Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt was one of the most fun stories heading into the 2025 season, and through the first month of his rookie campaign, the man known simply as "Bill" looked to be making good on all the preseason hype. Playing behind an above-average offensive line, Croskey-Merritt was able to churn out chunk plays at a league-leading level, averaging 11.6 fantasy points per game through Week 5 despite minimal usage in the passing game. Unfortunately, the big plays eventually dried up, and Croskey-Merritt finished the year as RB31, working in almost a true 50/50 split with Chris Rodriguez Jr. by the end of the season. The Commanders have since replaced Rodriguez with Rachaad White, which could be viewed as a win for Croskey-Merritt managers, as White's greatest contributions have come catching the ball, a market that Croskey-Merritt was never going to own. However, Washington is one of the teams picking in the top 10 of the upcoming NFL Draft that has been tied to Notre Dame prospect Jeremiyah Love. Should he become their pick on Day 1, Croskey-Merritt would be relegated to little more than change-of-pace duty. If the Commanders opt to go in a different direction, or if Love has already been selected by the time they're on the clock, Croskey-Merritt, who is currently RotoBaller's dynasty RB44, could still provide value as a low-end RB2 or flex play.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker had some usable fantasy moments and one week-winning performance in 2025, operating primarily as the third option in a top-loaded rotation. While some of the names have changed for 2026, Tucker's situation appears to be quite similar, with any fantasy relevance still tied to an injury ahead of him on the depth chart. His 140-yard, three-touchdown blowup in Week 11 came with Bucky Irving sidelined with foot and shoulder injuries and Rachaad White falling out of favor. White has since been replaced by Kenneth Gainwell, who will likely carve out the lion's share of the running back receiving work after banking a career-high 73 receptions with the Steelers in 2025. Irving, even while banged up and inefficient in his second season, still saw more than double Tucker's total carries while playing in five fewer games. With an expected return to health in 2026, that ratio could grow even more lopsided, leaving the 2023 undrafted free agent with very little standalone value.

After three years in the league in which he never caught a single pass, San Francisco 49ers tight end Jake Tonges seemingly came out of nowhere in 2025 in relief of the injured George Kittle. Kittle missed parts of six games with an early-season hamstring injury, and in those games, the 2022 undrafted free agent averaged 4.2 receptions for 37.3 yards while scoring three touchdowns and ranking as the fantasy TE11. With Kittle tearing his Achilles in the team's Wild Card win over the Eagles, and his availability in doubt for the beginning of the 2026 season, Tonges is once again a must-roster player in dynasty leagues, and of particular importance to Kittle's managers. While his 8.8-point per game pace over the best six-game stretch of his career still falls well below anything Kittle has done since his 2017 rookie season, Tonges' usage around the goal line offers enough value to dynasty managers simply looking to stay afloat at the position through the opening stretch of the season. His current status as RotoBaller's dynasty TE34 reflects his lack of standalone value once Kittle returns to full health.

Even before signing a three-year, $27 million contract with the Washington Commanders, tight end Chig Okonkwo was a popular breakout candidate as he hit free agency after four promising seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Despite never finishing higher than TE22 in Half-PPR formats, Okonkwo's 4.52 speed and ability to gain yards after the catch are rare for the position, and many fantasy managers were banking on an improved situation where his skills could be put on display with regularity. He appears to have found that with the Commanders. When quarterback Jayden Daniels was fully healthy in 2024, his 78.2% on-target throw rate ranked 12th in the league as a rookie. Okonkwo never saw a quarterback finish inside the top 25 in that regard during his time in Tennessee, but he was still able to top 50 receptions in each of the last three seasons. The Commanders are expected to add pass-catchers in the upcoming NFL Draft, but as it currently stands, the talent gap between eight-year veteran Terry McLaurin and the rest of the room is notable, providing Okonkwo plenty of space to slide in as the secondary option in the passing game. He is currently TE20 in RotoBaller's dynasty rankings, but it's extremely possible he is still being slept on.