This article is part of our Draftster NFL series.
With the NFL regular season now behind us, Draftster moves onto its playoff tournaments. This week there is one guaranteed tournament, an $11 buy-in with 500 players with first place being $220 and paying a whopping 196 total spots. The following rankings cover this weekend's games from both Saturday and Sunday.
Quarterback
1. Andrew Luck (IND) vs. CIN - $8,300
2. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) vs. BAL - $8,500
3. Tony Romo (DAL) vs. DET - $7,500
4. Cam Newton (CAR) vs. ARI - $7,500
5. Matthew Stafford (DET) at DAL - $5,900
6. Joe Flacco (BAL) at PIT - $5,100
7. Andy Dalton (CIN) at IND - $5,500
8. Ryan Lindley / Drew Stanton (ARI) at CAR - $3,000
Andrew Luck (IND) vs. CIN - $8,300
The top play this week at quarterback is Indianapolis' Andrew Luck. Luck averaged 292 yards and 2.5 touchdowns at home this season and will square off against the Bengals, ranked last in pass rush. Last year in two playoff games, Luck averaged 388 yards passing, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) vs. BAL - $8,500
With the absence of running back Le'Veon Bell, the bulk of the workload will now rest on the right arm of Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger gets the luxury of playing at home, a place he is averaging 347 yards per game and nearly three touchdowns. In Week 9 against Baltimore, Big Ben threw for 340 yards and six touchdowns.
Running Back
1. DeMarco Murray (DAL) vs. DET - $5,900
2. Jeremy Hill (CIN) at IND - $6,000
3. Justin Forsett (BAL) at PIT - $6,700
4. Joique Bell (DET) at DAL - $5,900
5. Giovani Bernard (CIN) at IND - $4,400
6. Jonathan Stewart (CAR) vs. ARI - $5,700
7. Reggie Bush (DET) at DAL - $4,100
8. Daniel Herron (IND) vs. CIN - $5,000
DeMarco Murray (DAL) vs. DET - $5,900
The matchup on paper doesn't look too good for DeMarco Murray against the Lions, but the NFL's best running back has proven to be matchup proof time and again this season. Murray also comes in at a questionable price of less than $6,000. I'm not really sure what caused the significant price drop, as Murray has posted double-digit fantasy totals all season and has been above 20 fantasy points in three of his last four games, including a 40 fantasy point effort back in Week 14 against Chicago. Murray will be one of the most-owned players come Saturday and for good reason. Make sure you don't miss out.
Jeremy Hill (CIN) at IND - $6,000
If the Bengals are going to have a shot at winning Sunday in Indianapolis, they are going to need to do it with the ground game. The Colts have given up the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs this season, and the Bengals ground game appears to be fully healthy for one of the first times this year. Since becoming the featured back in Cincinnati, Hill has averaged 110 yards per game and has six touchdowns.
Wide Receivers
1. Antonio Brown (PIT) vs. BAL - $9,500
2. Dez Bryant (DAL) vs. DET - $7,900
3. Calvin Johnson (DET) at DAL - $9,300
4. T.Y. Hilton (IND) vs. CIN - $6,900
5. A.J. Green (CIN) at IND - $6,000 (Q - Concussion)
6. Torrey Smith (BAL) at PIT - $5,700
7. Kelvin Benjamin (CAR) vs. ARI - $6,900
8. Golden Tate (DET) at DAL - $5,500
Antonio Brown (PIT) vs. BAL - $9,500
With Le'Veon Bell's status doubtful, Antonio Brown has never been more important to the Pittsburgh offense. Of course, that doesn't come without a Baltimore gameplan that will almost certainly focus on Brown with Bell out. Last time these two teams met Brown caught 11 passes for 144 yards. Baltimore's secondary has looked better in recent weeks, but it has still allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. Brown hasn't had less than seven receptions since Week 5 against Jacksonville.
A.J. Green (CIN) at IND - $6,000 (Q - Concussion)
One of the biggest questions that remains unanswered is if A.J. Green will pass the leagues concussion protocol. The matchup regardless isn't the best as he will face Vontae Davis, but the Bengals are going to need all hands on deck to keep up with a high-powered Indianapolis offense. If Green doesn't play, Mohamed Sanu would make a great value play. Green has a nice price on Draftster, the kind you need to target to work in a top-play quarterback or complimenting wide receiver.
Kelvin Benjamin (CAR) vs. ARI - $6,900
Benjamin is my top bounce-back target for the first round of the playoffs after finishing the regular season with his worst performance of the year. Benjamin finished Week 17 with just one reception on five targets, but still led the Panthers in targets as Cam Newton only threw the ball 16 times. Carolina controlled the game from the get-go, so the passing game was never really needed. Benjamin will square off against Patrick Peterson in round one of the playoffs, but Peterson has been burned several times this season and isn't as "scary" as he has been in past years. Benjamin finished his rookie regular season with 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns.
Tight End
1. Greg Olsen (CAR) vs. ARI - $5,800
2. Coby Fleener (IND) vs. CIN - $4,800
3. Jason Witten (DAL) vs. DET - $5,100
4. Heath Miller (PIT) vs. BAL - $4,100
Greg Olsen (CAR) vs. ARI - $5,800
I'm not a huge fan of the tight end options available, so when in doubt, go with the best available. The Cardinals rank 30th in fantasy points allowed to tight ends, and Olsen remains Cam Newton's favorite target.
Coby Fleener (IND) vs. CIN - $4,800
This pick rides solely on the health of Dwayne Allen. If Allen is active, then Fleener's value takes enough of a hit where Greg Olsen is the runaway top tight end play. However, if Allen is inactive, Fleener has a good shot at becoming the top play at tight end this week and is $1,000 cheaper than Olsen.
Kicker
1. Adam Vinatieri (IND) vs. CIN - $3,600
2. Dan Bailey (DAL) vs. DET - $3,600
3. Shaun Suisham (PIT) vs. BAL - $3,700
4. Justin Tucker (BAL) at PIT - $3,400
Both Vinatieri and Bailey have the most extra points made on the year and have equal or better percentages of field goals made than any other available kicker. They have both been on the top end of highest scoring this year and are priced in the middle of this week's pool.
Defense
1. Carolina (vs. Arizona) - $3,600
2. Dallas (vs. Detroit) - $3,900
3. Arizona (at Carolina) - $3,600
4. Baltimore (at Pittsburgh) - $4,000
The Carolina/Arizona game comes in with the lowest total in this weekend's games with the Cardinals only projected to score 16 points. Their quarterback situation is still in the air, but if Ryan Lindley is the starter, the Panthers easily will have the best matchup of the week.
