Matt BowenNov 20, 2025, 06:44 AM ETCloseMatt Bowen is a fantasy football and NFL writer for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2015, writes regularly for ESPN+ and spent multiple years on “NFL Matchup.” After graduating from the University of Iowa, Matt played safety in the NFL for St. Louis, Green Bay, Washington and Buffalo over seven seasons.Follow on X
Why Devin Singletary can make a difference for fantasy managers (0:43)Matt Bowen breaks down why Giants running back Devin Singletary makes a good case at the flex spot for fantasy managers. (0:43)
Be aware of the Week 14 byes and Christmas day games
Put your injured/late game players in the Flex spot
Remember, this is playoff football. This is not a time to be nice or to make members of your league happy. Your job is to advance. It’s the business of winning now. And I can help.
Generally speaking, the quarterback is the most reliable scorer in your lineup from week to week. Let’s get that out up front here. Now, I rarely roster multiple quarterbacks during the regular season in 10- and 12-team leagues, other than when injuries strike or when I’m picking up a one-week rental because my starter is on a bye.
Accounting for leagues of different sizes, here are a handful of available quarterbacks (rostered in under 50% of ESPN leagues) I would target right now.
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks (47.9% rostered): Darnold isn’t a hot name right now after the seven turnovers he has accounted for over his past two games. But as an insurance play? Sure. Darnold has a decent playoff schedule (MIN, @ ATL, IND, @ CAR), and he has posted five games with 16 or more points, Plus, his No. 1 target, Jaxon Smith-Njigba? Best wide receiver in football this season.
Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals (23.6% rostered): Brissett is averaging 21.3 points over his six starts this season, and he has multiple touchdown throws in each. Yes, the start to the playoff schedule is rough (LAR, @ HOU), but Brissett does get some much more manageable matchups in Week 16-17 (ATL, @ CIN). And he has upgraded this passing game since Kyler Murray went on IR.
J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings (48.5% rostered): McCarthy’s poor footwork has led to accuracy issues since his return from an ankle injury in Week 9, plus his inexperience shows. However, McCarthy has a really solid playoff schedule (WASH, @DAL, @NYG, DET), an elite No. 1 in Justin Jefferson, and he can give you some upside as a runner.
Rostering an insurance back — to protect the RB1 and RB2 slots in your lineup — is another box to check as we head into the fantasy playoffs. Specifically target those in offensive schemes that will go run-heavy or have balance in the call sheet.
Here are the five backs I would target as ideal insurance options — all available in more than 60% of ESPN leagues — and I’ve ranked them, too:
1. Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (35.6% rostered): We saw what Tucker can do in an expanded role, as he had 34 points in the Week 11 loss to the Bills. He can scoot, too. Tucker finished with 140 total yards and three touchdowns versus Buffalo, and it’s clear he would be the lead back (over Rachaad White) if Bucky Irving were to miss time again. The Bucs have a very good playoff slate (NO, ATL, @ CAR, @ MIA). Go get him.
2. Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons (33.1% rostered): Allgeier has already rushed for seven touchdowns this season, and his overall usage would spike if Bijan Robinson were to sit with an injury. The first three weeks of the playoffs feature defenses all outside the top-10 versus running backs (SEA, @ TB, @ AZ), while the top-rated Rams defense looms in Week 17.
4. Blake Corum, Los Angeles Chargers (11.2% rostered): Corum would be in-line to see a major boost in volume for a high-scoring Rams offense if starter Kyren Williams (15.8 carries per game) were to miss time. Corum has three games with 12 or more carries this season, and he can be a productive runner in Sean McVay’s gap/zone scheme. The Week 15 matchup versus the Lions is tough, but the Rams do get positive games in Weeks 14, 16, 17 (@ AZ, @ SEA, @ ATL).
5. Isaiah Davis, New York Jets (6.8% rostered): The No. 2 in New York behind Breece Hall, Davis fits as a strong insurance play in a run-heavy Jets’ offense. Davis did score 17.9 points in the Week 8 game versus the Bengals, plus he can be deployed as a receiver out of the backfield. Davis gets a favorable playoff schedule, too (MIA, @ JAX, @ NO, NE).
Want more pickup options for the playoffs? Check out Tristan H. Cockcroft’s potential fantasy playoff hero RBs to stash.
1. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints (41.8% rostered): Johnson scored 19.2 points in the Week 11 game versus the Panthers, and he has at least 10 in each of his last four. A seam stretcher, who can also make himself available underneath to rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, Johnson’s playoff schedule (@ TB, CAR, NYJ, @ TEN) should lead to more weekly production.
