Who should I start for fantasy football playoff leagues in 2026? Fantasy football outlooks for Courtland Sutton, Jalen Hurts, Jayden Reed, Cole Kmet, Oronde Gadsden II, Jaylen Warren, Sam Darnold, Terrance Ferguson, Cooper Kupp.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common fantasy football playoff league lineup decisions involve players like Courtland Sutton, Jalen Hurts, Jayden Reed, Cole Kmet, Oronde Gadsden, Jaylen Warren, Sam Darnold, Terrance Ferguson, Cooper Kupp. 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.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
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:
Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
While the offense has struggled this season, the Eagles are still hosting the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round, a team that struggled against the pass toward the end of the season. In what could be a high-scoring affair, Hurts is among the top quarterbacks in fantasy this week and could be a great value against the injury-plagued 49ers' defense.
Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers
If the Packers want to win this game against the NFC North champions, they will need to run the ball, which could limit Reed's opportunities in the passing game. The third-year receiver is a low-end WR2 this week and is very risky given his regular-season struggles.
Cole Kmet, TE, Chicago Bears
Kmet has recorded two receptions in five straight games to close the season, and he remains a low-ceiling option for Saturday's Wild-Card game against the Green Bay Packers. The impending return of receiver Rome Odunze (foot) won't be good news for Kmet's potential target share on Saturday night.
Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Los Angeles Chargers
He also became the first rookie tight end with four straight games of 65 or more receiving yards. Gadsden's production faded down the stretch, as he averaged just two catches (3.3 targets) for 26.2 yards per game with one touchdown over the final six weeks. Gadsden is a risky option for Sunday night's Wild-Card game against the New England Patriots, with New England being a slightly favorable matchup for opposing tight ends, allowing the 11th-most catches per game (5.7) and the 12th-most yards (57.1).
Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Houston's front seven has been one of the league's toughest fronts to run against, but with Warren and Gainwell, the Steelers can essentially move their running game into space with short passes, putting both in line for favorable PPR stat lines. With Warren also first in line to handle the bulk of carries, he makes for a sneaky start in the first week of fantasy playoff leagues.
Terrance Ferguson, TE, Los Angeles Rams
Even if Ferguson somehow plays this weekend, he'll be hard to recommend as a TE streamer in playoff formats with Tyler Higbee (ankle) now back from Injured Reserve. Higbee scored and nearly hit the century mark in his return from IR in the Week 18 season finale.
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 - Courtland Sutton, Jalen Hurts, Jayden Reed, Cole Kmet, Oronde Gadsen II, Jaylen Warren, Sam Darnold, Terrance Ferguson, Cooper Kupp. 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 Courtland Sutton, Jalen Hurts, Jayden Reed, Cole Kmet, Oronde Gadsden II, Jaylen Warren, Sam Darnold, Terrance Ferguson, Cooper Kupp:
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