Fantasy Football Playoff Rankings 2015: Weighing Studs and Duds at Each Position

Fantasy football rankings get even trickier for those who keep the fun going during the postseason.

When assembling cheat sheets before the NFL season, gamers gauge individual talent with team roles and positional strength. It's no easy task, but they are ultimately unearthing whether they like Player X more than Players Y and Z.

Postseason rankings, however, are a completely different animal. Along with appraising each option on his own merits, drafters must decide which teams are best positioned to go the distance.

Justin Forsett is a better running back than LeGarrette Blount, but the latter will incur more mileage on the top-seeded New England Patriots. If the Baltimore Ravens get knocked out this weekend, Forsett's 5.4 yards per carry—the highest mark among all qualified running backs—will mean nothing with his squad out of action.

As always, drafters will need a lot of knowledge and even more luck—but not Andrew Luck—to conquer the fantasy postseason.

Quarterback

Rank	Player	Team
1	Russell Wilson	SEA
2	Tom Brady	NE
3	Aaron Rodgers	GB
4	Peyton Manning	DEN
5	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT
6	Tony Romo	DAL
7	Andrew Luck	IND
8	Cam Newton	CAR
9	Joe Flacco	BAL
10	Matthew Stafford	DET
11	Andy Dalton	CIN
12	Ryan Lindley/Drew Stanton	ARI

While waiting on quarterbacks has become a common credo during draft season, that all changes during the playoffs. Winning without a stud signal-caller whose team runs the table will prove nearly impossible.

Depending on which franchise you trust more, Tom Brady and Russell Wilson are interchangeable at the No. 1 spot. The Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers are both potent No. 3 seeds, which make Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning risky endeavors for their premium prices. With both offenses rolling, Tony Romo and Ben Roethlisberger round out the second tier of upper-echelon arms capable of leading their teams to a title.

After that, you're playing with fire. Cam Newton makes a nice daily play this weekend, but even if the Carolina Panthers win, they'd likely get a death-sentence matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. But what about Luck, who amassed 4,761 passing yards and 40 touchdowns this season?

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

For Luck to make a dent, he'll have to follow last year's blueprint. While the young gunslinger surrendered seven interceptions, he also compiled 774 passing yards, 50 rushing yards and six touchdowns through just two games before bowing out.

He's a top option this weekend against the Cincinnati Bengals' No. 20 passing defense, but this marks the opening round's biggest toss-up game. Even if the Indianapolis Colts advance, they'll face a tough road matchup in New England or a matchup against the Denver Broncos.

The absent running back and poor defense that compel Luck to expand his raw numbers are the same reasons Indianapolis is highly unlikely to play more than two games.

Running Back

Rank	Player	Team
1	Marshawn Lynch	SEA
2	C.J. Anderson	DEN
3	DeMarco Murray	DAL
4	Eddie Lacy	GB
5	Jeremy Hill	CIN
6	LeGarrette Blount	NE
7	Le'Veon Bell	PIT
8	Jonathan Stewart	CAR
9	Justin Forsett	BAL
10	Shane Vereen	NE
11	Joique Bell	DET
12	Giovani Bernard	CIN
13	Daniel Herron	IND
14	Jonas Gray	NE
15	James Starks	GB
16	Robert Turbin	SEA
17	Trent Richardson	IND
18	Ben Tate	PIT
19	Joseph Randle	DAL
20	Josh Harris	PIT

There's no safer pick at any position than Marshawn Lynch, a durable stud suiting up for the defending champions.

Last year, Lynch ran Seattle to the promised land with 288 yards and four touchdowns. That's the type of sterling output gamers can anticipate again.

Beast Mode enters the playoffs with 1,673 total yards and 17 touchdowns, closing out the season with five touchdowns through the final four contests. The 28-year-old has shown no signs of declining, averaging a pristine 4.7 yards per run on 280 handoffs.

As evidenced by Pro Football Focus, the bruiser never goes down without a fight:

"

Marshawn Lynch averaged 2.95 yards per carry AFTER contact this year. Trent Richardson averaged 3.1 yards per carry period.

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) December 29, 2014"

Seattle will likely open the postseason against Carolina or the Arizona Cardinals, virtually giving the No. 1 seed a second straight bye. Lynch will get at least two games at home, where he has punched in 11 of his 13 rushing scores this season.

While DeMarco Murray and Le'Veon Bell, if healthy, offer more per-game upside, Lynch won't let his owners walk away with nothing.

