The fantasy football season ends in Week 17, up to five games before the end of certain player’s football seasons. For players like Rhamondre Stevenson, that can be 28% of their entire year! Week 18 and the NFL playoffs may not be one-to-one in comparison, but many stats can shift the story for next year’s fantasy drafts. Analyst Joel Smyth goes over his 10 fantasy findings from what’s changed after fantasy champions were decided.

23.4

Fantasy PPG for Kenneth Walker III in the NFL playoffs. The Super Bowl MVP’s end-of-season hot streak continued into the playoffs as the Seahawks counted on him heavily once Zach Charbonnet went down with injury. In his final six games of the season, Walker averaged 128.5 scrimmage yards. If Charbonnet is not fully healthy to begin the 2026 season, Walker can secure a high workload and boost his stock in Seattle once more.​ That is, if he decides to re-sign with the team in free agency.

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3.4

Fantasy PPG for TreVeyon Henderson in his four playoff games. A slight 20 points fewer than Walker’s playoff run in a larger sample. Since Stevenson, returned to his full snap share in Week 13, Henderson averaged under 10 fantasy points and saw his volume and snaps decrease. Stevenson is signed in New England long-term, posted great efficiency numbers and is consistently reliable. It’s looking more and more like Henderson will have to fight to receive just half of the Patriots’ RB workload next season.

70.3%

Of snaps played for Stevenson in the NFL playoffs. Rookie snap counts usually rise throughout the season, but with Stevenson being the safe and more productive option, the Patriots’ early-round selection of the 2025 draft, Henderson, saw his snaps drop from the regular season. Stevenson showed that he was not only getting playing time as a reliable role player, but also because of his talent, averaging the fifth-best mark in yards after contact per carry.

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1.17

Yards per route run for Luther Burden III in his final three games of 2025. Yards per route has become popular as it’s an accurate indicator of a young player’s future, even noted by NBC commentator Cris Collinsworth during a broadcast due to Burden’s remarkable regular-season number. However, although the rookie posted elite numbers on his limited snaps throughout the season, his end-of-the-year total dropped from third to seventh when including his final three weeks. Still an incredible achievement, but pump the brakes slightly on a team full of talent.

16.5

Fantasy PPG for Colston Loveland in his four games since Week 17. The brakes fully fell off to end the year with the rookie tight end, who ended the fantasy season with a league-winning performance. The Bears TE had a 31% target share in his final month, equalling 48 targets. He can be dangerous in his sophomore season at a position where it’s hard to find true upside. ​

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18.1

Fantasy PPG for Brock Purdy, including his final three games of 2025. After averaging 21.5 points in his eight healthy games during the fantasy season, managers in the fall may picture Purdy as the overall QB2 rather than the borderline QB1 he’s been throughout his career. Adding in Week 18, his NFL playoff run and now an injured George Kittle pushes him back down to his career average.

12

Total carries for Rico Dowdle in his final two games of 2025. It was a rough end to the year for Dowdle, but at least his volume was still there in the regular season. Then his RB1 role ended with the end of the fantasy season. With Chuba Hubbard getting healthier, the Panthers shifted focus to their higher-paid RB, as Dowdle scored only once in his final eight games of the year.

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6.9

Fantasy PPG for RJ Harvey in his final three games of the season. Once J.K. Dobbins went down, fantasy managers holding onto Harvey were given hope once more, and he came through with 15.3 fantasy PPG from Week 11 to 17 without Dobbins to help boost your starting lineup. The issue for next year is that it wasn’t the full story. When including the final three games, that 15.3 drops to a less exciting 12.5.​

2.72

Yards per route for Zay Flowers with Lamar Jackson this season. Most think of 2025 as a rough year for Flowers, scoring only three touchdowns during the fantasy season and playing several games without his star QB. Adding in Week 18 and isolating only games with Jackson tells a different story. His 2.72 yards per route would rank third among WRs, behind only Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as his dominant Week 18 performance would’ve helped him finish as the fantasy WR13 on the season. A key stat to note for draft season next fall.

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15+

Half-PPR fantasy points in each of the final four games for Jacksonville’s Parker Washington. The young WR came through for fantasy managers when it mattered most in Weeks 16 and 17, but it didn’t stop there. Even with Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas Jr. on the field, Washington’s presence was felt the most, as Trevor Lawrence targeted the slot specialist 41 times over the last month of the season, totaling 454 yards and three scores. He’s had mini-spurts of success throughout his career, but none bigger than his final month heading into next season.