The Wild Card round of the 2017 NFL postseason was well, wild. The Titans came back from a huge deficit to beat the Chiefs, who seem to be cursed when it comes in the playoffs. Heck, the last time this team won in the postseason, Joe Montana was their quarterback! That game produced two of the top performers in the NFL Playoff Challenge, as Marcus Mariota threw a touchdown pass to himself and scored 24 fantasy points while running back Derrick Henry equaled that total. Two other top performers, Christian McCaffrey (17 points) and Greg Olsen (16 points) have been eliminated from contention and need to be replaced in your Playoff Challenge lineups.
The rest of the best in the Wild Card round roster includes Ted Ginn (17 points), Julio Jones (16 points, Matt Bryant (18 points) and the Jaguars defense (18 points). Yes, a kicker and a defense outscored every running back (besides Henry), every wide receiver and every tight end. Next up is the Divisional Round, where the top seeds (Patriots, Eagles, Steelers, Vikings) enter the tournament and my DFS and Playoff Challenge rankings. Not surprisingly, at least for those of us who see New England getting back to the Super Bowl, there are a ton of Patriots players at the top of these lists pertaining to the Playoff Challenge.
I'll be updating these rankings throughout the postseason, so check back after each round. Enjoy!
Quarterbacks -- Divisional Round (DFS)
- Tom Brady, Patriots
- Case Keenum, Vikings
- Matt Ryan, Falcons
- Marcus Mariota, Titans
- Drew Brees, Saints
- Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
- Blake Bortles, Jaguars
- Nick Foles, Eagles
Quarterbacks -- NFL Playoff Challenge
- Tom Brady, Patriots
- Case Keenum, Vikings
- Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
- Drew Brees, Saints
- Matt Ryan, Falcons
- Nick Foles, Eagles
- Blake Bortles, Jaguars
- Marcus Mariota, Titans
Running backs -- Divisional Round (DFS)
- Le'Veon Bell, Steelers
- Alvin Kamara, Saints
- Derrick Henry, Titans
- Leonard Fournette, Jaguars
- Devonta Freeman, Falcons
- Mark Ingram, Saints
- Dion Lewis, Patriots
- Rex Burkhead, Patriots
- Latavius Murray, Vikings
- Jay Ajayi, Eagles
- Jerick McKinnon, Vikings
- Tevin Coleman, Falcons
- James White, Patriots
- LeGarrette Blount, Eagles
- Chris Ivory, Jaguars
- Corey Clement, Eagles
- Stevan Ridley, Steelers
- David Fluellen, Titans
- Kenjon Barner, Eagles
- Corey Grant, Jaguars
Running backs -- NFL Playoff Challenge
- Le'Veon Bell, Steelers
- Dion Lewis, Patriots
- Alvin Kamara, Saints
- Leonard Fournette, Jaguars
- Rex Burkhead, Patriots
- Mark Ingram, Saints
- Devonta Freeman, Falcons
- Latavius Murray, Vikings
- Jerick McKinnon, Vikings
- Jay Ajayi, Eagles
- Derrick Henry, Titans
- Tevin Coleman, Falcons
- James White, Patriots
- LeGarrette Blount, Eagles
- Chris Ivory, Jaguars
- Corey Clement, Eagles
- Stevan Ridley, Steelers
- Kenjon Barner, Eagles
- Corey Grant, Jaguars
- David Fluellen, Titans
Wide receivers -- Divisional Round (DFS)
- Antonio Brown, Steelers
- Julio Jones, Falcons
- Michael Thomas, Saints
- Adam Thielen, Vikings
- Brandin Cooks, Patriots
- Stefon Diggs, Vikings
- Alshon Jeffery, Eagles
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers
- Chris Hogan, Patriots
- Mohamed Sanu, Falcons
- Nelson Agholor, Eagles
- Ted Ginn, Saints
- Dede Westbrook, Jaguars
- Rishard Matthews, Titans
- Marqise Lee, Jaguars
- Corey Davis, Titans
- Martavis Bryant, Steelers
- Eric Decker, Titans
- Keelan Cole, Jaguars
- Allen Hurns, Jaguars
Wide receivers -- NFL Playoff Challenge
- Brandin Cooks, Patriots
- Adam Thielen, Vikings
- Antonio Brown, Steelers
- Julio Jones, Falcons
- Michael Thomas, Saints
- Stefon Diggs, Vikings
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers
- Chris Hogan, Patriots
- Alshon Jeffery, Eagles
- Ted Ginn, Saints
- Mohamed Sanu, Falcons
- Nelson Agholor, Eagles
- Dede Westbrook, Jaguars
- Rishard Matthews, Titans
- Marqise Lee, Jaguars
- Martavis Bryant, Steelers
- Danny Amendola, Patriots
- Keelan Cole, Jaguars
- Corey Davis, Titans
- Allen Hurns, Jaguars
Tight ends -- Divisional Round (DFS)
- Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
- Zach Ertz, Eagles
- Delanie Walker, Titans
- Kyle Rudolph, Vikings
- Austin Hooper, Falcons
- Vance McDonald, Steelers
- Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars
- Jesse James, Steelers
Tight ends -- NFL Playoff Challenge
- Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
- Zach Ertz, Eagles
- Kyle Rudolph, Vikings
- Delanie Walker, Titans
- Austin Hooper, Falcons
- Vance McDonald, Steelers
- Jesse James, Steelers
- Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars
Kickers -- Divisional Round (DFS)
- Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots
- Chris Boswell, Steelers
- Wil Lutz, Saints
- Kai Forbath, Vikings
- Matt Bryant, Falcons
- Jake Elliott, Eagles
- Josh Lambo, Jaguars
- Ryan Succop, Titans
Kickers -- NFL Playoff Challenge
- Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots
- Kai Forbath, Vikings
- Chris Boswell, Steelers
- Wil Lutz, Saints
- Matt Bryant, Falcons
- Jake Elliott, Eagles
- Josh Lambo, Jaguars
- Ryan Succop, Titans
Defense/special teams -- Divisional Round (DFS)
- New England Patriots
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Minnesota Vikings
- Atlanta Falcons
- New Orleans Saints
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Tennessee Titans
Defense/special teams -- NFL Playoff Challenge
- New England Patriots
- Minnesota Vikings
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Atlanta Falcons
- New Orleans Saints
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Tennessee Titans
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Do you want the most up-to-date fantasy football news, updates and analysis? Follow Michael on both Twitter **@Michael_Fabiano** or **Facebook**!