Fantasy Football — The Playoff Push
Strap in everyone. 2 weeks left and there are still theoretically 5 playoff spots up for grabs. There are so many ways this can play out, but I’m going to help clear things up with facts and science to predict the final standings.
Championship Contender Tier:
Michael
9–3 | 1st Place | Chance to make playoffs: 100%
Prediction for final two games:
Week 13 vs David: W | Week 14 vs Benn: W
Final Record: 11–3 | 1 Seed
Michael has maintained his reign of terror over the league in the back half of the season. A blockbuster trade that landed him Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs in return for Cooper Kupp and Justin Herbert solidified his one weakness at QB. While he lost Kupp, he made a net profit from the exchange. With a playoff spot already clinched and 2 winnable games in front of him, Michael is ready to secure his bye week in round 1 of the playoffs.
Sean
8–4 | 2nd Place | Chance to make playoffs: 96%
Prediction for final two games:
Week 13 vs Jacob: W | Week 14 vs Zach: W
Final Record: 10–4 | 2 seed
Jonathan Taylor is ready to become a fantasy nightmare for anyone standing in Sean’s way. A cakewalk final 2 weeks against the bottom teams in the league has Sean in a perfect position to lock in a first-round bye. With enough time for Deebo Samuel and De’Andre Swift to get healthy, look for Sean to continue to score big points come playoff time.
Playoff Team Tier
Benn
7–5 | 3rd Place | Chance to make playoffs: 70%
Prediction for final two games:
Week 13 vs Shilp: W| Week 14 vs Michael: L
Final Record: 8–6| 4 seed
Benn’s team has been solid all year and he’s scored enough points and won enough games to be in a safe-ish position in the final stretch of games. He does run into the hottest team in the league in Shilp and the #1 seed Michael to close out his season, however. Even with the potential of losing out, Benn should be able to hang on to a playoff spot with some help and tie-breakers on his side. Come playoff time, a healthy Kyler Murray and a stable cast of star skill players such as Travis Kelce and Najee Harris should give Benn the potential to make a deep run.
Getting Hot at the Right Time Tier
Shilp
6–6 | 5th Place | Chance to make playoffs: 71%
Prediction for final two games:
Week 13 vs Benn: L| Week 14 vs Nash: W
Final Record: 8–6 | 3 seed
Once hovering at the bottom of the pack, Shilp has exploded into playoff contention after winning 4 straight games. The embodiment of “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish”, Shilp can make one last jump in the standings. I predict he will overtake Benn in points scored to secure 3rd place going into the playoffs. Even with Dalvin Cook’s health being a question mark, Shilp has superstars in Joe Mixon and Justin Jefferson to carry him and keep his hot streak alive.
David
6–6 | 6th Place | Chance to make playoffs: 53%
Prediction for final two games:
Week 13 vs Michael: L| Week 14 vs Dennis: W
Final Record: 7–7 | 6 seed
After going 3–1 in the past 4 games and being one of the highest scoring teams in that stretch, I put myself in a good position to contend for a playoff spot for the 1st time in our entire time doing fantasy football together (fingers crossed). It will most likely come down to a win-and-get-in situation week 14 against Dennis, which is much more dramatic than it needs to be. A lot of luck would be needed to make it past the 1st round of the playoffs should I get there, but players like Nick Chubb and Ceedee Lamb can explode and win me any given week.
Peaked to Early? Tier
Ricky
7–5 | 4th Place | Chance to make playoffs: 65%
Prediction for final two games:
Week 13 vs Nash: W | Week 14 vs Jacob: L
Final Record: 8–6 | 5 seed
Ricky is on a 3-game losing streak after getting a taste 1st place for a bit. Injuries and just disappointing play has had his team struggle to score over 100 points as of recent. While big names such as Lamar Jackson, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Tyreek Hill can put up big points, the inconsistency and variance shown as of recent will push Ricky down to the 5 seed.
Nash
6–6 | 7th Place | Chance to make playoffs: 41%
Prediction for final two games:
Week 13 vs Ricky: L | Week 14 vs Shilp: L
Final Record: 6–8| 8 seed
Currently on the 2nd longest losing streak in the league at 4, Nash is running on fumes to close out the season. He can rely on luck to win one of his last two games, but injuries and just bad play from most of his big name players has it looking bleak. If he can pull out just one win, he can get in. But even that is asking a lot from what we’ve seen the past month.
Dennis Tier
Dennis
5–7 | 8th Place | Chance to make playoffs: 45%
Prediction for final two games:
Week 13 vs Zach: W | Week 14 vs David: L
Final Record: 6–8 | 7 seed
Existing as the gatekeeper between the good and bad teams all season, Dennis finds himself in a position to try and sneak his way into the playoffs. It’ll come down to a must-win scenario against David in Week 14 (should he secure the easy win against Zach this week). Trading for Cooper Kupp gives him the potential to win any week, but a supporting cast of hit-or-miss players makes it an outside shot at the playoffs.
Peepee Poopoo Part 2 Tier
Jacob
3–9 | 9th Place | Chance to make playoffs: 0%
Prediction for final two games:
Week 13 vs Sean: L| Week 14 vs Ricky: W
Final Record: 4–10 | 9 seed
Jacob has finally escaped the depths of last place. That’s basically the only good thing I can say about his team at this point. At least there’s one team that’s significantly worse than his. I also threw in a last win against Ricky because something has to go right for this team after being punished so much. Calvin Ridley just quitting football is the perfect metaphor for Jacob’s season. Best of luck in the consolation bracket.
Ultra Mega Super Peepee Poopoo-est Tier
Zach
3–9 | 10th Place | Chance to make playoffs: -69%
Prediction for final two games:
Week 13 vs Dennis: L | Week 14 vs Sean: L
Final Record: 3–11 | 10 seed
8 straight losses. Fewest total points scored. Scoring over 100 points just 5 times all season. Nothing went right for Zach besides having Derrick Henry for a handful of games. Anything can happen in the consolation bracket, but I think we all know that it’s looking like 2 straight last-place finishes for the commish.
