While the fantasy football season is over, there are still implications from these playoff games. There are coaching decisions, individual player performances, and more data points that could help you prepare for the 2022 draft.
With that in mind, let’s examine some of the players who had great fantasy games in wild card weekend and what it could mean for next season.
RB Josh Jacobs LV (2021 PPR Pos. Rank: 12)
- 17 touches (4 receptions) for 127 yards
- Played in 68% of offensive snaps
- Jacobs had 94% of touches for Raiders RB’s (Richard had 1 carry for 4 yards)
If you need Josh Jacobs to get 8 points, he will get you 12. If you need Josh Jacobs to get 16 points, he will get you 12. Jacobs carved out an extremely consistent PPR season in 2021, despite having career lows in carries and rushing yards. He had double digit points in 15 of 16 games including this game against Cincy.
Jacobs posted career highs in receptions and receiving yards, which balanced those lows and contributed to him finishing as a borderline RB1. With the Raiders offseason already in flux, we will have to watch if his usage gets further affected through free agency or the draft.
TE Dawson Knox BUF (2021 PPR Pos. Rank: 11)
- 5 receptions (5 targets) for 89 yards and 2 touchdowns
- Led the team in all receiving categories
- Played in 88% of offensive snaps
For the majority of this season, Dawson Knox has been a TD or bust type of Tight End. He finished with 9 TD’s on the year, but had 6 games with 25 or fewer receiving yards. This performance and his 71 targets during the season are showing that he may assume more of a role in the offense going forward.
Knox making plays like this one, only gives Josh Allen more of a reason to target him.
QB Josh Allen BUF (2021 PPR Pos. Rank: 1)
- 21 for 25 with 308 passing yards and 5 passing touchdowns
- 6 carries for 66 yards
- Led the Bills to score a touchdown on every offensive drive (excluding the kneel down)
Speaking of Allen, he put out the biggest fantasy performance of Wild Card weekend. The #1 QB in fantasy gave the #1 coach in the NFL all he could handle in Buffalo.
Josh Allen brings the most complete skillset to the QB position. He is trusted to throw the ball at a high volume (8 games with 40+ attempts) and now brings a stable rushing floor (7.2 carries per game). Allen has back-to-back seasons as the #1 fantasy QB and it feels like his best season is yet to come.
WR Deebo Samuel SF (2021 PPR Pos. Rank: 3)
- 13 touches (3 receptions) for 110 yards and 1 touchdown
- Averaged 8.4 yards per touch
- Played in 72% of offensive snaps
Slowly but surely, Deebo Samuel is evolving a fantasy enigma. Through the first 9 weeks of the NFL season, Deebo had just 6 rushing attempts. Since Week 10, Samuel has recorded at least 5 rushing attempts in every game.
In this game, he displayed that he is not just a gadget player. He can actually display the vision and burst needed to play the RB position.
Deebo has become the focal point of this Niners offense in both the passing and run game. Going into next season, it will be a great debate to see whether or not Samuel will be eligible for a RB slot.
RB Cam Akers LAR (2020 PPR Pos. Rank: 45)
- 17 carries for 55 yards, 1 reception for 40 yards
- Out-touched and out-snapped Sony Michel, who was the Rams’ leading rusher over the past 6 weeks
- Played in 53% of offensive snaps
This game was more notable for the usage numbers rather than fantasy points. Akers is slowly building his workload up and looks to assume the Rams’ starting RB role going forward. Akers was pegged as the starter going into 2021, but missed the majority of the season with a torn Achilles.
Sony Michel started this game, but Akers got more of a share in both carries and snaps. If we see the same trend in the game against Tampa Bay, we can assume Akers will be the guy going forward. If that is the case, I like Akers as a mid-to-late 3rd round pick for re-draft leagues.
Highest scoring lineup for Wild Card weekend (Full PPR scoring)
- QB: Josh Allen BUF (38.92 points)
- RB1: Jerick McKinnon KC (26.2 points)
- RB2: Devin Singletary BUF (24.4 points)
- WR1: Kendrick Bourne NE (28.1 points)
- WR2: Mike Evans TB (26.7 points)
- TE: Dawson Knox BUF (25.9 points)
- FLEX: Ja’Marr Chase CIN (22.9 points)
- Super Flex: Patrick Mahomes KC (37.06 points)
- D/ST: Los Angeles Rams (16 points)
- K: Robbie Gould SF (15 points)
Have any fantasy questions or stories? Hit me up on Twitter @James_Costanz.
