Dynasty Fantasy Football Fallout: Conference Championships | PlayerProfiler

The Patriots punched their ticket with a gritty 10-7 victory over Denver, overcoming the harsh weather conditions. Meanwhile, the Seahawks accomplished that by winning part three against the Rams in a 31-27 thriller.

And through it all, I looked through a dynasty fantasy football lens to bring you up to date on the impact these games have. This series will continue through the Super Bowl, so stay tuned for more dynasty coverage in two weeks. For now, here are the biggest risers and fallers from the Conference Championships fantasy dynasty.

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Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers

QB Sam Darnold, Seahawks

Sam Darnold went from “seeing ghosts” against the Patriots early in his career to playing against them in the Super Bowl. Talk about a redemption story. Despite being left for dead after his stint with the Jets, he is now the first of the 2018 QB class – featuring Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield – to make it to the Big Game.

Unlike last year’s brief playoff cameo as a member of the Vikings, the moment wasn’t as big for Darnold this time around. He has played flawless football in his two postseason games thus far, after leading the league in turnovers during the regular season. A week after not being asked to do much in a 41-6 dismantling of the 49ers, Darnold might have had his best day as a pro against the Rams: a career-high 346 passing yards and three touchdowns on 25 of 36 attempts.

The last two years have been a wild ride for Darnold and his dynasty value. He could have been picked off the waiver wire in many leagues during the 2024 offseason. Even when JJ McCarthy went down with a knee injury in the preseason and Darnold got the starting job, the skepticism remained. At the time, his value hovered around a third-round rookie pick.

Then he went out and beat up. Darnold grounded out in Kevin O’Connell’s QB-friendly system, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns while leading the Vikings to a 14-3 finish. After being unceremoniously drafted in the first round, the Vikings (accidentally) let Darnold walk, and he later signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seahawks.

With one of the league’s fiercest defenses and a surging alpha in Jaxon Smith-Njigba to throw to, Darnold once again led his team to a 14-win regular season, becoming just the second QB ever to win at least 14 games in consecutive seasons. Tom Brady is of course the other. And now Darnold is going to the Super Bowl.

Yet even this year, there remained some reluctance within the dynasty community to believe what we were seeing. Darnold’s value peaked at QB14 in November KeepTradeCutbut it’s currently on QB19 as I write this. Some of the hesitation makes sense: Seattle selected Alabama QB Jalen Milroe in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and Darnold has a propensity for turnovers.

That shouldn’t be the case in the future, at least in the short term. Darnold has two years left on his contract, and while Seattle has a zero after 2026, the Super Bowl just extended his lead. It’s worth noting that Darnold is 30-7 over the last two seasons. That stat alone should earn him a few more seasons as a starter, increasing his dynasty value.

I think you can make a case for buying or selling Darnold depending on your roster construction and needs. But one thing is clear: his dynasty value is certainly on display after Sunday’s masterful performance.

RB Blake Corum, Rams

Could we see a closer rift than expected between Kyren Williams and Blake Corum in 2026? If Sunday’s game plan against the Seahawks is any indication, the answer could be yes. Despite dominating the ball in the backfield against Chicago in the Divisional Round the week before, Williams found himself in an even timeshare with Corum in the loss to Seattle. Both boys finished with twelve touches. Williams found paydirt, but Corum defeated him 79-61.

This was not a one-off. In the second half of the season, Corum started to earn more work. He only managed a 40% share twice all season, but he had nine games with double-digit carries if you include the postseason. He finished his sophomore season with 865 yards on 171 carries and six scores (including the playoffs).

If anything, that usage should make Williams managers a little uneasy as they head into 2026. Corum saw his opportunities well and argued for more work; his YPC average of 5.1 was tied with Bijan Robinson for fourth among all RBs with at least 100 carries. Corum also had a +20 EPA (RB5) and was PlayerProfiler’s RB2 in Explosive Rating. Not too bad for a guy who started the season only as a handcuff.

Blake Corum’s EPX rating for 2025

Now Williams is under contract for two more seasons after a recent extension in 2025. He isn’t going anywhere. That, and Corum’s limited reception volume, does lower his ceiling a bit. Still, his arrow is pointing up, and his dynasty value should quietly rise a bit this offseason.

Worst-case scenario: Corum is a flexible option for managers in deeper formats, especially in standard or half-PPR scores. If I had a second-round pick at the end of 2026, I wouldn’t mind sending it to him and betting his role would continue – or better yet, expand – I just wouldn’t feel comfortable paying more than that.

RB Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots

Props to Rhamondre Stevenson. He shook off a number of early-season fumbles and didn’t let New England draft his eventual replacement stop him. Instead, he persevered and put together a great season all things considered.

In fact, he shined in the postseason when it mattered most. In the Wild Card round, he converted just 13 touches for 128 yards. Against a tough Texans defense in the Divisional Round, he piled up 81 yards on 20 touches. And on Sunday, during an ugly snowfest against Denver, Stevenson did exactly what the Patriots needed: control the clock and protect the football. He had 71 yards on 25 carries. Given the conditions, distances were difficult to come by, so he has an excuse for the poor efficiency.

But the box score isn’t the story here. The real headline is usage. Stevenson defeated rookie TreVeyon Henderson 25 to three and outscored him 60 to four. That now marks the seventh time in the last eight games that Stevenson has defeated his rookie counterpart, according to Next Gen Stats.

Stevenson will be 28 years old in a month, so his dynasty value won’t increase much. However, it is clear that HC Mike Vrabel trusts his veteran. Stevenson is the front runner whether Henderson managers like it or not, and he is productive in this attack. During the regular season, he ranked in the top 10 in the following efficiency and production metrics: yards per touch (5.9), yards per reception (10.8), yards created per touch (3.75), yards per route run (1.45), catch rate (86.5%), and fantasy points per opportunity (1.07).

If you’re a contender with a second-rounder burning a hole in your pocket, you could do a lot worse than take Stevenson with it. His role seems safe, at least for another season.

Dynasty Fantasy Football Fallers

RB TreVeyon Henderson

Well… you had to see this one coming. Getting just three touches when your team is playing for a trip to the Super Bowl is pretty devastating. Four snaps. Three carries. Five meters. That’s all TreVeyon Henderson accomplished in Sunday’s win against the Broncos.

I’m not sure if there’s more to this – maybe an undisclosed injury or something behind the scenes. Whatever it was, Henderson was active, but he barely saw the field in the biggest game of his young career.

TreVeyon Henderson’s advanced statistics and metrics profile

Henderson has one more game left to hopefully reverse this downward trend and leave dynasty fantasy managers with a better taste in their mouths heading into the offseason. It’ll be a tall order against Seattle’s stout defense, but it can’t be much worse than what we’ve seen so far in the playoffs. Henderson was terrible, with 24 carries for 57 yards and two catches for seven yards with zero touchdowns. Gross.

If you still believe in his talent, this is your buying window. Henderson’s value has taken a hit thanks to these recent box scores. Start with a few second-rounders and see if that gets the conversation started. If you really want it, float there first. The advantage is there. Let’s not forget that he produced two games with over 140 rushing yards and four multi-TD performances during the regular season.

If you’re already a Henderson manager, you’re basically stuck at this point. Don’t panic sell if the value is below market value; that’s never a smart play. Things should get better, but maybe not until sometime in 2026.

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Wolf Trelles-Heard is a fantasy football contributor for PlayerProfiler. Find him at X on @DynastyFFWolf.