Fourth & 1 Debate: Fantasy Football Playoff Hero and Zero

Jacob of www.fantasyfootballfools.com was responsible for this week’s Fourth & 1 Roundtable Debate topic. Click here to see the full article .

This Week’s Topic

Looking ahead at the fantasy football playoffs (Weeks 14-17), what one player would you want to own during those weeks, and what one player would you want to unload before Week 14?

My Response

Looking ahead to the fantasy playoffs, there are a couple of wide receivers that I would love to own, and one that I want no part of.

The WRs that I love for the fantasy playoffs are Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson. Aside from being two of the best WRs in the game, there are some other reasons that make them so valuable when fantasy owners need them the most.

First of all, neither team is running away with their division, meaning they will likely go full tilt the whole season as they vie for a playoff spot.

While WRs like Reggie Wayne and Marques Colston are in the driver's seat in their respective divisions, Fitz and A.J. are not. It’s conceivable that Wayne and Colston get a reduced workload in your league’s championship game, but you don’t have to worry about that with Fitz or AJ.

They also have favorable schedules in the fantasy playoffs. Fitz plays at San Francisco, at Detroit, and finishes at home against St. Louis. Week 14 could be tough for him, but the final two games could bring the monster performances you expected out of Fitz when you drafted him.

Johnson's schedule is also a breeze. He starts off at home against Seattle, travels to St. Louis, and finishes at Miami. Obviously I don’t like his championship opponent as much as Fitz, but if he leads you to the title game, you’re in the money anyway.

On the flip side, the player I don’t want on my team come fantasy playoffs time is Carolina’s Steve Smith.

They start off on the road at New England. Weather is very much a factor in New England in December, which doesn’t bode well for members of the passing game. Next up is Minnesota at home. The pressure that Jared Allen and company put on opposing QBs could make for a long day. Finally, he finished up against the Giants on the road in the swirling winds.

Smith faces three of the best teams in the league, two in what are likely to be bad-weather games, during the fantasy playoffs. Not to mention he plays in a run-first offense. If I were a Steve Smith owner and had championship aspirations, I’d try to move him now that he’s coming off a pair of good games.

Panelists

Junkyard Jake of www.junkyardjake.com
Ryan Lester of www.lesterslegends.com
Paul Greco of www.fantasypros911.com
Bryce McRae of www.kffl.com
Kurt Turner of www.top-fantasy-football.com
Eric Stashin of www.rotoprofessor.com
Lee of www.footballjabber.com
Smitty of www.fantasyfootballxtreme.com
Jacob of  www.fantasyfootballfools.com
Hatty of www. hattywaiverwireguru.com