Fantasy Playoff RBs

Here are 5 RBs with the right combination of talent, touch share, and favorable matchups over the next 3 weeks… in two minutes or less.

5. Chris Rodriguez Jr. (WAS)

Rodriguez is quietly turning into the exact kind of late-season volume hammer you want riding into the playoffs.

• Washington has the 3rd-easiest RB playoff schedule, with the Giants, Eagles, and Cowboys all ranking top-12 in points allowed to running backs.

• Since taking over, he’s been used like a true early-down bruiser: 15 carries for 79 yards in Week 11, then 11 carries with a TD in Week 13, out-touching the rest of the backfield on the ground.

• Even in a rough Week 14 matchup where the entire offense struggled, he still logged 10 carries for 52 yards, confirming the team is comfortable leaning on him through bad scripts.

So if you’re hunting for a stash who can spike in soft matchups, Rodriguez checks every box for a late-season league-winner profile.

4. Bucky Irving (TB)

Irving looks healthy again, and in every fully healthy game this year he’s been a locked-in fantasy starter with true RB1 juice.

• His fantasy playoff run (Falcons, Panthers, Dolphins) currently ranks as the 5th-most favorable RB schedule, and Tampa has already shown they’re willing to feature him.

• In his first two games back (Weeks 13–14), he handled 32 carries plus four catches, scoring in both games and posting a 24-yard receiving TD and a 32-yard run even while the offense sputtered.

• In his six healthy games, he hasn’t finished worse than RB15 in PPR.

So if he holds this workload through a cupcake playoff schedule, Irving has the exact profile of the “how did my league let me get this guy?” RB who breaks your bracket in December.

👀 And as strong as that looks… the top of this list features backs with even better playoff schedules and volume waiting to detonate.

3. Ashton Jeanty (LV)

Jeanty hasn’t been efficient at all lately, but his role is exactly what we chase in the fantasy playoffs: rare talent + monopoly workload + soft championship matchup.

• The Raiders own the 6th-easiest RB playoff schedule, capped by a Week 17 date with the Giants, who have allowed the 2nd-most points to the position.

• Jeanty has a “death grip” on the backfield, including games where no other Raiders RB recorded a rushing attempt and stretches of 20+ touches, 100+ yards from scrimmage, and multi-TD blowups (like his 138 rushing yards and three total TDs in Week 4).

• Even when the run game stalls, his receiving role keeps him afloat — multiple games with 6–8 catches, team-leading targets, and four receiving TDs on the year, plus top-10 marks in opportunity share, carries, juke rate, and yards created.

If the Raiders offense simply gets to average over the next three weeks, Jeanty’s volume and receiving work give him as much “20+ carries and 6+ targets” upside as almost any back you can start.

2. De’Von Achane (MIA)

Achane is the rare back whose talent and usage are so extreme that even a tough real-life offense can’t stop him from putting up RB1 numbers.

• His playoff slate (Steelers, Bengals, Bucs) is rated the 7th-most favorable RB schedule, and the Bengals have allowed the most RB fantasy points by a large margin, with Achane’s elusiveness making him “impervious” to the tougher fronts.

• Through 13 weeks he ranked 5th overall and 5th in PPR points per game, while sitting 2nd in receptions, 4th in receiving yards, 3rd in rushing yards, and 4th in yards per touch among RBs.

• Even his Week 14 “scare” came with a reminder of the ceiling: 92 yards and a TD on just seven carries plus a 13-yard catch before the team shut him down with a big lead and a minor rib issue.

If he’s active for your playoff run, Achane brings a weekly “win your week on one play” profile, backed by true feature-back volume and one of the most fantasy-friendly schedules left on the board.

1. Saquon Barkley (PHI)

Barkley hasn’t matched his historic 2024, but the table is set for the ultimate redemption arc in the exact weeks that decide your league.

• The Eagles’ playoff stretch (Raiders, Commanders, Bills) is now rated as the single most favorable RB schedule in fantasy, with all three defenses vulnerable to explosive runs and rushing volume.

• Even in a “down” year where he’s RB13 overall and 15th in fantasy points per game, he still ranks 2nd in opportunity share, functioning as a true bell-cow in an offense that remains run-centric when it’s right.

• We’ve already seen flashes of the old Barkley — a 174-yard, two-TD eruption before a brief hamstring scare, plus receiving spikes like seven catches for 52 yards and explosive plays like a 41-yard reception to carry an otherwise sluggish offense.

• The story so far is simple: the efficiency has lagged (57th in points per opportunity), but the volume and talent haven’t gone anywhere, and the offensive line getting healthier plus this schedule is exactly how slumps break at the perfect time.

If you’re looking for one RB who can go from “mild disappointment” to fantasy playoff cheat code in three games, Barkley’s combination of workhorse role, elite pedigree, and league-best schedule makes him the top bet to carry you to a title.

So that’s the list. Running backs looking poised to help lead fantasy squads to the title… as promised, in 2 minutes or less.

And by the way, if you're ready to actually win your league or even if you want to prepare for next year… The Fantasy Accelerator is my year-round fantasy system designed to help sharp players crush waivers, win more trades, and stack championships.

See you tomorrow,

-Joe

P.S. You can get a free $20 (no deposit necessary) on SLEEPER if you sign up using code HOLKA8