Just because we're in our fantasy football playoffs era doesn't mean that we can't still talk about buying and selling. The season isn't over just yet. Cooterdoodle is here to walk us through playoff buy-ins.

Whether you made it past the first round of the fantasy playoffs (yay) or were eliminated (sorry), this pertains to you. This is playoff SZN, baby! Let’s get into some aspects that I can buy into as well as others that I’m totally ready to sell.

Buy

It's bandwagon time

I know that bandwagon fans have a bad reputation, but just hear me out for a second. With only three weeks left to go in the NFL regular season, many of us will have to deal with the fact that our favorite NFL team isn't making the playoffs this year.

Even worse, some NFL teams that haven’t looked that great this season will squeak into the playoffs simply due to having played in a bad division or having faced an easy schedule of opponents. (Just like your fantasy football playoffs. How fitting!)

As of today, only four NFL teams have clinched the playoffs:

• 49ers
• Cowboys
• Eagles
• Ravens

While it's totally acceptable to continue rooting for your home team, it might be time to start putting away your Cardinals, Panthers, and Patriots jerseys. Or at least make some space for them in your closet. 

I’ll give you another week or two, but you’ll have to pick a new team to root for soon. As for me? Well, I’ll tell you all about why I’m rooting for the 49ers to take home the Lombardi trophy in February if/when my Saints get mathematically eliminated.

Camaraderie > Competition

This applies to fantasy football, but I want to talk about the National Football League for a second.

We’ve heard about QB battles each offseason. We’ve seen Zach Wilson “make that dude’s life hell.” (Well, we’ve seen Zach Wilson say those words, at least.)

We’ve also seen fans and analysts chirp about which QB should get the starting nod, even if the Jameis Winston Experience can be a terrifying ride.

But what we haven’t witnessed much of (and I’d love to see more of) is some good natured guy on guy action. Well, that is, until this past Monday night.

Not only was it fun watching Drew Lock lead the Seahawks to an upset victory over the Eagles in Week 15, but it was also wonderful to hear Lock’s humble and giddy victory speech. But the most heartwarming clip of the night was the shared elation between Geno Smith and Lock after Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s 29-yard TD reception.

I know that competition is a necessary fuel for the fire of the game, but sometimes a little camaraderie can go a long way.

More of these vibes in 2024, please.

Sell

“Shut up, you've been eliminated”

SELL SELL SELL.

I’ll keep this one short and sweet. Trash talk is always acceptable. I don’t care if you're dead last at the bottom of the rankings punching up with all your might or coming in from the top rope. Talk that sh*t from kickoff of Week 1 all the way to the following offseason.

Just remember one thing: If you dish it, you must be able to take it.

As long as you can handle a little backlash and roll with the punches, then go ahead and keep yapping. I’ll always support trash talk as long as the one spewing it isn’t clamming up when it comes time to catch a few strays.

I don’t care what your record is, who you’re facing, or what time of year it is. If you can dish it and take it, let it roll!

Speaking of trash talk, I’m sure that you'll be able to find a way to include this in your rotation.

Hindsight is always 20/20

Hindsight is 20/20? Well, not exactly. With the gift of hindsight also comes the freedom to overlook extenuating circumstances. What I mean is that everyone likes to look back and play the “what if I had drafted Player X instead” or “what if I hadn’t dropped Player Z” stats.

I get it. I’ve been bitten by the hindsight analysis, too. But I’ve also seen fantasy managers kicking themselves for moves they made months ago that don’t account for all of the mitigating factors that led to those fantasy transactions.

Let’s take David Njoku as an example. The Browns have evolved dramatically since the beginning of the season (and beyond, honestly). But beyond just Cleveland's transformation over the course of the season, there were a ton of injuries back in Week 5 that influenced fantasy decisions and the evolution of many fantasy football rosters.

Just look at the players who sustained multi-week injuries in Week 5:

• Anthony Richardson
• Khalil Herbert
• De’Von Achane
• Justin Jefferson

Injuries, bye weeks, and roster needs of the past are extremely hard to remember in Week 16. So how can you fully justify a move you made in early October? Don’t kick yourself too hard for a decision you made months ago with limited information.

While it’s important to look back and assess where we might have messed up, it’s also just as valid to recognize that you were viewing your team through an entirely different lens at one specific point in time.

So forgive yourself. Seriously. LOOK AT ME WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU.

Hey, you. Yes you…I forgive you for that one totally bone-headed move you made to your fantasy roster.