Zach Charbonnet, Rhamondre Stevenson highlight unsung heroes from fantasy football championship week

The unsung hero. A player you may not have believed in going into Week 17 and your fantasy football championship, but one who came through for you in the end, on the grandest of stages. They're a player that, when your opponent looks at the fantasy box score, rage and frustration are immediately invoked - "Is that really who I just lost to???"

Let's recap some unsung-hero-type performances from fantasy football championship week.

Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seahawks

The Seattle RB split has been heavily documented on here all season long. Many managers ended up overdrafting Kenneth Walker III and he will likely end 2025 as one of the bigger busts at RB. If you were mulling between who to start - Walker or Charbonnet - and went with the latter, well, it may have won you a title.

Charb went off for a season-high 25.2 fantasy points against the Panthers on Sunday, rushing for 110 yards and two TDs, plus adding a pair of catches for 12 yards. Both of his touchdowns came in goal-line situations. Walker was held to just 57 total yards on 17 touches. Charbonnet was started in 27% of Yahoo leagues in the championship round.

2026 outlook: Walker will hit free agency and Charbonnet is under contract for one more season, so chances are Seattle will run with Charb atop the RB depth chart for 2026. If that's the case, he could rise up rankings and draft boards if he can show us enough in Week 18 and the postseason.

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Patriots

The second-most talked about backfield behind the Seahawks has to be New England's, and the jockeying between rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson and Stevenson. There was plenty of hype around Henderson going into the season but Stevenson was always expected to be involved in the offense. Injuries, fumbles and hot streaks all played a factor, but in the end, in the most important spot, it was Stevenson who shone.

While Henderson was able to shake off a concussion to play versus the Jets on Sunday, it was Stevenson who found the end zone twice. Henderson still got heavy volume with 19 carries for 82 yards. Stevenson finished with 13 touches for 102 total yards and the pair of scores, which gave managers 24.7 fantasy points. Rhamondre had 16.8 points last week, as well.

2026 outlook: Both players are signed long-term and the Patriots offense could improve as QB Drake Maye gets better and better. This will be a tough situation to figure out unless Stevenson's contract is moved. Henderson is clearly the more talented back but the split is real.

New Orleans Saints' offensive leaders

The evolution of the Saints this season has been fun to watch. It feels like we saw a peak of sorts in Week 17 versus the Titans of what this team can be going into 2026. New Orleans had plenty of notable fantasy performances on Sunday that may have helped you win your championship. One that has been a surprise all season is TE Juwan Johnson, who had four catches for 95 yards and 11.5 fantasy points. It was his second straight double-digit fantasy outing in the playoffs. He was started in 50% of Yahoo leagues in the title round.

On top of Johnson, we saw RB Audric Estime pop on the sheet after busting in Week 16. New Orleans had leaned into utilityman Taysom Hill last week versus the Jets. This week, Estime led the backfield with 15 touches for 98 yards and a touchdown, netting you 16.3 fantasy points if you were brave enough to start him.

Rookie QB Tyler Shough has all the fantasy momentum in the world going into next season. He had 333 passing yards and two TDs for 21.92 fantasy points, his fifth straight game with at least 17 FPTS. We saw 12% of managers trust Shough in the final, and he didn't sink you. It helps when you get to throw to Chris Olave, who had an excellent performance in the fantasy final himself as the last recognizable star remaining on this team (11-8-119-1).

2026 outlook: This offense looks like it'll only get better with Kellen Moore at the helm and Shough under center. Johnson should finish this season as a top-12 TE asset, which should raise his draft stock for next season. Shough should also be an interesting sleeper candidate at QB in 2026.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Commanders

The man they call "Bill" has had an up-and-down rookie campaign but looks poised to finish strong after a big outing on Christmas Day. In a loss to the Cowboys, JCM rushed for 105 yards and two TDs for 24.5 fantasy points.

From Weeks 15-17, Croskey-Merritt combined for 37 carries, 226 yards and four touchdowns. He wasn't started in many championship matchups in Week 17, but for those who trusted Bill, he gets an unsung hero nod.

2026 outlook: You've got to think JCM has the fast track to being the RB1 for Washington next season. We'll see how the offseason goes but he could be a trendy sleeper pick, barring Washington going the free-agent route or the draft to add another rusher.