Fantasy football can be fickle sometimes, and particularly during the playoffs. While it's usually true that your stars are the ones most responsible for carrying your team to a championship, our game's history books are filled with examples of unlikely heroes who made the difference in close December matchups.
Identifying these playoff heroes in advance, particularly at the tough-to-fill running back position, can provide a fantasy manager a massive advantage.
For a few notable examples, in 2021, Rashaad Penny came out of nowhere to be the No. 1 running back (117.4 fantasy points) from Week 13 forward. In 2022, Jerick McKinnon was the No. 2 running back in fantasy points (124.6) from that same week forward. And as recently as 2024, Tyjae Spears and Jerome Ford, both available in more than 50% of ESPN leagues when the fantasy playoffs began, scored the ninth- (62.1) and 18th-most (44.7) points over the season's final four weeks.
Who might be this year's Penny, McKinnon or Spears? To find the answer, I asked each of our fantasy football analysts -- Stephania Bell, Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Daniel Dopp, Tyler Fulghum, Eric Karabell, Liz Loza, Eric Moody and Field Yates -- as well as contributing my own pick.
Every player discussed below is available in more than 50% of ESPN leagues and is worth stashing today due to his possessing the upside to carry a fantasy team during the upcoming playoffs. I've listed them in descending order of most votes received, along with a brief outlook of what you might expect from them down the stretch.
Kenneth Gainwell, Pittsburgh Steelers
Three votes: Bell, Loza, Yates
Gainwell will be a popular pickup this week, regardless of his prospective fantasy-playoff output after Jaylen Warren left Sunday's game due to an ankle injury. A polished pass catcher, Gainwell stands to benefit the most from any extended Warren absences, being that rookie Kaleb Johnson has both underperformed and, at times, committed costly mistakes. Gainwell has played critical late-season and playoff roles in the receiving game for the Philadelphia Eagles in the past, and his Steelers might be pressed to pass frequently in order to keep pace with the potent offenses of some of their upcoming opponents (BUF, Week 13; @BAL, Week 14; @DET, Week 16; BAL, Week 18).
Chris Rodriguez Jr., Washington Commanders
One vote: Moody
Although he received only one official vote, Rodriguez was the most popular "almost" pick, the next-in-line pick for two other analysts. Over the past three weeks, he has emerged as a prospective starter for the Commanders, playing 39% of the offensive snaps and averaging 9.9 fantasy points, during which time Jacory Croskey-Merritt has cooled off. The challenge with stashing Rodriguez, however, is that his Commanders are one of four teams on bye in Week 12 and they face the Denver Broncos in Week 13. But, if you have the room, Rodriguez's improving play, coupled with his favorable Week 15-18 schedule (@NYG, PHI, DAL, @PHI), makes him worth it.
Also receiving a vote
Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals (Clay): Just a hair beneath the 50% roster threshold, Benson might be an easy stash for many fantasy teams due to his IR eligibility (for so long as it lasts). He's a speedy, high-upside sleeper on a team that hasn't been able to find a singular, reliable backfield option in his absence.
Tank Bigsby, Eagles (Cockcroft): This is in no way a criticism of Saquon Barkley, but Bigsby has shown hints over the past four weeks that he'd thrive if pressed into expanded duty for an Eagles team that might punch its playoff ticket by Thanksgiving weekend. The Eagles also have a dream of a remaining schedule for a running back: @DAL, CHI, @LAC, LV, @WSH, @BUF, WSH.
Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams (Dopp): He has averaged 11.5 rushing attempts over the Rams' past four games and is one of the more important insurance-policy backs to roster down the stretch.
Devin Singletary, New York Giants (Bowen): He played a larger role than anticipated for the Giants on Sunday, particularly near the goal line. Singletary has also had big-time seasonal finishes in the past, finishing second in scoring behind the aforementioned Penny over the final six weeks of 2021.
Brashard Smith, Kansas City Chiefs (Fulghum): Though he had a quiet Week 11, Smith has shown past glimpses of explosiveness, and his two-way ability makes him a valuable piece for a Chiefs team that has historically leaned more heavily on its pass-catching backs in the season's final weeks.
Emanuel Wilson, Green Bay Packers (Karabell): Like Gainwell, he'll be a popular pickup after scoring 13.9 fantasy points Sunday, filling in for Josh Jacobs after the latter exited due to a knee injury. Wilson seems more likely than not to start in Week 12, and he'd be stepping into a role from which Jacobs was the No. 6 scoring running back in 2024 and No. 7 over the first 11 weeks of this season.
Playoff hero, non-RB: Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers (3 votes)
Expanding the discussion to players at any position, Watson, who scored a season-best 20.6 fantasy points Sunday, was the most popular pick among our analysts. His big-play ability, coupled with the Packers' lack of a clear No. 1 receiving target -- especially true with breakout TE Tucker Kraft out for the season -- makes him a great high-upside stash. The Packers have one of the more favorable remaining WR schedules, including a few probable high-scoring games (@DET, Week 13; BAL, Week 17). Watson is out there in nearly three-quarters of ESPN leagues.
Others receiving votes (one each): Sam Darnold, Alec Pierce, Dalton Schultz, Brenton Strange, Tua Tagovailoa, Malik Washington, Michael Wilson.