Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers From the 2024-25 NFL Playoffs

The NFL playoffs give fantasy football managers a unique chance to see how fantasy-relevant players perform in a higher-pressure situation than the regular season. Usually, performing well against higher-quality defenses, which often find their way into the postseason, can be revealing of a player's skill.

It doesn't always give us a clear picture of how their next season will go, but it at least tells us that they can handle pressure, beat good defenses, and succeed in clutch situations if they have good playoff games. There are some intangibles like those that are hard to measure any other way.

So, let's dive into the biggest dynasty risers and fallers from this year's postseason.

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Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers From the 2024-25 NFL Playoffs

Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers

McConkey only got a chance to play one game in the playoffs this season, but what a game it was. He was the only receiver on his team to look competent against the tough Houston Texans pass defense. He did everything he could to elevate his team, but the lack of receiving talent around him knocked L.A. out of the playoffs.

Ladd McConkey is a STUD. How TF did he not get a Pro Ball bid?! #BoltUp #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/knRDyF5hjI

— Athens Steve (@rainy_steve) January 12, 2025

He put on a dominant display of receiving, and the statistics in the game were so hilariously skewed in his favor that it wouldn't be inaccurate to call him the team's only receiver. And that's the way it was for most of the season, as much as the team tried forcing the ball to fellow WR Quentin Johnston.

Ladd McConkey! And… pic.twitter.com/ig530UfPmp

— Ryan DePaul (@RyanDePaul) January 12, 2025

Against a very tough Houston defense, he finished with nine receptions for 197 yards and a touchdown. The rest of his team combined for 45 yards and zero scores. The team also had just 50 yards rushing. That means the rookie accounted for over two times the total offensive output of the rest of the players combined.

The game was a huge indictment of the talent of the rest of the pass-catchers on offense. The Chargers drafted a winner, and he's likely cemented himself as a target hog and productive wideout for years to come. Even if the Chargers draft or sign another WR, it's likely that if he's any good, he'll take targets away from the bad receivers, not from McConkey.

His value has risen accordingly. No surprise there.

Nico Collins, Houston Texans

Any concerns about Collins' production falling off in the latter part of the season were quieted in that same game against the Chargers. Collins caught seven passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. And with WR Tank Dell now likely out for most, if not all, of 2025, Collins is even more valuable as a dynasty asset.

Nico Collins is so good
pic.twitter.com/vrGyTX8fon

— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) January 18, 2025

He's the only viable pass-catching option for the team that won't be dealing with major injury recovery in 2025. And though he missed significant time due to a hamstring strain in 2024, he'll continue to be a major target hog moving forward.

He might be "injury-prone," but he's elite.

Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs

Worthy technically had a "huge" Super Bowl game, where he caught eight passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Because of that, his dynasty value will certainly rise. The problem is that he did virtually nothing while the game was within reach.

Xavier Worthy ended yesterday with 157 yards (5th in SB history) and 2 TDs.

He's only the second player ever with 150+ yards and 2 TDs in the big game.

But when this game was OVER at 34-0 late in the 3Q, he had NINE YARDS.

We literally just witnessed the fakest statline ever.

— Carson Breber (@Carsobi) February 10, 2025

Yes ... he did nothing when the game was competitive. It wasn't until the Philadelphia Eagles had built a commanding 34-0 lead with most of three quarters having passed that Worthy started "catching fire," if you want to call it that. The reality is that Philly started putting in its backups because it knew the contest was over.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was still dealing with plenty of pressure from the Eagles defensive line but was able to rip off a few deep passes that Worthy benefited greatly from. Starting receivers against backup defensive backs usually presents a big mismatch.

That's not to say Worthy didn't have a solid playoffs overall ... sort of. He had six catches for 85 yards and a score against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship, though he only gained 45 receiving yards the game before and lost eight yards on a rush.

This play will never be talked about because of the score but this throw is insane

That ball was thrown almost 70 yards right into Xavier Worthy’s hands🤯 pic.twitter.com/17oQ6PZQX5

— Bryce DeGroat (@NFL_Convo) February 10, 2025

But we only care about the regular season. It was odd that Mahomes and Worthy rarely connected on deep passes even though the rookie broke the NFL Combine record for fastest 40-yard dash and the best QB in the league is known for having a rocket launcher of an arm.

Then again, Kansas City sleepwalked through the season for the most part, often not having much offensive success and rarely taking chances deep down the field. Perhaps the crushing defeat in the final game of the season will convince head coach Andy Reid to go back to the drawing board and start pushing the ball down the field more.

Dynasty Fantasy Football Fallers From the 2024-25 NFL Playoffs

Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

Yikes. Plenty of other words describe Darnold's miserable playoff campaign, which consisted of just one game. Yet, it stood in stark contrast to the majority of his regular season. He was at times serviceable and at other times put up great stats for the Vikings.

He was seen as an extension candidate, a huge comeback player who revitalized his career and finally succeeded once he broke free of the chains of being on a few terrible teams. The problem is that it was all an illusion, and Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell and the talent on his team's roster carried him and tricked everyone yet again.

#Vikings Sam Darnold has now thrown 5 total interceptions vs the #Rams in two games this season.

Brutal. pic.twitter.com/TyzqH0KKnE

— NFC North News (@NFCNorthNewss) January 14, 2025

The Vikings had a great offensive line, and Darnold coasted off the lack of pressure for most of the season. Then former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn found out that if you just sent blitz after blitz his way, he'd completely implode. And that's exactly what happened, both in the final game of the season and in the playoffs. The Los Angeles Rams thus crushed Darnold's Vikings, 27-9.

It was a hideous display of quarterbacking. The last two games of the season completely flipped the script for him, and it's likely he won't be a quality starter moving forward. His dynasty value plummeted as a result, and it will probably never recover.

Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers 

Harris seemed to be having a breakout season at many points this past year, largely buoyed by the run-heavy schemes of Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith affording him plenty of volume on the ground. But in the playoffs, he barely did anything.

Pittsburgh only got to play one game in the postseason, and it was dominated by the Baltimore Ravens, 28-14. Harris mustered just 17 yards on six carries, and though he had a decent receiving day, he didn't catch a pass until the team was down by two scores. Thus, he ended his mediocre 2024 campaign, and it's unlikely he'll be offered much money for his next contract, as he lacks explosiveness and is mostly just a high-volume plodder.

(basically nobody thinks najee harris is good) pic.twitter.com/YSvXcCSRZt

— Sosa Kremenjas (@QBsMVP) January 25, 2025

Comparing Harris to Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams in any statistical category other than touchdowns scored this past season is not great, though many see Williams as a far better player. Harris rarely creates explosive plays on his own, doesn't have high-end speed, and isn't particularly elusive. And this year's RB class is stacked, so he won't find much help from the incoming rookies.

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