Rest-of-Season (ROS) Fantasy Football Rankings: George Kittle Headlines Playoff Risers

Just as NFL teams begin to position themselves to make a run at the postseason, fantasy managers are doing the same. If you are not out there making moves to better your position, then you are likely already eliminated. And for the rest of you, it's time. Time to re-evaluate how we look at these players and their value over the next seven weeks. Do they add value to the playoff push, or do you have to cross your fingers, legs and eyes when you place them in your lineup?

As we look at the rest-of-season fantasy football rankings, let's check out some players who are playoff run positives and others that may leave you wishing for more.

Playoff Run Positives In The Rest-of-Season Fantasy Football Rankings

George Kittle, TE, ROS: TE4

He has Brock Purdy back, and there's a chemistry between those two that Kittle just did not have with Mac Jones. The offense is getting healthy, their rushing attack is rolling, which opens up their play action passing game, where Kittle thrives because his blocking ability allows him to hide in plain sight as he transitions from blocker to receiver. He finished TE2 the past two weeks and was in the top six in three of the past five weeks. The guy that many people (myself included) believed had the chance to finish as TE1 this season is starting to live up to that hype, and it could not have come at a better time!

Aaron Jones, RB, ROS: RB21

Since returning from injury, Jones has been a big part of the game plan for the Vikings. His ability as a pass receiver moved him directly past Jordan Mason on the depth chart after Mason performed well in Jones' absence. He creates more unpredictability for the offense because you can't identify personnel. This makes him a potential PPR stud when you consider the struggles of J.J. McCarthy to push the ball vertically; the dump off becomes a way to move the ball. He has seen his usage increase each week since his week eight return. His 19 touches in Week 11 were the highest of the season.

Mark Andrews, TE, ROS: TE11

I'm not sure if it is Lamar Jackson or the Ravens braintrust, but they just can't quit Mark Andrews and for the second season in a row, after starting so quietly that many were looking to drop him in fantasy, he has heated up as we hit the middle of the season. He is still incredibly touchdown dependent, but who cares? He seems to continue to find the endzone. He has recorded at least a touchdown over the past three weeks. That consistency can't be ignored as the team pushes for a playoff berth.

George Pickens, WR, ROS: WR8

Pickens has the big-play ability that makes a quarterback want to throw him the ball even when covered. He makes them believe in his abilities. He's a different animal to deal with than CeeDee Lamb, who they move around a lot, and while defenses are spending time identifying where he is, Pickens is running wide open on an in route or getting behind safeties focused on Lamb. He has been a double-digit fantasy scorer in every game since his disappointing Week 1 performance. He has also boasted three games of 24 or more points, which includes his WR3 performance in Week 11 that produced 24.9 points.

Rest-of-Season Rankings: Playoff Run Negatives

Justin Jefferson, WR, ROS: WR12

It hurts to say this, but Jefferson can no longer be considered a top fantasy performer. This is not an indictment of him or his talents. He is a WR1-caliber receiver on a team with a quarterback who can only get him the ball to produce flex receiver numbers. Jefferson's two best games of the season, Week 4 (WR9) and Week 5 (WR11), were without J.J. McCarthy on the field. With McCarthy, he has not finished better than WR18. Do you have the ammo to wait it out and hope for things to get better, or are you doomed to possibly die with Jefferson in your lineup, giving you 5.7 and 8.6 points, his previous two weeks' output?

Ashton Jeanty, RB, ROS: RB13

This is actually no reflection of Jeanty's talent as a running back. This has everything to do with the offensive line that's in front of him trying to block unsuccessfully and the realization from their offensive coordinator that they can't open holes for him. So why try? In their most recent game against the Cowboys, one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL, they purposely ran the ball eight times while choosing to throw it 42 times. If they do not have faith in the run game, how can we have faith in Jeanty?

Kimani Vidal, RB, ROS: RB24

It's a strange, consistent inconsistency with Vidal. It feels like every other week, he has a productive day for fantasy managers. Since taking over the backfield, he's finished eighth, 33rd, seventh, 44th, eighth, and, in Week 11, 56th in half-PPR formats. That type of volatility can't be trusted as you try to make a playoff push. That's before you factor in a possible return to the backfield for rookie Omarion Hampton, who has been sidelined for a large portion of the season.

Hunter Henry, TE, ROS: TE21

Early on in the season, while Drake Maye was still trying to find his footing, Hunter seemed like he was poised for a fantasy breakout season. He stacked two consecutive top-10 fantasy finishes together, which started with a TE1 finish in Week 3 and a TE8 finish in Week 4. Since then, Maye has continued to ascend, and Hunter has returned to obscurity. He has not topped eight fantasy points since then.

Rome Odunze, WR, ROS: WR15

Before their week five bye, the Bears looked like geniuses grabbing Odunze in the draft. It seemed as if he had ascended to WR1 status on the team and was a “set it and forget it” fantasy option. The first four weeks saw him amass 12.7 or more fantasy points each week. That included 28.3 points in Week 2. After the break, it seemed that the offensive philosophy of the Bears shifted to a more run-heavy team and Odunze has been affected the most. Yes, he has produced a 10th- and 11th-place finish, but those bracketed a zero-point Week 9 performance. The other three weeks were 5.1 points or less. That is scary for fantasy managers going into the must-win weeks of a season.