The fantasy postseason is here in the majority of leagues and those tough and crucial weekly lineup decisions suddenly become even more agonizing and important with the stakes ramping up.
Do fantasy general managers automatically play the sizzling young player who they won off the waiver wire that week, or do they give their more established but fading high draft pick one more shot in a do-or-die scenario?
In this week’s TT&T, we’ll attempt to aid in some of those decisions by breaking down a couple of the hot but unheralded or late-blooming players at each of the four main fantasy positions and some of the struggling former standbys with upcoming bad matchups who the former could be potentially unseating in fantasy playoff lineups.
All statistics and rankings (minimum two games played) are based on point-per-reception scoring in games played through Monday night.
QB Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Week 10-13 position rank (average fantasy points): Sixth (24.5 fantasy points per game)
Sizzling stat: Cousins ranks second among QBs in total passing yards (1,218) and touchdowns (11) with two interceptions during this four-game span after totaling 1,855 yards, 15 TDs and 10 interceptions during his first eight games
Upcoming outlook: Cousins has taken full advantage of a favorable schedule the last three weeks with games against the Cowboys, Panthers and Jaguars who have all scored at least 24 points themselves and forced Cousins and the Vikes to take to the air.
A game against Tom Brady and a beatable Bucs passing defense fits the same profile in Week 14, but tougher defensive tests do loom the following two weeks against the Bears and Saints.
Possibly replacing: Kyler Murray (at N.Y. Giants, Week 14), Russell Wilson (at Washington, Week 15)
QB Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts
Week 10-13 position rank (average fantasy points): 12th (19.7 points per game)
Sizzling stat: Rivers has topped 19.2 fantasy points with multiple TD passes in each of his last three games (versus the Packers, Titans and Texans). He only reached those standards twice in his first eight contests.
Upcoming outlook: Two more plus-matchups are immediately ahead in games against the Raiders in Week 14) and Texans (Week 15) before a Week 16 contest against the Steelers, the defense allowing the fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.
Possibly replacing: Cam Newton (at L.A. Rams, Week 14); Deshaun Watson (at Colts, Week 15)
RB David Montgomery, Chicago Bears
Week 10-13 position rank (average fantasy points): First (26.2 points per game)
Sizzling stat: Coming off a Week 10 game missed to injury and Chicago’s Week 11 bye, Montgomery has saved his best for last, topping 21.7 fantasy points for the first two times this season with back-to-back games of 25.3 and 27.1 against the Packers and Lions, respectively.
Upcoming outlook: The Bears’ fantasy playoff slate ranks as the third best for running backs, according to The Huddle’s Strength of Schedule tool, with matchups against the Texans (second-best matchup for RBs) and Jaguars (fourth best) sandwiched around a Week 15 rematch against the Vikings (17th best).
And even though Montgomery has been a fantasy disappointment for much of his two pro seasons, it’s time to hop back on board with one of the league’s true bellcow backs (average of 18 touches per game) proving he can produce in favorable matchups.
Possibly replacing: Kareem Hunt (vs. Baltimore, Week 14), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (at New Orleans, Week 15), Kenyan Drake (vs. San Francisco, Week 16)
RB Wayne Gallman, New York Giants
Week 10-13 position rank (average fantasy points): 11th (16.9 points per game)
Sizzling stat: Six of Gallman’s 10 best pro rushing games, including his top two (135 yards vs. the Seahawks on Sunday and 94 the week before against the Bengals), have come since Week 4 when he helped step in for the injured Saquon Barkley.
Upcoming outlook: Gallman’s current run has been instrumental in the Giants’ surge to the top of the NFC East standings, and he’s received at least 15 touches in each of his last four games with six total TDs over his last six outings.
There are no cakewalk matchups in the fantasy playoffs (Cardinals, Browns and Ravens), but Gallman has established himself as a solid RB2 start.
Possibly replacing: Kareem Hunt (vs. Baltimore, Week 14); Ezekiel Elliott (vs. San Francisco, Week 15)
RB Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams
Week 10-13 position rank (average fantasy points): 26th (10.9 points per game)
Sizzling stat: The Rams’ rookie back has found his way into the end zone in back-to-back weeks for his first TDs of the season and has totaled almost as many fantasy points (30.8) in the two contests than he did in his first six games (31.4) combined.
Upcoming outlook: Akers out-touched fellow L.A. RBs Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown 22-9 Sunday in Arizona while logging the most rushing attempts (21) by a Rams back in a game this season — another signal that he may have finally moved to the forefront of the team’s three-headed committee.
