This is the final week of the regular season for most fantasy football leagues. Remember to load your benches with as many injury-away running backs as possible. This is the time of year when undrafted guys are thrust into large backfield roles, turning the lotto tickets on your bench into weekly RB2 and flex options.
And check out today's episode of The Footballguys Fantasy Football Show, where Alfredo Brown and I discuss Isaac Guerendo, Sincere McCormick, and more!
Three Up
QB Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
The Bryce Young we've seen over the last couple of weeks is nothing like the player who struggled over the previous season and a half. By all measures, Young had a disastrous go as a rookie. And his sophomore campaign wasn't off to a better start. First-year head coach Dave Canales quickly benched him. Andy Dalton took over from Weeks 3 through 7. Young regained his job in Week 8, and after a few more bumpy starts, he has seemingly found his groove. His per-game yardage over the last two games is the second and third-best of his career. He's only thrown two touchdowns (and rushed one) but hasn't committed a single turnover. He's playing with a looseness and confidence that he hasn't displayed since Alabama. And the box score doesn't accurately depict his recent play. He had a big would-be touchdown called back on a questionable officiating decision. His receivers have struggled with drops. But he's playing high-level football. These games have come against good defenses, Kansas City and Tampa Bay. He's got a mixed bag of matchups down the stretch, facing off against Philadelphia, Dallas, Arizona, and Tampa Bay (again). But based on other streaming options available, he's worked his way into the weekly discussion.
RB Isaac Guerendo, San Francisco 49ers
Opportunity is often the driving force behind a running back's value in fantasy football. And the opportunity is there for Isaac Guerendo. Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason were placed on IR after Week 13's loss. Elijah Mitchell hit season-ending IR before Week 1. That leaves Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr.. on the depth chart. Surely, the 49ers will bolster up this backfield with depth in free agency. But the team has already displayed some trust in Isaac Guerendo, giving him double-digit touches in two games this year. The rookie out of Louisville burst onto the scene at this year's Combine due to his off-the-charts athleticism. His post-Combine Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.99 ranked second among 1,745 running backs dating back to 1987. He's still a raw runner. Sloppy footwork often gets him tripped up in traffic. He doesn't excel as a pass catcher. But when given a crease, he can explode through it and rip off chunk plays. And Kyle Shanahan's run scheme is renowned for getting running backs out wide, allowing them to turn upfield and gash defenses. There may not be much long-term value with Guerendo, especially beyond this season. But the fresh legs and athleticism could cover up some of Isaac Guerendo's deficiencies through the final stretch of the fantasy playoffs. He has a brutal stretch of games against Chicago, LA Rams, Miami, and Detroit. Still, few players on the waiver wire have his upside. He's one of the best waiver wire targets of the year.
RB Sincere McCormick, Las Vegas Raiders
Every year, fantasy leagues are won by managers starting players you've never heard of. Don't feel bad if you're unfamiliar with Sincere McCormick. He's a third-year undrafted running back out of UTSA who spent his rookie season on IR and Year 2 on the practice squad. But in the wake of injuries to Alexander Mattison and Zamir White, McCormick finally logged his first offensive snap just two weeks ago. In Week 12, he was used sparingly. He logged just eight snaps but saw five carries. The next week, he garnered 26 snaps, 12 carries, and two targets. He was a clear second fiddle to Ameer Abdullah, but the difference in explosiveness couldn't be more apparent. Abdullah is a ten-year vet. McCormick is a 24-year-old getting his first taste of NFL play, hoping to secure a job. There's a reason McCormick went undrafted. He's undersized, played at a small school, and has underwhelming athleticism. But he plays with tenacity, which is evident every time he touches the ball. He also brings a big-play upside that none of the other running backs in Las Vegas have shown this year. Last season, we saw Antonio Pierce's willingness to ride an unproven Zamir White through the end of the season. It's not ridiculous to think he may do it again this year with McCormick.
Three Down
RB Breece Hall, New York Jets
Since Nathaniel Hackett was fired, Breece Hall's production has sputtered. The splits with and without Hackett aren't vast: 17.1 and 14.0. However, how the points have been accumulated is a cause for concern. Hall had a blowup game in Week 11, scoring 31.1 fantasy points after finding the end zone thrice. Remove that outing from the sample, though, and Hall is averaging just 9.7 points per game since Hackett's firing. Hall picked up a knee injury in Week 11, which carried over the bye and into Week 13, ending his day early. The Jets are 3-9 and have already decided to move on from Aaron Rodgers next season. There's little incentive to continue putting a limping Hall out in a lost season. The Jets have a fun duo of rookies in Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis and may look to lessen Hall's workload as the season winds.
WR Diontae Johnson, Baltimore Ravens
At the season's start, Diontae Johnson looked to be one of 2025's most desirable free agents. Just 28 years old and having shown flashes of elite talent, Johnson had an opportunity to prove himself on a one-year deal with Carolina. He looked great at times, filling in as Andy Dalton's WR1 and pulling 27 targets for 205 yards and two touchdowns over their first two starts. Then, a few quiet games were followed by some mysteriously vague tweets, and Johnson was surprisingly shipped to Baltimore for a shockingly cheap cost. Johnson's start with the Ravens was immediately plagued by drops, slips, and miscues, followed by more mysteriously vague tweets. And in Week 13, in a game where Rashod Bateman left early, Johnson failed to log even a single snap. Head coach John Harbaugh answered to his lack of play with a response as mysteriously vague as Johnson's late-night tweets. No one knows for certain what is going on. But the to-be free-agent wide receiver has slipped dramatically in the court of public opinion and doesn't belong anywhere near a fantasy roster.
TE Will Dissly, Los Angeles Chargers
For a moment there, Will Dissly looked like waiver wire gold. He was operating as the team's secondary option behind Ladd McConkey. From Weeks 7 through 11, Dissly averaged 6.6 targets per game. He was firmly in the weekly streaming discussion. But a quiet outing in Week 12 was followed by a catchless one-target game in Week 13. The Chargers offense was airing it out for a few weeks, and Dissly was a top beneficiary. But as the pass rate skews back to league average, Dissly falls out of the streaming discussion.
Check out Sigmund Bloom's weekly Upgrades and Downgrades feature, where you can sync your league for information on risers and fallers like Bryce Young, Isaac Guerendo, and more!
