The playoffs are here!!
That’s right, in the Footballguys Players Championship and Main Event, the regular season ended in Week 12. The top four seeds advanced to the league playoffs that started Thursday night. Some prize money will be locked up this weekend and that is very exciting! There are still a couple of weeks left to go in Dynasty but the trade deadline has passed since my last article and there are lots of moves to go over.
RESULTS
FFPC Redraft Tourneys
I have four teams that earned one of the coveted top-two seeds to get into the big dance that starts in Week 15. I have an additional eight teams that earned the four seed and will be competing this weekend for a chance to not only play for the league championship next week, and subsequent prize money, but to get into the big dance if they do win the ‘Ship. That is what I really want. As many dart throws toward the $500,000 prize as possible. I have four guaranteed but my goal was 12. That is not likely to happen, but maybe I can get super close.
Unfortunately, the injuries to D’Andre Swift (RB – DET) and Darren Waller (TE – LV) on Thanksgiving really sank a lot of my Redraft teams that were on the verge of these top-four playoff seeds. It really is a thin cut to try to make. And I can’t deny the very significant impact of completely crapping the bed at QB earlier in the season in several of these leagues. If I didn’t take one of my top QBs, I often went with a combination of Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB – WAS), Jameis Winston (QB – NO), and Justin Fields (QB – CHI). I put up some really terrible QB numbers this year. I would say by far the worst in my career. My one Main Event team underperformed all year and is officially done.
C’est la vie. The moment is over and the playoffs are here!
FFPC Dynasty Teams
According to my research, the magic number to make the playoffs in FFPC Dynasty leagues is 29 Victory Points (VP). With trading closed, waivers are now the only resort for roster changes as we move into the playoffs, and several of my best teams have $0 FAAB left. This should be interesting. The Waller injury is already punishing me for being so cavalier with my budget. In one such SF league, I have only one backup TE and he is also hurt.
Otherwise, of my 19 SF teams, six are currently in position for a first-round bye. Three others are in a strong playoff seed. Six others are within one or two VPs of a playoff seed and I am optimistic they will get there. I have four others that won’t be in the playoffs, one of which was a known rebuild and three that are basically face-planters that I had higher hopes for.
I have two such face-planters in 1QB leagues, along with three known rebuilds. I have two strong playoff teams and three that are competing and coming on strong, within one-three VPs of a playoff berth.
WAIVERS WEEK 13
Here are a few players I am targeting this week:
QB: Anyone with a pulse if you need a QB this late in the season
RB: Ameer Abdullah$, Jermar Jefferson, Matt Breida$
WR: Zay Jones, Randall Cobb, Gabriel Davis
TE: Foster Moreau$
RECENT TRADES
Mine: In a 1QB league where I need to make up some ground to get into the playoffs, I woke up to an offer of Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND) and Tommy Tremble (TE – CAR) for my package of Leonard Fournette (RB – TB), Michael Pittman (WR – IND), and a 2022 second-round pick. I am a big fan of both the players I gave up but this was a slam-your-keyboard-hitting-the-accept-button kind of trade. And then Taylor broke out for a 50 point game in my lineup, so that was awesome. Fournette had a huge game in there, too, though.
In a SF league about a half-hour before the trade deadline, I sent Elijah Mitchell (RB – SF) and my 2022 first and second-round picks for Mark Andrews (TE – BAL). I needed a TE bad and have strong RB depth. I don’t mind spending a first to get a foundational piece like Andrews, in a TE premium format where that was my only weakness.
In another SF I moved Tyler Higbee and a 2022 third-rounder for Dawson Knox and a seventh. Home run.
I needed a defense on a SF team that has $0 FAAB and moved the package of Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB – KC), JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR – PIT), and Harrison Butker (K – KC) for the package of Antonio Gibson (RB – WAS), Greg Joseph (K – MIN), the Miami Dolphins D/ST unit and a 2022 second-round pick. Another home run, especially the Dolphins who I was really only looking to get modest production out of and was more worried about filling Butker’s bye week. This trade happened prior to CEH becoming active.
I was desperate for a QB in one SF and moved the 49ers’ backfield tandem of Trey Sermon (RB – SF) and Mitchell together for Taylor Heinicke (QB – WAS), Dan Arnold (TE – JAX), and a third-rounder. Terrible results so far but Heinicke can still be worth it to me. Arnold not so much now that he is on injured reserve.
In a similar predicament looking for a QB in a different SF league, I gave Noah Fant (TE – DEN) and Rhamondre Stevenson (RB – NE) for Heinicke and Rob Gronkowski (TE – TB).
Theirs: There was so much activity leading up to the trade deadline that I don’t want to try and highlight too much here. Perhaps the simplest and purest trade I’ve ever seen was a SF trade of Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL) for Patrick Mahomes (QB – KC) straight up.
One that caught my eye, though, was Diontae Johnson (WR – PIT), AJ Dillon (RB – GB), and Fant for the package of Derrick Henry (RB – TEN), A.J. Brown (WR – TEN), Adam Trautman (TE – NO) and a second and third-round pick.
FF GAMESMANSHIP
I am super disappointed in some of my better Redraft teams that didn’t make it. They actually legitimately have a chance to make noise in the Toilet Bowl but dang. But it is a bit of a relief to not have to do waivers in those leagues anymore. Waivers for this week in FBG Redraft leagues are unique because it only consists of the four playoff teams, some of which have very little if no FAAB budget left. So in many instances, you can outbid everyone else without any mystery. You can block people from getting the kicker or defense they need, theoretically.
Never give up and let’s keep balling folks!
Thanks for reading! Feel free to reach out to me to chat about fantasy football on Twitter @Ship_Chaser and follow along with me on my journey as I chase six-figure paydays! Look for my new articles soon!
