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Who should I start for fantasy football playoff leagues in 2026? Fantasy football outlooks for Josh Allen, James Cook, Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, Brandin Cooks, Quentin Johnston, DJ Moore, Dontayvion Wicks.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common fantasy football playoff league lineup decisions involve players like Josh Allen, James Cook, Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, Brandin Cooks, Quentin Johnston, DJ Moore, Dontayvion Wicks. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make these decisions and build winning lineups in playoff leagues. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for playoff leagues and the 2026 NFL playoffs. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
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Fantasy Football Matchup Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in playoff leagues:
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen followed up his 2024 MVP campaign with another strong showing, finishing 2025 with 3,668 passing yards, 25 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, and an additional 579 yards and 14 scores on the ground. In a wide-open AFC playoff bracket, he heads into Wild Card Weekend as one of the highest upside plays in fantasy playoff leagues.
The Jaguars have been a plus-matchup for fantasy quarterbacks, and surrounded by one of the weaker supporting casts of his career, Allen will be tasked with putting the team on his shoulders if he hopes to take advantage of a field missing Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow. Allen is RotoBaller's QB1 for the week in what will be his first playoff-opening road game since the 2019 season.
James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook took two carries for 15 yards in an abbreviated appearance in the team's Week 18 win over the Jets. It was enough to keep distance between him and a surging Derrick Henry, with Cook ultimately securing his first regular-season rushing crown with 1,621 yards. Heading into the postseason, he should be viewed as one of the highest upside running backs in fantasy playoff leagues.
Buffalo currently holds the fourth-highest Super Bowl odds in a wide-open AFC and is a slight road favorite over a 13-4 Jacksonville team that has been a headache for fantasy running backs throughout most of the season. Despite the tough matchup, Cook is RotoBaller's RB2 for the week, and he could be in line for a massive postseason if Buffalo can advance.
Dawson Knox, TE, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox caught his fourth touchdown of the season in a Week 18 win over the Jets, which saw most of the team's starters relegated to the sidelines. He now has three touchdowns in his last four games after a two-score performance against the Patriots in Week 15. Heading into the postseason, he should be viewed as nothing more than a touchdown-dependent dart throw for fantasy playoff leagues.
Outside of a Week 14 win over the Bengals that saw him explode for 93 yards, Knox hasn't topped 37 receiving yards in any other game. With Dalton Kincaid able to fight through a knee injury to suit up for the regular season finale, Knox's role also becomes more difficult to predict with both tight ends presumably set to play in a road game against Jacksonville.
Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills
After missing Week 17 due to a knee injury, Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid returned in Week 18 and recorded three catches for 48 yards on three targets in his team's blowout win over the New York Jets. Multiple injuries limited the 26-year-old to just 12 games played in 2025, and he finished the season with 39 receptions for 571 yards and five touchdowns on 49 targets. On a per-play basis, Kincaid is a highly efficient and productive tight end.
However, playing time and target volume are issues for Kincaid's fantasy outlook. He has not played more than 38% of Buffalo's offensive snaps in any game since Week 5 and has not earned more than five targets in a game since Week 9. Heading into his Wild Card Weekend matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kincaid profiles as a high-ceiling, low-floor tight end option for fantasy managers in playoff leagues.
Brandin Cooks, WR, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks has mostly played a minimal role since signing with the team in late November. However, Cooks had a breakout game in Week 17 against the Philadelphia Eagles, recording four catches for 101 yards on six targets. The Bills have been searching for a reliable wide receiver option to pair with wideout Khalil Shakir for most of the season. Notably, Cooks was among the players Buffalo chose to rest during their Week 18 regular-season finale against the New York Jets.
While the Bills will likely continue to rotate wide receivers, Cooks' Week 18 status could indicate the team plans to heavily feature him in its Wild Card Weekend matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 32-year-old has postseason experience, recording 35 receptions for 494 yards across seven career playoff games. Cooks had just five total catches across five games played for Buffalo this season, so expectations should remain limited. However, Cooks could be an under-the-radar wide receiver option for fantasy managers in playoff leagues.
Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston took fantasy managers on a rollercoaster ride in 2025. After recording 28 receptions for 407 yards and five touchdowns over his first six games of the season, Johnston hauled in just 14 catches for 126 yards and two scores over his next six contests. However, Johnston re-emerged late in the year. Across his final two games played of the regular season, the 24-year-old recorded nine catches for 202 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets.
Johnston was also among the players Los Angeles chose to rest in Week 18 in preparation for the playoffs, signifying his value in the eyes of Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. Los Angeles will face one of the league's better pass defenses in their Wild Card Weekend matchup against the New England Patriots. Still, Johnston has proven he can have success against challenging opponents, recording at least 14.9 PPR fantasy points in matchups during the regular season against the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, and Kansas City Chiefs. Fantasy managers in playoff leagues should view Johnston as a high-upside wide receiver option entering the postseason.
DJ Moore, WR, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (knee) was listed as limited in Tuesday's practice due to a knee injury, according to Chris Emma of 670 The Score. It's unclear how serious Moore's knee injury is, but it could help explain why he caught just two passes on seven targets for 18 yards in the final two games of the regular season against the 49ers and Lions, with fellow wideout Rome Odunze (foot) still sidelined by injury.
The 28-year-old Moore did have five catches for a season-high 97 yards and a touchdown in the Week 16 victory over the division-rival Green Bay Packers, and he also scored twice the week prior against the Cleveland Browns. If Moore is active on Wild-Card weekend against Green Bay on Saturday night, he'll be a low-floor fantasy option at receiver, especially if Odunze makes his return to Chicago's receiving room.
Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (concussion) was listed as a limited participant for Tuesday's practice session, according to NFL.com's Jason B. Hirschhorn. Wicks suffered a concussion in the Week 17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and was held out of the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. The fact that the 24-year-old is practicing at all is a good sign, and he could be on pace to clear the league's concussion protocol by later this week and be active for the Wild-Card playoff tilt against the division-rival Chicago Bears on Saturday evening.
If Wicks plays this weekend, he'll be a volatile and risky WR4/flex play for those in playoff fantasy leagues. Wicks only caught a career-low 30 passes for 332 yards and two scores on 46 targets in 14 regular-season games. The vast majority of his fantasy production came on Thanksgiving against the Lions, when he went for 94 receiving yards and two touchdowns on six receptions.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Playoff League Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Josh Allen, James Cook, Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, Brandin Cooks, Quentin Johnston, DJ Moore, Dontayvion Wicks. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in playoff leagues.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Playoff League Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for playoff leagues (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Playoff League Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for playoff leagues for Josh Allen, James Cook, Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, Brandin Cooks, Quentin Johnston, DJ Moore, Dontayvion Wicks:
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