26 Players to Stash Ahead of the Fantasy Football Playoffs

Nov 29, 2022

26 Players to Stash Ahead of the Playoffs

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This will be the final stash article of the 2022 season, as there aren’t a lot of weeks left to covet potential fantasy assets. Most playoffs begin in Week 15, meaning there are two weeks left in the regular season.

We should be looking at players who could shine in the fake postseason, as the playoffs are a win-or-go-home scenario. Below are players worth stashing for the next few weeks in the hopes they can secure you that fantasy championship. If you need help on who to drop, check out my Dead Weight piece for some suggestions.

Jordan Love, QB - Packers

Aaron Rodgers left Week 12’s contest with a rib injury, and it’s still to be determined the extent and if the QB will miss any time. Love’s number was called, and the second-year QB played 11 minutes of the game, ending the night completing 6-of-9 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.

It would not be too surprising if the Packers decided to shelf Rodgers for the remainder of 2022, regardless of what tests show, and they get a Bears defense that just got torched by fellow backup QB Mike White in Week 12. Green Bay is off in Week 14, which isn’t ideal, but if you’re in need of QB help for the fantasy playoffs, they face the Rams, Miami, and Minnesota in Weeks 15-17, who sit 6th, 27th, and 28th in QB schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed.

Hunter Henry, TE - Patriots

The New England TE is coming off his best game since Week 6, so some may gravitate towards Hunter Henry since the position is so dry. He does have a brutal matchup this week against the Bills, though, which is why he’s only a stash for me. Henry’s stashability is due to Week 14, where the Patriots travel to Arizona to face the 31st-ranked unit when it comes to defending TEs this season.

The Cardinals have allowed eight fantasy TE1 performances this season out of their 12 contests. I figured a table would drive the point home since they have been just that bad.

Fantasy TE1 Performances vs. ARI, 2022
Tight End	Week	Points (.5 PPR)	TE Finish
Travis Kelce	1	22.1	TE1
Darren Waller	2	14	TE2
Tyler Higbee	3	8.1	TE12
Dallas Goedert	5	13.5	TE5
Juwan Johnson	7	17.7	TE2
Noah Fant	9	12.1	TE6
Tyler Higbee	10	11.3	TE6
George Kittle	11	22.4	TE2

DeVante Parker & Nelson Agholor, WRs - Patriots

Jakobi Meyers injured his shoulder on the very first play in Week 12 and was fairly limited in snaps for the remainder of the game. Meyers himself says he’s “sore” and “I’ll be alright”, but we all know that sometimes that isn’t the case as the week rolls on.

DeVante Parker is the preferable stash here based on his 70% snap share this season to Agholor’s 46%, but their total targets and targets per game are almost identical. Parker has one WR1, one WR3, and two WR4 performances this season and would most likely be the No. 1 target for Mac Jones if Meyers were to be sidelined for any time. Agholor has been all-or-nothing for most of the season, but he did see eight balls with Meyers limited last week, which he translated to 65 yards and a touchdown.

Next-Man-Up RBs to Stash

Alexander Mattison (Vikings)
Matt Breida (Giants)
James Cook (Bills)
Dontrell Hilliard (Titans)
Kenneth Gainwell (Eagles)
Isaiah Spiller (Chargers)
Joshua Kelley (Chargers)
Zamir White (Raiders)
Keaontay Ingram (Cardinals)

JaMycal Hasty, RB - Jaguars

I didn’t include him in the section above because the injury to Travis Etienne has already happened, and JaMycal Hasty could be impactful sooner rather than later. Etienne was apparently cleared to return in Week 12 after a foot injury sidelined the Jaguars RB for most of the contest, but he was kept off the field as a precaution.

Considering it’s still early in the week, we still need to prepare in the event Jacksonville is withholding information. Hasty posted 95 combined yards and a score with Etienne on the shelf and is the presumed next man up if the latter misses time. Darrell Henderson was signed last week, and Snoop Conner is in the mix, but neither should impact Hasty’s value. A juicy matchup with the Lions is on tap this week, which sweetens the pot.

Zonovan Knight, RB - Jets

Similar to Hasty above, Knight gets a separate blurb due to a sustained ankle injury to Michael Carter. While it’s unclear just how serious his issue is, it’s probably a good idea to grab Zonovan Knight now in case Carter sits out for Week 13 and/or beyond. In Carter’s absence, Knight carried the ball 14 times for a nice 69 yards and also caught three balls for an additional 34 yards. Knight won’t be in a lead-back role even if Carter is out, but he’s the favorite to head the timeshare based on last week’s snaps (48%) to Ty Johnson’s 24%. James Robinson is also in town, but it’s tough to see him cracking fantasy relevancy. Knight is the hot hand and could be a difference-maker if given the opportunity.

The Jets' schedule is fairly favorable throughout the fantasy playoffs with an average opponent aFPA ranking of 19th from Weeks 13-17, which also adds to Knight’s appeal as a Week 13 stash.

Byron Pringle, WR - Bears

This is not for everyone and every roster, but in deeper leagues, Byron Pringle could put some points up down the stretch. Darnell Mooney is out for the season, and Chase Claypool left Week 12’s tilt with a leg injury. Pringle did catch a four-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Siemien last week, plus another catch for eight yards, and the Bears' schedule is fairly soft for the fantasy playoffs, with their three opponents from Weeks 15-17 boasting an average aFPA ranking of 22nd.

Chicago is a run-first offense, so there’s not too much meat on the bone, but you could do worse than Pringle if he ends up being the only WR they have down the stretch.

David Bell, WR - Browns

The rookie has quietly seen at least five targets in the last three contests, and his snap percentage has increased with each week. While your leaguemates fight for Donovan Peoples-Jones, David Bell will be sitting there and could benefit the most from DeShaun Watson’s arrival, with presumably more passing on the docket.