With the Super Bowl now firmly in the books, it’s time to review one of the most amazing NFL playoff tournaments we’ve ever seen and identify which players had their fantasy value most impacted by it. We saw some athletes break out in a major way. Others received more opportunities than expected. However, some didn’t make the most of their playing time, and a few players we thought were safer options didn’t get as much work as we expected. Now that the season is fully finished, we brought in our featured analysts from across the internet to reflect on the postseason and share their thoughts on whose fantasy stock was affected the most. Read on below to find out who and check out the interesting conflicting takes on Cam Akers.
Q1. Whose fantasy value rose the most due to their postseason performance?
Gabriel Davis (WR – BUF)
“Before the playoffs, Davis had a small but devoted fan club of truthers and loyalists. After his 201-yard, four-TD game against the Chiefs in the Divisional Round, Davis is every fantasy manager’s crush. Through the first 12 weeks of the regular season, Davis had snap shares of 52% or lower every week. From Week 13 on, he played at least 71% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps in every game and scored nine touchdowns over those seven contests. Davis’ big game against the Chiefs opened everyone’s eyes to his potential and ensured that he won’t be available in the bargain rounds of drafts.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
“The biggest breakout performance of this year’s NFL playoffs has to be Gabriel Davis and his 201 receiving yards and four touchdowns in Kansas City. Isaiah McKenzie is an unrestricted free agent and Emmanuel Sanders has hinted at retirement in a recent interview, so Davis should now be the clear No. 2 WR in this offense behind Stefon Diggs. Davis has one of the best young quarterbacks in the game throwing the ball his way, and he has ‘Third-Year WR Breakout’ written all over him.”
– Bart Wheeler (Hail to Fantasy Football)
“In terms of value rising, it has to be Gabriel Davis from the Bills. He left the regular season as a disappointment for fantasy owners since the 2021 offseason had so much hype for him. However, he burst into the playoffs with 242 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Davis was seventh in receiving and second in touchdown catches while only playing two playoff games. I’m seeing Davis thrown around in fantasy trades like he is a top-20 receiver.”
– Steven Pintado (The Fantasy Coaches)
Cam Akers (RB – LAR)
“It’s hard for me to place anyone here other than Los Angeles Rams RB Cam Akers. Now, this is not to say he was overly efficient. Akers averaged a paltry 2.6 YPC on his 67 attempts and posted just one rush of 15+ yards in the playoffs. With that said, Akers’ projected bell-cow utilization in 2022 was cemented. Coming off a torn Achilles, just getting back out there was a win. Add in an entire offseason with two healthy legs, and Akers will be inside the top-12 backs selected in the majority of drafts.”
– Tommy Garrett (Pro Football Network)
Tee Higgins (WR – CIN)
“Higgins’ value rose the most. He really proved he can be a trustworthy WR as the No. 2 on the Bengals throughout the playoffs. Higgins finished just behind the superstar rookie, Ja’Marr Chase, in targets, receptions, and yards, throughout the playoffs and actually scored more touchdowns than him. Don’t forget too that in the last six games played during the season, Higgins actually outperformed Chase finishing as the WR4 during that time, with Chase being the WR6. This is easily forgotten since he took a backseat to Chase by quite a large margin throughout the entire season.”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)
Q2. Whose fantasy value fell the most due to their postseason performance?
Cam Akers (RB – LAR)
“It has to be Akers, who logged 67 carries in the Rams’ four playoff games but averaged 2.57 yards per carry and didn’t score any touchdowns. Akers looked sharp in the Rams’ win over the Cardinals in the Wild Card Round, with a 40-yard reception and some impressive runs negated by penalties, but he was completely bottled up by the Buccaneers, 49ers and Bengals. It’s one thing to be stuffed by the Bucs and Niners, who have top-drawer run defenses, but the Bengals’ run D is average at best. Maybe we had unrealistic expectations for a player who returned from a torn Achilles so quickly. Akers’ value for 2022 is now extremely hard to peg.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
“Cam Akers’ value dropped the most to me. After he returned to the field, there was a lot of buzz. Then seeing the usage during the first two weeks of the playoffs, 17 carries and 24 carries, there was even more buzz. Don’t get me wrong, there were plays where he looked really good, but overall he massively underwhelmed. He finished the playoffs with 172 yards rushing and just a 2.57 yards per carry average. It is a great story, but I saw him ranked inside the top 10 in early 2022 rankings before the playoffs started. I don’t see how that can be the case now.”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB – KC)
“Edwards-Helaire missed nearly a month with a shoulder injury before returning in the Divisional Round in an overtime win against the Bills. However, his eight touches for 69 yards were overshadowed by the fact that Jerick McKinnon was the lead back both in that game and in the loss to the Bengals in the AFC Championship. Even though the Chiefs might not bring back free agent McKinnon (or Darrel Williams for that matter), I think people will remember CEH’s inability to grab this job for the second year in a row, and that was highlighted in the playoffs. It’s yet to be seen if fantasy managers will be right in lowering him in their 2022 rankings or not, but I do believe his postseason hurt his overall value.”
– Bart Wheeler (Hail to Fantasy Football)
“Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s value was already dropping for most fantasy experts, but his playoff involvement was scary to watch. He ran well on 13 carries for 96 yards during three games, but that’s an average of four carries per game. CEH’s positive note was his talent in the receiving game, but the Chiefs continue to not use him in that fashion, with just four targets during the three games. I cant see fantasy owners drafting him inside the top-50 players in 2022.”
– Steven Pintado (The Fantasy Coaches)
Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI)
“Perhaps this is not entirely fair, but Hurts’ value fell the most for me. Did he end the season as the QB9 and was No. 1 in rushing yards and TDs for the position? Yes. However, the NFL doesn’t care about that. They care about wins. When Hurts had a chance to secure his job for the 2022 season, the Eagles watched themselves go down 31-0 heading into the fourth quarter and further showed the difference between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots.’ While I personally believe Hurts should have another shot at the QB job, I am less confident the Eagles feel the same way despite some of their seemingly supportive comments.”
– Tommy Garrett (Pro Football Network)
Thanks to the experts for sharing their advice! For more of their insight, be sure to follow each pundit on Twitter (click their names above) and visit their respective sites.
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