The Rams’ fantasy postseason itinerary is favorable as well with games against the Patriots, Jets and Seahawks, and Akers and is now certainly in play as flex/RB2 consideration when you’re weighing matchups.
Possibly replacing: Miles Sanders (vs. New Orleans, Week 14), Todd Gurley (vs. Tampa Bay, Week 15), Jonathan Taylor (at Pittsburgh, Week 16)
WR Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans
Week 10-13 position rank (average fantasy points): 15th (8.3 points per game)
Sizzling stat: Davis hasn’t just come on in the last month as he’s displayed a strong floor all season with his nine games with at least 10 PPR points in the 10 contests he’s played this year.
Upcoming outlook: Up next are back-to-back favorable matchups against the Jaguars and Lions in Weeks 14 and 15 before things turn tougher in Week 16 against the Packers.
Possibly replacing: Robby Anderson (vs. Denver, Week 14), Tyler Lockett (at Washington, Week 15)
WR Jarvis Landry, Cleveland Browns
Week 10-13 position rank (average fantasy points): 22nd (14.8 points per game)
Sizzling stat: Landry’s 48.7 combined fantasy points over the last two weeks on 16 receptions for 205 yards and two TDs were nearly as much as he had (50.5) in his previous six contests.
Also, his two TDs were his first two scoring grabs of the season. He did throw a TD pass in Week 4.
Upcoming outlook: After taking advantage of two (Jags and Titans) of the five most generous fantasy defenses vs. opposing wide receivers the past two weeks, Landry faces an immediate challenge in Week 14 against the second-stingiest fantasy wideout defense (Ravens).
Things then lighten back up somewhat for the final two weeks of the fantasy postseason with contests against the Giants and Jets.
Possibly replacing: Brandin Cooks (at. Indianapolis, Week 15), JuJu Smith-Schuster (vs. Indy, Week 16)
WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
Week 10-13 position rank (average fantasy points): 25th (14.4 points per game)
Sizzling stat: Much like Landry, Hilton has posted his best two fantasy games in Weeks 12 and 13 with 18.1 and 25.0 PPR points, respectively. In the first nine games of the season, Hilton averaged only 6.9 points, finishing in double digits only once (12.9 in Week 5).
Upcoming outlook: Hilton will get the opportunity to show his late-season surge is for real with three straight neutral fantasy wideout matchups (Raiders, Texans and Steelers) during the fantasy playoffs.
He’ll try to avoid the fantasy fate of fellow Indy wideout Michael Pittman Jr. who was a hot commodity a few weeks ago only to fall off in recent weeks.
Possibly replacing: Marvin Jones Jr. (vs. Green Bay, Week 14); D.J. Chark (at Baltimore, Week 15), Sterling Shepard (at Baltimore, Week 16)
TE Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
Week 10-13 position rank (average fantasy points): Fourth (14.5 points per game)
Sizzling stat: Goedert ranks fourth in targets (29) and third in receptions (21) among tight ends over the last four weeks. Only Darren Waller (27) and Travis Kelce (24) have had more catches during that span.
Upcoming outlook: The Eagles’ fantasy postseason itinerary isn’t exactly an easy one as all three foes (Saints, Cardinals, Cowboys) rank among the 11th stingiest tight end defenses.
Goedert, however, has easily been the Eagles’ most targeted and productive pass-catcher over the last four weeks and is a must-start commodity at a position of continued scarcity.
Possibly replacing: Any tight end not named Kelce or Waller.
TE Logan Thomas, Washington
Week 10-13 position rank (average fantasy points): Sixth (12.9 points per game)
Sizzling stat: Thomas, the converted former quarterback, has finished with at least 10.6 fantasy points in five of his last seven games, including a season-high 24.8 (nine catches for 98 yards and a TD on nine targets) in Monday’s upset win over the previously unbeaten Steelers.
He’s become the coveted midrange target the WFT needs with opposing defenses loading up to slow down No. 1 wideout Terry McLaurin.
Upcoming outlook: According to the Huddle’s SOS metrics, Thomas and Washington have the fifth toughest fantasy playoff tight end slate with games against the 49ers (fewest average points allowed to opposing TEs), Seahawks and Panthers the ensuing three weeks.
Possibly replacing: Any TE1 outside of the current season top five of Kelce, Waller, T.J. Hockenson, Mark Andrews or Goedert).