Written by Joey Keys at numberFire
The fantasy playoffs are here for pretty much every fantasy football league, so each roster decision could be the one that ends championship aspirations. Congratulations if you made the playoffs — nobody wants to be watching the next few weeks from their couch.
Fantasy playoff time always reminds me of the greatest day of my life. (This is a half joking statement as this occurred after my wedding, many other significant life events, and the births of not one but two children.)
I finished the season one game out of the playoffs. The opponent that I needed to lose to get in won their Week 13 game by 0.6 points. It was a miserable week, after I found my team on the outside of the playoffs in my home league for the first time seven years.
But the sadness lasted only a few days.
On Thursday morning, I woke up to an early Christmas miracle. A stat correction had been applied, and his team’s defense lost a sack and, therefore, a full point from his team’s score. His win was reversed to a loss. Based on season points for, my team was thrust into the fantasy playoffs.
We all have moments like this that we’ll remember forever from fantasy football, especially in long-time leagues.
This week’s drop list highlights players who could harpoon those title hopes. Frankly, if you were relying on these players for much of the season, it’s a surprise your team is still alive.
As always, these are not all must-drop players, but drop considerations depending on league size and roster construction.
Matt Ryan, Quarterback, Atlanta Falcons
Yahoo Ownership: 92%
ESPN Ownership: 89%
Matt Ryan has been a consistent top-12 fantasy option for much of his career. He’s had two of the best wide receivers in the game, Roddy White and Julio Jones, and a Hall-of-Fame tight end, Tony Gonzalez, as elite passing game options.
Now, Gonzalez retired and White has slowed down, leaving just Jones as one of the lone reliable targets in Atlanta.
After starting the season 5-0, the Falcons find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture. Costly mistakes in the red zone has plagued Ryan’s season, and he currently sits outside the top 25 quarterbacks in fantasy points per game in standard scoring leagues. He’s on pace to throw the fewest touchdown passes since his 2009 campaign when he missed two games with an injury.
Most troubling for Ryan, though, is his upcoming schedule, where he faces the Carolina Panthers’ elite defense twice in the next three weeks. Based on our metrics, heading into Week 13, Carolina had the second best Adjusted Defensive Passing Net Expected Points (NEP), or pass defense, in the league.
Although quarterback options are dwindling, there’s likely a quarterback with a friendlier schedule and higher upside to navigate your team into the fantasy playoffs.
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