Do’s and Don’ts of One and Done Football Playoffs
By [email protected]
The game rules to One and Done Football Playoffs sound simple enough but what does it
take to win your league?? As someone who has been playing the game for many years
and keeping score with an old fashioned excel spreadsheet, here are my lessons learned
over the years:
Do know the game rules
The game can’t be made easier, pick your own players from any of the NFL playoff
teams each round of the playoffs, but you can only use a guy once. No drafting, no salary
caps, no free agent pickups, etc. It’s all up to you to decide who is on your roster each
round. Standard roster settings for each round are 1 QB, 1 RB, 1 WR, 1 TE, 1 Kicker, and
1 RB/WR/TE flex position. There are only 4 rounds of the football playoffs so each of
your player selections is huge. The winner of the Football Playoffs One and Done league
is the one who scores the most fantasy points at the end of the Super Bowl.
Do know your league’s scoring system
The default system is 25 pass yds/1pt, TD pass/4 pts, INT/-2 pts, 10 rush/rec./1pt, and 1
rec./0.5 pts. Recognize the value of fantasy points for each reception. Check out how the
players did in the regular season under the default scoring system by looking at “Players”
or “Stats” from the top navigational bar under “Football”. If you are in league that is TD
point heavy, this would change your player strategy. Go to “Settings” for your league to
confirm the stat categories and point values.
Do respect the lock date/times in each round
All you need to do is set your lineup in each round before the start of the player’s game.
You may set your lineup up to the minute before kickoff for each player’s teams and once
the deadline has passed, the player is locked in your lineup. You may not remove a
locked player or add players from locked playoff teams for that round to your lineup.
Don’t go crying to the commissioner if you forget to set your lineup as he’ll tell you to
get bent.
Don’t use hurt players
Check out the latest injury report and player news located under “Football” on the top
navigational bar. If a player is questionable or a game-time decision to play, you should
consider other options as getting a big fat zero from a player will doom your chances of
winning.
Do give yourself the biggest pool of players to choose from
You can only choose players on teams that are still alive in the playoffs and that you have
not used in a prior round. In order to have more options, you should pick players on
teams that you think will lose their game but put up nice stats. That way in the next
round, you could choose players from the teams that have just won.
Don’t run out of QB’s
The easiest way to throw away your league entry is to run out of quality players to use in
the last 2 rounds, especially the Super Bowl. You want to avoid starting a backup QB,
buying a voodoo doll, and hoping the starting QB gets hurt so your guy gets in the game
and scores points. Therefore, you should consider starting QB’s from the same
conference in the 2nd and 3rd round to make sure you have a quality starter left in the
Super Bowl.
Don’t get cute with your picks
It’s not who makes the most sleeper picks or the guy who picked a 3rd string WR who
exploded for 2 Td’s in one game that wins the league at the end. You get to choose your
own lineup, make the most of it with high quality studs with good matchups. It’s not how
big your onions are, but how you slice and dice them. Lets just move on.
Do exploit the juicy matchups
A matchup that would have you licking your chops is one in which a QB, WR, and TE
are going up against a defense with a week pass or rush defense, creating a high scoring
fantasy point bonanza. Get players in your lineup if facing one of these teams and start
salivating.
Do avoid the tough defenses
Some defenses are known for turning the games into a grind fest by playing smash mouth
football, whatever that means. The score of the game tend to be low thus limiting
offensive production. Avoid putting a player in your lineup if possible facing these teams.
Do peep your opponents
Once you get down to the 3rd and final 4th round, your player selection strategy will vary
depending on your place in the standings. If you’re in 1st place, then you control your
own destiny and can set your lineup with the best players available. However, if you’re
behind in the standings, then you’ll need to figure out a unique lineup that will allow you
to gain on them. Best way to scout what players the owners ahead of you have used is by
looking under League Manager “Stats” and figuring out what players you haven’t used
yet that your opponents have. Get those guys in your starting lineup and hope for the best.
You’re never out of contention as a unique combination of players can score you big
points.
Do invite all your friends to play
Are you in multiple regular season fantasy football leagues? Here you can invite
everyone you know to play in one league as it is unlimited and its FREE to create your
own league. Use the “Invite Friends” function to send out notifications to join your
league and the “Message Board” to talk trash. Now you can really find out who’s got the
biggest onions.
Do Try to Win As Much Cash and Prizes as Possible
Check out the current promotions offered by Fantasy Sports Madness. Play for free
against hundreds of participants to win $20. Want better odds of winning? Play in a $20
entry fee league to compete against only 11 people max to win a Nintendo Wii ™ or
$200.
Do have fun!
Playing Football Playoffs One and Done is not only about winning cash or prizes and
ridiculing your friends that you finished ahead of in the standings endlessly until next
year, its about making the football playoffs more enjoyable for you to watch. Have fun
and good luck!