Week 17 Playoffs (1 Viewer)

[JWilcox]

Argh... My league normally does playoffs 14-16, but this year, everybody except me voted to change it to 15-17 to get an extra game in. *puke*

So yeah... Week 17 championships suck, but I'm not gonna let this stop me. Are there any particular strategies I should use differently with this? Obviously, I'm already trying to pick players that have good schedgules for 15-17. Its probably smart to avoid the top teams in each conference (Patriots, Chargers, Bears, Saints) because they might bench their starters if they already have their spot clinched, but then also sometimes, those top teams are fighting for better playoff spots. But then also, with the worse teams, once they are out of the playoffs, coaches sometimes start messing with lineups in order to preview any future talent the team might have.

I have an idea of what I need to do, but I've never done a week 17 championship before, so any help would be appreciated.

 

[Dirty Weasel]

I would change very little. Week 17 is pretty far away. No telling who will be in the hunt.

 

[Mark Wimer]

I have been cursed with week 17 playoffs for a while in one of my redraft leagues - it started back in 1989 before the current trend started of sitting players on A) Good teams that have already clinched their playoff spot and can't improve their seeding and B) Bad teams that are totally eliminated from playoff contention so the coaching staff can evaluate practice-squadders and backups with an eye towards the next season.

The problem is it is always hard to know who'll be at the tip-top of their divisions and which will be totally in the gutter by December.

My advice is to draft as normal, but reserve some free agency $ or moves (however your league does free agency) until you get to the fantasy playoffs. If one of your key guys is likely to get sat down for a game (IE, Drew Brees vs. Carolina in 17 last year), pick up his backup for week 17 and start that guy.

Then, during the next offseason incite the owner who lost in week 17 due to a short-start/benching to vote with you to change back to week 14-16 playoffs.

 

[a_troll00]

Honestly, week 17 is not that bad in FF, but bad enough if your star players are sitting the championship game. Draft normally, like others have said you don't know what position teams will be in at season's end.

Anyways, nothing is as bad as championship week during the last week of the NBA season. Nobody is playing, star players on lousy teams are faking injury and shutting it down and playoff teams might be resting their starters. Everyone is just raiding the waiver wire just to put a roster together.

 

[Captain Hook]

Obviously depends on how you acquire players, but if a draft, you might want to avoid FWP = Week 17 vs Baltimore (assuming there is a comparable RB to draft)

 

[montana_grizzly_bears]

Been playing week 17 every year I have been in FF. I don' know why everyone complains about it. Playing week 17 actually shows more strategy with the waiver wire because you need that backup just in case your mains are not going to play. You go into the draft as normal but when you get close to the transaction deadline (for us its the night before week 14 starts) you start watching for back ups or players that might be out there for that week 17 just in case.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

Been playing week 17 every year I have been in FF. I don' know why everyone complains about it. Playing week 17 actually shows more strategy with the waiver wire because you need that backup just in case your mains are not going to play. You go into the draft as normal but when you get close to the transaction deadline (for us its the night before week 14 starts) you start watching for back ups or players that might be out there for that week 17 just in case.

Easy example.Philadelphia clinched their division last year at 4:15 PM in Week 17, then proceeded to pull all of their starters out of the game against Atlanta.

If you want to have that type of scenario (a Top 10 RB gets benched for your championship game) AND you can't modify your rosters, well, good luck. I'll take Week 17 off every year.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Everyone in your league is in the same boat.

As such, I have zero problems with week 17. Not a single one. Never bothered me in the slightest.

Neither did it bother me when they expanded to 17 and added the bye dates.

 

[wannabee]

I would not change a thing. I have seen too many people take an inferior player for this reason. Take the best players and be happy to be playing in the championship. Your team should change some during the season through waivers as it is. I would not worry about it much.