2025 Fantasy Football Playoffs: How do the Playoffs Work?
The fantasy football playoffs are just around the corner! As the New Year approaches, the focus shifts to the fantasy football playoffs as the fantasy regular season wraps up.
Below, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the fantasy football playoffs, including when the fantasy football playoffs start, strategies to dominate your matchups, and what you need to get ready for the postseason.
Even as the fantasy regular season winds down, you can keep the season going on PrizePicks. With daily fantasy NFL, you can make picks on player stat projections during the NFL Playoffs, adding even more fun and stakes to your fantasy season. Build a new team every week to win real money.
When do the Fantasy Football Playoffs Start?
The start date for your fantasy football playoffs is dependent on your league settings, however, the default is typically Week 15, with one-week playoff matchups. That said, your league settings will either be in a 4-team, 6-team, or 8-team playoff bracket that starts as early as Week 14 and as late as Week 16 in rare cases.
For most leagues, the default is Week 15 of the NFL season, which starts with a Thursday Night matchup on December 12. The fantasy football playoffs will wrap up before the NFL regular season ends, oftentimes in Week 17.
The typical schedule looks like this, for a six-team fantasy football playoffs in a 10- or 12-team league.
- Week 15 — Fantasy Football Wild Card Round, #1 & #2 Seeds on bye
- Week 16 — Fantasy Football Semifinals
- Week 17 — Fantasy Football Championship
- Week 18 — No Games
How do the Fantasy Football Playoffs Work?
To find out whether or not you will make the playoffs, keep checking the league standings. Remember there are still a few weeks left to make your playoff push. In the case of a tiebreaker — having the same record as another team — the deciding factor will either be fantasy points scored or fantasy points against.
In the fantasy football playoffs, it’s win or go home, just like the NFL Playoffs, so you want your team to be playing at its peak at the end of the season.
Over the two or three week playoffs, you will need to outscore your opponent to move on to the next week until the championship. A major issue is that NFL teams bound for the playoffs frequently bench their star players in Week 18, potentially derailing fantasy teams’ chances of success. To avoid that fantasy football championships are typically in Week 17, while Week 18 is usually not part of the fantasy football season.
Remember, avoiding last place should always be your ultimate end goal — especially if you have fantasy football punishments for the last-place finisher in your league.
Lock in for Fantasy Football Playoff Action on PrizePicks!
Ready to take your fantasy football experience to the next level during the playoffs? PrizePicks offers a simple and exciting way to stay engaged with fantasy football all the way through the NFL Playoffs and the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans.
With stat categories like fantasy points, passing yards, or even longest reception, PrizePicks lets you turn your player knowledge into real money action by chosing more or less on their projections. Whether your fantasy season is still alive or you’re just looking to stay in the game, PrizePicks has you covered.
Lock in your picks every week, for every game, trust your instincts, and make every play of the regular and postseason count. Stay in the green and enjoy the thrill of playoff football!
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