that could significantly benefit his fantasy production. While all three players offer potential, if forced to choose a single one, I would select McLaurin due to his recent momentum, advantageous matchups ahead, and chemistry with his quarterback who is pushing for rookie of the year.

Holizna is a 29-year fantasy football enthusiast and founder of Faith-Family-Fantasy Football in 2019, a family-friendly, faith-based, G-rated fantasy football platform. Rankings contributor to the 2023 Fantasy Index magazine. Find him on Twitter @holihandicapper

JASON WOOD

I’ll give you two for the price on one. First, Jerome Ford. Nick Chubb broke his foot and Ford stepped into the lead role and flourished against one of the stingiest run defenses in the league. He gets the Bengals and Dolphins in the next two weeks, and should be game script proof since he’s a capable outlet receiver. The other is James Conner. The Cardinals season isn’t going anywhere but Emari Demercado is hurt and that puts Conner into a high-volume receiving role to go along with his heavy rushing workload.

Wood is Senior Editor at Footballguys.com and has been with the company since its start in 2000. For more than 20 years, Footballguys has provided rankings, projections, and analysis to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.

IAN ALLAN

Mike Evans has gone over 1,000 yards ten years in a row. I think Jerry Rice is the only guy who can say, “Mine goes to 11.” This is something that’s important to Evans. I think he’d like to tie that record, but he missed time with a hamstring injury. So this season, he’s sitting at only 749 yards with three games to play. He need to average 84 yards per week to get that 11th straight season. I see that Baker Mayfield was talking about it today. I think there will be an effort to pump some extra balls to Evans in these upcoming games, making him more productive than he would be under usual circumstances. He’s a good receiver anyway, but I think he’s about to go on a nice little run.

Allan co-founded Fantasy Football Index in 1987. Since that time, he’s written and edited most of the content published in the magazines, newsletters and at www.fantasyindex.com. Allan is a member of the FSGA Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.

DAVID DOREY

A lesser thought-about player that should be a star for the next two weeks would have to be Jonathan Taylor of the Colts. He just logged 100 yards against the Patriots and Broncos. His next two games are against the Titans and Giants who are both reeling and losing games at the end of the season. They are weak against the run and the Colts are willing to hand the ball to Taylor 25 times a game. He just needs to remember to hold the ball long enough to spike it in the end zone.

Dorey co-founded The Huddle.com in 1997. He's ranked every player and projected every game for the last 26 years and is the author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. David has appeared on numerous radio, television, newspaper and magazines over the last two decades.

ANDY RICHARDSON

I'm going really lesser here with a guy I need to start in a playoff game, Jalen Coker. He should be one of the top 2 in Carolina, with Xavier Legette hurt, and the Panthers face the Cardinals, Bucs and Falcons to close out the season. Also, let's keep an eye on the Saints running back situation. Alvin Kamara is hurt, and the season is over. (Just like Jamaal Williams' NFL career.) If Kamara can't go this week (or doesn't go next week), Miller should play close to full-time. Not a great matchup at Green Bay, but the next week they host the Raiders. Pick him up now just in case.

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 writes a weekly gambling newsletter, Index Bets, during the NFL season and also previews all the games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays.

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