RB Playoff Stashes

These 5 RBs are just one injury from mattering down the stretch. Read on to find out why … in two minutes or less.

Zach Charbonnet (SEA), available in 31.6% of leagues

Zach Charbonnet has spent most of the year behind Kenneth Walker, but Seattle keeps using him like one of the most involved backups in the league. He’s already inside the top tier for red-zone work and the Seahawks run the ball more than anyone in football. The offense has put up big numbers across the second half of the season, blowing out multiple opponents and looking like a legitimate contender, but all that scoring has kept Charbonnet heavily involved around the goal line no matter how well Walker plays. So if Walker misses even a sliver of time down the stretch (and we’ve seen Seattle lean fully on Charbonnet in those situations before), you’re suddenly holding a playoff hammer who already converts scoring chances and runs with enough volume to be a league-winner.

Kenneth Gainwell (PIT), available in 42.8% of leagues

Gainwell has stepped up whenever the Steelers have needed him. He’s shown he can step straight into a full workload and actually make the offense look better, back from the Week 4 takeover when Warren sat, to the Week 11 eruption after Warren left hurt, to the Week 12 game where he out-snapped Warren and ripped off explosive gains while stacking 122 total yards. Warren is still the starter, but he’s dealt with multiple injuries already, and this offense has leaned on Gainwell whenever the lead back tweaks something or stalls. So if anything happens again down the stretch, or if Pittsburgh keeps riding the hot hand in December, Gainwell becomes the kind of plug-and-play volume spike on a team that’s shown it can move the ball in competitive games, making him a legitimate league-winning stash heading into the fantasy playoffs

Tyler Allgeier (ATL), available in 67.2% of leagues

Tyler Allgeier is the exact kind of stash who looks quiet on the surface but keeps popping up in the moments that actually matter: short-yardage, clock-killing drives, and red zone chances that swing fantasy weeks. Atlanta leans on him whenever they’re able to protect a lead, and even in games where he’s the clear No. 2 behind Bijan Robinson, he’s still stealing high-value touches, like the multi-TD Week 10 stretch where nearly half his opportunities came near the goal line. The Falcons have been in tight, low-scoring matchups all year, and their offense consistently creates scoring chances late in games, so if anything happens to Bijan or if Atlanta continues leaning on their run game down the stretch, Allgeier becomes an instant-volume playoff asset who can flip leagues with touchdown spikes right when you need them most.

Bhayshul Tuten (JAX), available in 70.3% of leagues

Tuten feels so close to exploding, because it constantly feels like Etienne’s margin is thin. But when Tuten actually gets a chance, he flashes real takeover juice. He was matching Etienne stride-for-stride before that late-game ankle roll in Week 11, showing the kind of burst that briefly made it look like the backfield might open up again… so if anything were to happen down the stretch, he immediately steps into a high-volume role on an offense that’s moved the ball all year and has shown real scoring upside in recent wins. Tuten’s usage has bounced around, but the rare moments where the door cracks open show exactly why he’s considered one of the league’s strongest contingency backs, so he’s the type of stash who can swing a semifinal or final the moment the depth chart tilts in his direction.

Brian Robinson Jr. (SF), available in 78.3% of leagues

Robinson Jr’s downhill style hasn’t gone anywhere, he’s still  delivering chunk runs and touchdowns even on tiny snap counts. That usage is forgettable now, but it hides the real story: this offense keeps finding ways to win despite constant injuries everywhere else, and when they get into positive scripts, the running game closes things out. So if anything happens to CMC, Robinson instantly steps into premium volume on a team that keeps scoring and leaning on its backs late in games. So he’s exactly the kind of playoff stash you hold before everyone else scrambles, because one depth-chart shake and he becomes a plug-and-play bruiser in an offense that can still move the ball even when banged up.

So add these players and look smart in the playoffs… As promised, in two minutes or less.

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See you tomorrow,

-Joe

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