2. Theo Johnson, New York Giants (56.8% rostered): Johnson can flex outside to the boundary and work the dirty areas of the field, plus he has scored 10 or more points in three of his last five games. You won’t have Johnson for Week 14 (bye), but he has the remaining playoff matchups (WASH, MIN, @ LV) to put points in your lineup.
3. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans (53.6% rostered): Schultz has some tougher matchups on the playoff slate (@ KC, AZ, LV, @ LAC), but his weekly usage is up. Schultz has seen eight or more targets in four of his last five games. Trust the volume.
1.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (21.7% rostered): The Bucs have recorded at least one turnover in six straight games, with two or more in five of the last six. Plus, under coach Todd Bowles, the Bucs are going to heat up the pocket with pressure schemes. And a heavy NFC South schedule in the fantasy playoffs works here, too (NO, ATL, @ CAR, @ MIA).
2. Miami Dolphins (3.9% rostered): Earlier in the season, I would have said no chance on Miami as a defensive streamer. Nope. But this unit is playing better football now. Miami has scored at least seven points in each of their last two games (including 11 versus Josh Allen and the Bills in Week 10), plus they have two or more sacks in three of their last five. With some positive playoff matchups (@ NYJ, @ PIT, CIN, TB), Miami is an option.
3. New York Jets (9.3% rostered): The splash plays are really missing from this defensive unit. So are the takeaways. But we are also playing matchups once you get into the tournament. That’s why I have the Jets here (MIA, @ JAX, @ NO, @ NE).
4. New York Giants (7.2% rostered): Like the Jets, the Giants have lacked the ability to create turnovers at a high rate, but they do have the edge rushers to hit the quarterback, recording at least two sacks in nine of 11 games played this season. The Giants have a Week 14 bye, so you’ll have to stream another defense in their place, but the rest of the playoff schedule looks solid (WASH, MIN, @ LV).
5. New Orleans Saints (2.1% rostered): The Saints could be a long shot, and I don’t love the Week 14 matchup versus the Bucs, but the rest of the playoff slate looks really good (CAR, NYJ, @ TEN). And the Saints had 14 points versus Carolina in Week 10.
If you have any key players whose playing status is in doubt — the big red “Q” next to his name is staring you in the face — it’s wise to execute a backup plan early.
This is particularly true for anyone playing in the late-afternoon window on Sunday, Sunday night, or even worse, on “Monday Night Football.” We’ve all been there, right? Ankle, hamstring, whatever. Limited practices. Maybe the player will have to work out before the game. I did that a couple of times in my career. And if you take the early bus to work out at the stadium, it’s most likely a 50-50 shot that you even get to put on a jersey. Not great.
Now, if you already have a viable replacement on your roster, hopefully with a good matchup, then you plug that player into your lineup and go with it. That’s easy. You’re good.
Plus, that luxury player you were holding on to for 13 weeks that you dropped? He will probably still be there on the wire come Tuesday morning. You can bring him back … to sit again.
I think this is a good discussion to have when looking at your playoff roster, because the goal here is to score the most points in your head-to-head matchup. That’s really it.
Sure, you can maneuver your roster to get the highest projected total on the ESPN Fantasy app. I get it. And I’ve done it, multiple times this season. But those are just projections, and they don’t always hit. So, what type of manager do you want to be? You can take the risk, filling your lineup with high-ceiling options.
You can limit the risk, too, focusing on the higher-floor players in your lineup. Maybe you toss in one boom/bust player, like a DK Metcalf or Troy Franklin. If they don’t hit big, you have the safety of the rest of your higher-floor starters to balance this out.
How do I lean? I’m the higher-floor manager. Always have been. Give me consistent numbers in the lineup. Stuff I can count on. But if you are a gambler and want to lay all the cards down, I get that stance also.
Who are the high-floor and high-ceiling players this season? Check out the Fantasy Football Consistency Ratings
We’ve already mentioned some players who have the Week 14 byes, but there are more as the 49ers, Patriots, Giants and Panthers are all off during the first round of the fantasy playoffs. That means no Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Drake Maye, TreVeyon Henderson, Jaxson Dart, Rico Dowdle, … Rough. So, plan accordingly and make the necessary moves to have a viable option in the lineup if you roster those players.
There are three games on Christmas in Week 17, which feature some of the league’s best offenses (DAL-WSH, DET-MIN, DEN-KC). You need to stay on top of injury reports and have backup plans due to the short week (games are played on a Thursday). Roster management could be critical here for leagues that use Week 17 as championship week.
A quick note here on setting your roster in the playoffs, as it could save you. Let’s say you roster a wide receiver with an injury designation. Instead of putting him in your WR1/2 slot, move him to the Flex. This gives you more options if he can’t go on game day, as you won’t be limited to just the wide receiver pool for replacement options.