ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Who will be the MVP of the fantasy playoffs?
SCOTT SACHS
Philadelphia hasn't run away from the pack in the NFC, so they should be sticking with their starters through the fantasy playoffs. Hurts has struggled a bit lately, so it's hard not to consider Saquon Barkley, as the reliable workhorse during these next 3 weeks of cold weather games. The Eagles play Las Vegas at home, then at Washington, and at Buffalo in weeks 15-17. The Raiders look washed, plus the Commanders and Buffalo are both top 5 worst defenses against the run so far.
With 2 perfect seasons and multiple league championships to his credit, Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, featuring LIVE Talk & Text Advice. He is a 3-time winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Auction League, as well as a previous winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Poll. Follow on X: https://x.com/ffbcoach
SAM HENDRICKS
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is my choice for MVP. Why you ask? He is an elite wide receiver. He faces a free-falling Colts team this week, the Rams Week 16 and finishes in the Championship versus Carolina. Unlike his matchup with the Vikings where his skills were not needed, those games he will be active in and performing at a high level. He has outscored the WR5 by 66 FP or 5 points per game. In the playoffs that can be a difference-maker. There are too many good quarterbacks out there so the Josh Allens, Mahommes, Prescotts and Mayes are out. Give me a great wide receiver (Ja'Marr Chase too) for the 2025 playoffs. JSN fits the bill.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 30-year fantasy football veteran who participated in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013 and 2018.
IAN ALLAN
Glancing over the teams, I notice that Houston has a nice rack of games for its defense -- Cardinals and Raiders at home, followed by a road game against the Chargers. They're firmly my No. 1 defense. (And I'm kicking myself for waiving them during their Week 5 bye, not wanting to lose one of my field player reserves.) But by "MVP", I think we're looking for the player we'd pick No. 1 if holding a mini-draft right now for a three-week tournament. For me, DeVon Achane would be in the discussion. He's been very good, and I like his rack of games. Pittsburgh has struggled against the run of late, and the Week 16 game is plum -- home against the Bengals. The Week 17 game (home versus Bucs) but we'll figure that out if and when we get there.
Allan co-founded Fantasy Football Index in 1987. He is a member of the FSGA Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.
JASON WOOD
This is an interesting question because there are layers to the analysis. I would caution against simply looking at the Week 15 through 17 strength of schedule and picking the top options, because the reality is you have to be in the position to make your playoffs, too. For example, the Eagles running backs have a very favorable remaining schedule (Raiders, Commanders, Bills) but how many teams who started Saquon Barkley this year are playoff bound? If you are a team in the playoffs with Barkley on your roster, then sure, he's my answer. But I'll highlight two other running backs, TreVeyon Henderson (NE) and Christian McCaffrey (SF). Both teams have incredibly advantageous matchups remaining and have been good enough that you're probably in position to make the playoffs, too.
Wood is Senior Editor at Footballguys.com and has been with the company since its start in 2000. For more than 20 years, Footballguys has provided rankings, projections, and analysis to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
Christian McCaffrey’s workload is hard to beat -- he’s 40 touches ahead of Jonathan Taylor, and ostensibly rested and healthy after a Week 14 bye. He’s also used heavily in the passing game (a godsend for PPR formats) and carries a boatload of touchdown equity. The San Francisco schedule is more pass-friendly than run-friendly moving forward, but that shouldn't matter much. All aboard.
Pianowski has been with Yahoo Sports since 2008, covering a variety of sports. On the rare occasions when the computer is turned off, he enjoys word games, poker, music, film, game theory, and a variety of condiments. He lives in suburban Detroit. Pianowski was inducted into the FSWA Hall of Fame in 2021.
ANDY RICHARDSON
Obviously it will be Philip Rivers turning back the clock with big passing numbers and probably some surprising 30-yard rushing touchdowns too. But seriously, I'm wondering if the Seahawks will try to get Jaxon Smith-Njigba over 2,000 yards. He needs to average 143 over the final four games, which isn't realistic -- unless he has a huge game against the Colts this week, which seems very possible (Rashee Rice went over 140 against them two weeks ago). If they can send him a bunch of passes this week and he goes for 180-plus, who knows. The other possibility is Josh Allen, just because he's Josh Allen, and 4 total touchdowns and with good passing numbers and 50-plus rushing yards is always in play. I think he'll be big at New England this week, and while Cleveland next week is less likely, that defense hasn't been quite as tough the last few weeks.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He writes a weekly gambling newsletter, Index Bets, during the NFL season and also previews all the games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays.