RADIO
Scott Engel's NFL playoffs power rankings for 2026 fantasy football playoff leagues. He ranks the postseason teams along with providing top lineup picks for FFPC contests.
When constructing your fantasy football playoff rosters, the first step is to predict how the conference brackets will flesh out and how many games each team might play. Those forecasting exercises are vital in the Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC) Playoff Challenge, where you can only roster one player from each NFL team.
My NFL Playoff Power Rankings, assembled for purposes of the FFPC Playoff Challenge, will help you build an optimal lineup and can also be used as a guide for other fantasy football playoff formats. Roster requirements and scoring for the FFPC Playoff Challenge can be found here.
The NFL Playoff Power Rankings feature player picks and projected outlooks for how many games each team might play. Teams are ranked by their potential to get to the Super Bowl and participate in the most postseason games. Also, consult my NFL playoff player rankings for your roster construction and view our strategy guide.
Editor's Note: The FFPC Baby Gorilla Tournament is now open, featuring a $100,000 grand prize and a $675,450 total prize pool! This 12-team, Tight End Premium contest uses a 20-round draft format, with the overall winners determined by total points scored during Weeks 15–17. Get $25 to use toward your first entry by signing up through our link. Grab your team now! Sign Up Now!
Los Angeles Rams
For much of the season, the Rams had the best odds to win Super Bowl 60, but late-season losses to Carolina and Seattle led to a Wild Card berth instead of the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Still, Los Angeles has the second-best odds to win it all on most sportsbooks,
The Rams have the advantage of experience at two critical spots, head coach and quarterback. Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford have already won a Super Bowl together, and the QB is coming off a regular season in which he threw a career-high 46 TD passes.
Davante Adams (hamstring) is expected back for the playoffs, and he and Puka Nacua form the best wide receiver duo in the league on the NFL’s best offense. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum are a quality duo at running back. On defense, the front seven is formidable, and Los Angeles is very balanced on both sides of the ball. The Rams have a good chance to become the first Wild Card team in five years to play in the Super Bowl.
Projected Playoff Road: The Rams are expected to prevail on the road in the NFC Wild Card Game, and if the Eagles and Bears both win in the first round, we could see the two Super Bowl favorites meet in Seattle. If Green Bay beats Chicago, Los Angeles could head to Philadelphia in the second round. The Rams are capable of beating any other team when they are playing at their best and could give you four games for the FFPC Playoff Challenge.
Best Lineup Choices (In order of preferred selections): Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Kyren Williams, Colby Parkinson, Blake Corum.
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle is the current Super Bowl favorite, but will be sitting out the first round with a bye. The Seahawks earned the No. 1 seed for the fourth time in franchise history and reached the Super Bowl in each of the previous three instances when they clinched the NFC's top playoff seed.
The Seahawks are alone in the variety of ways they have won.
They have proven they can win with offense, defense, special teams, from ahead/behind, with/without TOs. pic.twitter.com/F9yR3xvhko
— Brian Nemhauser (@hawkblogger) January 7, 2026
This edition of the Seahawks won a franchise-record 14 games and boasts arguably the best defense in the NFL. They led the league in points per game allowed, at 17.2. The defensive front is deep and ferocious, and the secondary is one of the most complete units in the league. It is hard to identify any weakness in the defense.
Sam Darnold won two big games late in the regular season, leading a clutch comeback over the Rams and managing the game well against the 49ers. If he can avoid or overcome any significant turnovers, Seattle could return to the Super Bowl for the first time in 11 years. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba is virtually unstoppable, even though defenses heavily game-plan around him.
Projected Playoff Road: The path to Super Bowl 60 goes through Lumen Field as long as Seattle keeps winning. The Seahawks will host the Packers, 49ers, or Rams in their first playoff game. Reaching the Super Bowl may come down to whether they beat the Rams in the NFC Divisional Round or Conference Championship. You can only get three games max out of the Seahawks player you roster, but many other teams might play just as many or fewer.
Best Lineup Choices: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Zach Charbonnet, Sam Darnold, Kenneth Walker III, A.J. Barner, Rashid Shaheed.
Philadelphia Eagles
If any team can take out one of the top contenders in the NFC West, it’s the defending Super Bowl champions. Everyone who plays fantasy football knows the top performers on offense, yet it should be noted that in the last two seasons, Philadelphia’s defense has finished second and fifth in the league in points allowed.
Saquon Barkley started to flash better form late in the regular season, and while the passing game has been inconsistent, Jalen Hurts is still capable of doing his part when needed. In Weeks 15 and 16, he passed for five total TDs. The Eagles don’t look as strong as last year, but this season’s playoff field is more wide open than usual.
Projected Playoff Road: Philadelphia will host San Francisco in the opening round, and their second postseason game could be in Chicago. You could get three games out of the Eagles player you pick, as Philly can conceivably get as far as the NFC Championship Game.
Best Lineup Choices: Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Sometimes, a team that makes a Super Bowl run is the one that gets hot at the right time, and that description fully fits the Jaguars. Jacksonville is entering the AFC playoffs on an eight-game winning streak, which included a 14-point win at Denver in Week 16.
Since the start of December, @trevorlawrence has been on an absolute heater 🔥
5-0 record
Completed 105-of-165 passes for 1,371 yards, 13 TDs, & a 113.5 passer rating
124 rushing yards & 4 rushing TDs16 is your AFC Offensive Player of the Month for December/January! pic.twitter.com/xwjURwk2f1
— z - Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) January 8, 2026
Trevor Lawrence is playing at the highest levels of his career under Liam Coen, and he has a deep crew of playmakers around him. While the Jacksonville pass rush is not menacing, the defense led the AFC in interceptions with 22. The winner of the AFC Wild Card Game between the Jaguars and Bills could be the team to win the AFC Championship.
Projected Playoff Road: Jacksonville has a good shot of going to New England in the second round, and the Jaguars may be the most balanced AFC team on both sides of the ball.
Best Lineup Choices: Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington, Brian Thomas Jr., Brenton Strange.
Buffalo Bills
Ideally, you want to pick a top player from a team that has a good chance to reach the Super Bowl from the Wild Card Round to play four games. At most, only two players can log the maximum amount of games, and that would require two wild-card teams to meet in the Super Bowl, which has never happened before.
The AFC is harder to forecast than the NFC this time, but the Bills are a prime candidate to win the conference championship as a Wild Card. With no Patrick Mahomes in his way this season, and Lamar Jackson also out of the postseason mix, this might be Josh Allen’s best chance to play in a Super Bowl.
Starting at this point in the power rankings, though, any team is in danger of being one-and-done. The Bills had a top-four offense and top-seven defense during the regular season, though, and rostered the best QB in the NFL postseason field. But Buffalo’s run defense could be the weakness that proves to be its undoing.
Projected Playoff Road: Winning against the red-hot Jaguars in the opening round is a stiff challenge. A trip to Denver could be next, and if the Bills overcome Jacksonville, they will have to prepare to face one of the best defenses in the game.
Best Lineup Picks: Josh Allen, James Cook, Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox.
Denver Broncos
The Seahawks and Texans seem to get the most respect as elite defenses, but Denver can wreck an offense better than any other team with its pass rush. The Broncos led the NFL with 68 sacks, and the next best team in that category finished with 57.
Sean Payton will be guiding a young offense that lacks any proven major standouts. If you believe the Denver defense can lead a charge to the Super Bowl, though, which is quite possible, then you will get three games out of the player you pick from their roster. As already indicated, only one team might play the maximum four games, so the top seeds in each conference still rank second in each conference in these power rankings.
Projected Playoff Road: The Broncos might host the Bills or Texans in their first playoff game. Houston would seemingly be the easier matchup, but that game would also be quite a defensive battle.
Best Lineup Picks: Courtland Sutton, Bo Nix, RJ Harvey, Troy Franklin.
New England Patriots
The Patriots tied for the most wins in the NFL with 14, and Mike Vrabel is a top candidate for Coach of the Year. Drake Maye broke through as a bona fide franchise QB. But the fact that the Patriots had the easiest schedule in the league makes them a shaky target for four games from a player, or even three.
At the same time, the Patriots are one of the teams that could come out on top in an AFC playoff field that lacks a true power team to knock off. Getting more of a pass rush in the postseason would help the outlook.
Projected Playoff Road: New England should be able to take out the Chargers in the AFC Wild Card Round, where the weather could also possibly be an advantage for the home team. In the second round, the matchup will be even tougher, possibly against Houston or Jacksonville.
Best Lineup Picks: Drake Maye, Stefon Diggs, Rhamondre Stevenson, Hunter Henry, TreVeyon Henderson.
Houston Texans
You might get two, or maybe even three games out of the Texans player you pick, because their defense is the best in the AFC. Consider the defensive unit and also kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn, who led the NFL in field goals made during the regular season. Outside of Nico Collins, the Texans don’t feature any tempting players to pick.
The Texans went from 0-3 to 3-5 to 12-5.
They just tied a franchise record with 9 straight wins. One of the best turnarounds we’ve seen in NFL History.pic.twitter.com/LNJuqT8tMF
— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) January 4, 2026
Projected Playoff Road: Derek Stingley Jr. will shut down DK Metcalf, further disarming the Pittsburgh offense. The Houston defense will give them a healthy chance to win on the road at Denver or New England in the second round.
Best Lineup Picks: Nico Collins, C.J. Stroud, Woody Marks, Dalton Schultz, Jayden Higgins.
Chicago Bears
The major reason the Bears could advance to the NFC Championship Game is their +22 turnover differential, the best in the NFL. They led the NFL in takeaways with 33. Consider the defense as your Chicago pick.
Projected Playoff Road: A first-round win over Green Bay is doable, but if Chicago faces the Rams in the second round, they might be done after two games.
Best Lineup Picks: Colston Loveland, Caleb Williams, D.J. Moore, D'Andre Swift, Luther Burden III, Kyle Monangai.
San Francisco 49ers
The Niners could be out after one round, but with Kyle Shanahan coaching them, they can’t be written off from playing three games. However, the team is so injury-ridden that you are taking a chance at all ceiling and no floor in terms of games played.
Projected Playoff Road: If San Francisco can win at Philadelphia, it will have the collective confidence and familiarity to threaten Seattle in the second round.
Best Lineup Picks: Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall (if he plays in the first round), Jauan Jennings.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers can certainly beat the Bears, so you can get two games out of the player you pick from their team. But they may be done in the second round at Seattle.
Projected Playoff Road: Maximum of two games, with the season ending at Seattle.
Best Lineup Picks: Josh Jacobs, Christian Watson, Jordan Love, Romeo Doubs.
Los Angeles Chargers
A prime candidate to play in only one postseason game. Ladd McConkey is an interesting pick to possibly rebound in the postseason, although Omarion Hampton is the best upside pick here.
Pittsburgh Steelers
In the FFPC Playoff Challenge, you don’t have to pick a player from two teams. My preferred pick from the Steelers, though, would be Kenneth Gainwell, who led the team in receptions. I believe the Steelers won’t escape the first round as they did in the regular season finale.
Carolina Panthers
Take a shot on Tetairoa McMillan if you choose to go with multiple FFPC Playoff Challenge entries. Rico Dowdle posted on social media that he is ready to silence critics during the postseason, and he won’t be widely rostered.
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
