Fantasy Football Playoffs: Top Players For Wild Card Round

Fantasy Football Playoffs: Top Players For Wild Card Round

I bet you thought your fantasy football season was over. Think again! The regular season version of fantasy football may be over, however, there are many playoff versions of fantasy football that players like to play. No matter which version you like to play, you only have a few selected players to choose from every week.

These games tend to be tougher, because many other people in your leagues will have the opportunity to play those same players against you. In many of these leagues, you either have a salary cap rule, or the longer your player is in the playoffs, the more points you can gain from that player.

In this weekend’s Wild Card matchups, you have many teams that have played each other in the past. This will give you a sample of what you might be able to expect in that particular playoff game. Some of the Wild Card games, you, as a manager, will have to go into these games blind and look at player statistics, home/road records, and just use a little bit of luck while selecting your team.

For this list, I am going to give you a quarterback, a tight end, a kicker, a defense and two running backs and receivers that I feel will not only win their games this weekend, but will have a nice opening round for their owners.

As I said before, you can look at stats and previous matchups, but this is the NFL playoffs, and anything can happen in these games.

Dom DeCarlo is a Fantasy blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him @DomDecarlo1, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Quarterback: Colin Kaepernick

When picking players in this type of fantasy football game, you have to look at how that particular player did in previous matchups against the team they are playing that week. In this weekend’s games, there is one quarterback that has absolutely dominated the team that he is playing in his previous starts against them, and that would be Colin Kaepernick against the Green Bay Packers.

Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers are 2-0 against the Packers in their last two games (the 49ers also won opening day last season against the Packers with Alex Smith as the starter). In those two games that Kaepernick has started, Kaepernick has thrown for 675 yards, rushed for 203 yards, and scored a total of seven touchdowns rushing and passing! These numbers are unbelievable, and he will have a chance to add to them on Sunday. What do the Packers prepare for, Kaepernick’s throwing ability that burned them this year or his legs that torched them in the playoffs last season? Either way you look at it, Kaepernick should be set to have another nice playoff game; all the while, I believe the 49ers will defeat the Green Bay Packers.

Running Back: Giovani Bernard

It is always difficult to predict what a rookie will do during his first playoff game. Last season, Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick had huge playoff runs. This season, one of the most exciting running backs in the NFL will be playing in his first ever playoff game. Giovani Bernard and the Cincinnati Bengals will be hosting the San Diego Chargers in their Wild Card matchup. The Chargers will be looking to stop A.J. Green and the Bengals' dangerous passing game. Because of this, I feel that Bernard will have many chances in the passing game to break out on some screen passes thrown his way and show the Bengals' entire fanbase that he was the right guy to take last year in the draft.

Running Back: Jamaal Charles

Jamaal Charles was one of the best fantasy football players for his managers all season long. He not only had one of the largest fantasy games of the season, but he was one of the only top-picked running backs to make it the entire season without an injury. Because of this, he helped the Kansas City Chiefs have one of the best records in the AFC and earn a playoff spot after a terrible 2012 campaign. The Chiefs will be taking on the Indianapolis Colts, who beat up the Chiefs in their previous head-to-head game this season. Charles did score a touchdown in this one, but was held to very little for the rest of the game.

This weekend, the game will be played in Indianapolis where the weather will not be a factor at all. Look for the Chiefs to put up a much better showing this time around and for Charles to dominate for the owners that selected him in the Wild Card round.

Wide Receiver: Michael Crabtree

There is nothing better than having one of your top players on the team having a nice rest before the playoffs even start. For Michael Crabtree, he is just starting to find his stride this season and it could not be at a better time for the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick, and all of the fantasy managers that decide to take him in their playoff fantasy football games.

Crabtree will be another weapon for Kaepernick that has scorched the Green Bay Packers in two straight games. The Packers will not forget the game that Anquan Boldin had against them in Week 1 of the season. I can see Crabtree scoring a touchdown in this game and going way over 100 yards in this game.

Wide Receiver: A.J. Green

A.J. Green’s record is 0-2 in the playoffs since he entered the NFL; this cannot continue for one of the best players in the NFL. In this AFC Wild Card game, his Cincinnati Bengals will be taking on the San Diego Chargers. Green had a nice game against the Chargers earlier in the year (83 yards receiving and a touchdown on five receptions). I can see him having a very similar game this weekend.

Quarterback Andy Dalton loves going to Green deep during every game, and I doubt that this playoff game will be any different. I believe that Green will have a great deal of attention paid to him by the Chargers’ defense, however, expect Green to bust out for one or two big gains in this game and to put up a score in a Bengals’ victory.

Tight End: Vernon Davis

Vernon Davis has had one game in his NFL career during the playoffs that he did not reach 100 yards or more receiving in a game. If you are thinking about taking top-notch tight end Jimmy Graham in your playoff fantasy football game, go ahead, however, I believe you would be making a mistake.

The New Orleans Saints will have a very tough game against the Philadelphia Eagles this week, and Graham will be the main focus of the Eagles’ defense. Davis is just one of the many weapons that the 49ers will be throwing at the Green Bay Packers' defense. Look for Davis to continue his stellar play in the postseason and to either post a 100 yard plus game or to score in this victory for the 49ers.

Kicker: Adam Vinatieri

If there was ever one kicker in NFL history that would be considered the most clutch performer in playoff history, it would be Adam Vinatieri of the Indianapolis Colts. Yes, he did it when he played with the New England Patriots when they won all of their Super Bowls. This weekend, the Colts will be in a rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, and it will be a very close game. I do not believe that the Colts will win this game, however, I do believe that the Chiefs will play much better than they did in the regular season. That means Vinatieri should have many chances to kick field goals for his team in this one, and you know how clutch he can be at this time of the year.

Defense: Kansas City Chiefs

Redemption is the name of the game for the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts. The Chiefs' defense was embarrassed just a few weeks ago by the Colts, which ultimately caused them to have to play the Colts again now in the playoffs. The Chiefs have had one of the best defenses in the NFL all season long, and the Colts have had one of the worst running games all season long. Earlier in the year, Donald Brown of the Colts had the better game, but I do not see this happening again this weekend. Look for the Colts to be forced to throw the ball and be unsuccessful in this AFC Wild Card game.