Buy Low, Sell High: Week 15 Dynasty Stash RBs

One of the most fun parts of managing a deep dynasty roster is cultivating value by planting seeds at the end of your bench during the offseason. We'll go position-by-position and separate players into Snorkel, Scuba, and Submarine levels to serve dynasty players of all levels.

• Snorkel level players are available in some leagues, especially ones with more shallow rosters.
• Scuba-level players are usually available unless your league has very deep rosters.
• Submarine-level players are often widely available, even in leagues with deep rosters.

This week, running backs, where rags to riches stories abound. 

Snorkel

Sione Vaki, Detroit - Vaki hasn’t gotten to do much on offense, although he did tackle two players at once on special teams. The Lions drafted him as a running back and are developing him as one. Dan Campbell loves him, and Vaki has untapped potential after playing more on defense in college. The combination of mystery box plus hyperefficient offense should be a priority to add to your bench if someone didn’t carry him through the season.

Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore - The Ravens have been able to ease Mitchell back in after his catastrophic knee injury ended his 2023 campaign. He looked like one of the most explosive runners in the league before going down, and he’s in an offense that can effectively leverage his abilities. Smaller players are increasingly finding fantasy relevance in the 21st-century NFL, so don’t let Mitchell’s lack of mass discourage you when looking for offseason stashes.

Khalil Herbert, Cincinnati - Herbert has had the look of a starting quality back at times, but that didn’t endear him enough to the Bears for him to play out his rookie deal to its finish. He’ll enter free agency, probably weighing potential opportunity, pay, or quality of the situation, so he could be in line to at least compete for a committee role that he could expand on if he regains the form that had him on many sleeper lists coming into this season.

Dameon Pierce, Houston - There was a point when the Texans saw Pierce as a starter. He has proven to be a terrible fit in Bobby Slowik’s running game, but that doesn’t mean the Texans were completely wrong about Pierce. He won’t be a free agent until 2026, but being the backup to a 29-year-old Joe Mixon coming off of a high-volume season is also a spot that could yield fantasy value if Pierce and Texans can figure out how to wire his decision-making for Slowik’s scheme. 

Audric Estime, Denver - Estime’s pro career got off on the wrong foot when he got hurt in camp and again in Week 1 and missed four games. He also had some fumble issues, and Sean Payton’s capricious running back usage has kept Estime from getting in a rhythm. Estime still fits what Payton wants to do, and Javonte Williams will be a free agent next year. Estime should have been taken in every rookie draft, but an impatient team might have dropped him.

Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia - Gainwell has shown the ability to contribute as a committee back, but a team with a vacancy in the backfield could see him as more when he hits free agency this year. Gainwell still has a lot of tread left on the tires and should be a #2 back wherever he ends up next year.