Wide Receiver

Rank	Player	Team
1	Dez Bryant	DAL
2	Antonio Brown	PIT
3	Jordy Nelson	GB
4	Demaryius Thomas	DEN
5	Julian Edelman	NE
6	Randall Cobb	GB
7	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN
8	Calvin Johnson	DET
9	T.Y. Hilton	IND
10	Brandon LaFell	NE
11	Doug Baldwin	SEA
12	A.J. Green	CIN
13	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR
14	Martavis Bryant	PIT
15	Torrey Smith	BAL
16	Steve Smith Sr.	BAL
17	Golden Tate	DET
18	Jermaine Kearse	SEA
19	Terrance Williams	DAL
20	Davante Adams	GB
21	Michael Floyd	ARI
22	Markus Wheaton	PIT
23	Danny Amendola	NE
24	Paul Richardson	SEA
25	Reggie Wayne	IND

Some drafters may shy away from Jordy Nelson due to a possible NFC Championship Game clash at Seattle.

Remember, Richard Sherman doesn't shadow his opponent's No. 1 wide receiver. When the Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers met to unveil the 2014 season, Rodgers completely eschewed Sherman's side of the field. Avoiding the top corner, Nelson caught nine of his 14 targets for 83 yards.

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

This, of course, is assuming both teams last that long. Since a Dallas victory would send the surging NFC East champions to Lambeau, that's far from a certainty. It would, however, ignite a shootout against the Cowboys' No. 26 passing defense.

Rodgers would certainly target Nelson in his fantasy draft, per the Green Bay Press-Gazette's Ryan Wood:

Nelson is easily a top-five wideout for the postseason bracket.

Tight End

Rank	Player	Team
1	Rob Gronkowski	NE
2	Greg Olsen	CAR
3	Jason Witten	DAL
4	Julius Thomas	DEN
5	Heath Miller	PIT
6	Coby Fleener	IND
7	Luke Willson	SEA
8	Dwayne Allen	IND
9	Owen Daniels	BAL
10	Jermaine Gresham	CIN
11	Richard Rodgers	GB
12	Tim Wright	NE

Get Rob Gronkowski or wait on tight end. While Gronk is the position's clear flag-bearer, none of the other top contenders possesses a premium stud.

Perhaps the closest blend of great player and great team is Julius Thomas, who has gone AWOL following a torrid start. After opening the season with nine touchdowns through five games, he has since collected 24 catches, 212 yards and three scores.

In Denver's final 11 bouts, Thomas proved useful twice. 

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

He went even quieter down the stretch, concluding the season with five receptions for 66 yards in the final four games combined. Per NFL.com's Marc Sessler, the huge red-zone target conceded that his sprained ankle continues to bother him.

"I definitely needed this bye," Thomas said. "I'm looking forward to it. It'll just give me an opportunity to focus on rehab. When you're practicing and playing, it's kind of hard. It's a little bit of give and take. So this next week, it'll be big for me from a recovery standpoint."

Given the dearth of other dependable options, he's worth the gamble if the price is right. Keep an eye on the 12-touchdown tight end, but only if he slips. Otherwise, make do with Heath Miller or Luke Wilson to close out the proceedings.

Kicker

Rank	Player	Team
1	Stephen Gostkowski	NE
2	Stephen Hauschka	SEA
3	Mason Crosby	GB
4	Connor Barth	DEN
5	Dan Bailey	DAL
6	Shaun Suisham	PIT
7	Adam Vinatieri	IND
8	Graham Gano	CAR
9	Mike Nugent	CIN
10	Justin Tucker	BAL
11	Matt Prater	DET
12	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team
1	Seattle Seahawks
2	New England Patriots
3	Denver Broncos
4	Green Bay Packers
5	Carolina Panthers
6	Dallas Cowboys
7	Indianapolis Colts
8	Pittsburgh Steelers
9	Arizona Cardinals
10	Detroit Lions
11	Baltimore Ravens
12	Cincinnati Bengals

Assemble power rankings for all 12 postseason teams and then rank the kickers in that order. Nothing against Chandler Catanzaro, but maybe he gets one or two field-goal chances before the Cardinals are booted.

As for defense, the Panthers offer one possible exception to this draft philosophy. That's because their Wild Card Weekend matchup against Arizona is so darn tantalizing.

Considering they allowed a combined 43 points during their four-game winning streak, they'll make enough of an immediate dent to justify sacrificing a deeper run.

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