Injuries are unpredictable, but they are a part of football nonetheless. We’ve all been in a situation where one of our contending rosters gets hit by the injury bug, crushing our championship aspirations. It’s a part of Dynasty football. But one way to help leverage our Dynasty bets our FanDuel Football Bets, and potentially benefit from in-season injuries is to roster players with contingent value, meaning someone slated for a large workload if the starter goes down.
In fantasy football, the positions with the most contingent value are quarterback and running back. The pass-catching positions (wide receiver and tight end) may move up the depth chart if a starter goes down, but they still have to earn the targets. In contrast, the QB and RB positions will get the touches if they are next in line. This doesn’t mean they’ll be efficient or productive, but at least the opportunity will be there.
In this article, I will cover a few RBs with contingent value who I feel are “buys” in Dynasty at their current price. Considering they aren’t the projected starters, these guys may not feel like exciting prospects to target in the offseason. But all it takes is one injury for these players to jump in value and become real difference-makers in your lineups.
Zach Charbonnet
Zach Charbonnet has lost quite a bit of value in Dynasty this past year, sitting at RB34 overall on KeepTradeCut as of this week. At his peak, Charbonnet was valued as the RB16 overall. A lackluster rookie season where opportunity was limited has soured many Dynasty players on Charbonnet, and he’s dropped to a point where I feel he’s an excellent buy.
We know Charbonnet has the size and strength to handle a large workload and had an excellent receiving profile coming out of college. Kenneth Walker is still the unquestioned starter in this Seahawks offense, but if something happens to him, Charbonnet is set for a three-down role. Nobody on this depth chart is challenging Charbonnet for the RB2 role. Keep in mind that Seattle has a brand new head coach, Mike Macdonald. He has no allegiance to any particular player, so Charbonnet has an excellent opportunity to prove his worth and earn some touches.
Khalil Herbert
Many of us had high hopes for Herbert following the 2022 season, where he posted some highly efficient numbers and teammate David Montgomery left for Detroit. But alas, Chicago drafted Roschon Johnson and brought in D’Onta Foreman, turning this backfield into a three-person committee. While this was a disappointment, it shouldn’t have come as a shock to anyone. Herbert didn’t have the resume or skillset to be a true workhorse.
Fast forward to 2024, and Foreman has left for Cleveland, but Chicago signed RB D’Andre Swift to a three-year, $24M deal. It’s assumed that Swift will receive the majority of work this coming season, but we also know this is a player with a long history of injuries. Through just four NFL seasons, Swift has dealt with groin injuries, AC joint issues, a concussion, and an ankle injury. I believe Herbert would step into the lead role if Swift suffered an injury. He’s proven a highly productive rusher and has improved tremendously as a receiver. Herbert is just a better overall player than Roschon, in my opinion. Currently, Herbert is valued as the RB61 overall, similar to a 2025 mid-3rd-round pick. He’s basically free, and he’s someone who could be hitting your starting lineups if Swift were to go down.
Bucky Irving
I’ve included Bucky in a few different offseason articles now, and I’m going to keep pounding the table for him. A disappointing Combine performance, coupled with Day 3 draft capital, had many Dynasty players fully out on Bucky. He’s currently valued as the RB49 overall on KeepTradeCut, lower than a late 2025 2nd. I’m all in at this price, as confirmed by my 43% ownership in Dynasty.
Advanced metrics suggest Rachaad White is one of the least effective rushers in the NFL. In 2023, he ranked 53rd out of 68 RBs in yards per attempt and 54th out of 68 in yards after contact per attempt (min. 50 attempts). Granted, Tampa Bay was one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL last season, so White didn’t get much help. But he hasn’t done enough to earn himself the unquestioned RB1 role, in my opinion. Bucky is an electric back with tons of burst and quickness and was arguably the best receiving back in college football last season. He may very well be a better, albeit smaller, version of Rachaad. You better believe Bucky has the skillset to pour on some fantasy points if White misses time.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you got some valuable information you can use for your fantasy team! If you’d like additional insight into Dynasty Football news and analysis, please follow me on Twitter at @jim_DFF. Until next time, keep grinding out there, DFF family! #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding
