January 10, 2026
Across 17 games this season, Carolina Panthers running back
Rico Dowdle finished with 236 carries for 1,079 yards and six touchdowns while adding 39 catches (50 targets) for 297 yards and another score as a receiver. Dowdle was producing like a top running back in the league early in the season after taking over lead back duties over
Chuba Hubbard, but his production had slid down the stretch as Hubbard became more involved. The 27-year-old's efficiency has also dipped significantly in the second half, handling 105 carries for 341 yards (3.2 YPC) since Week 10. He notched only nine touches in the regular season finale, his lowest since Week 8. Dowdle profiles as a borderline RB2/RB3 for Saturday's Wild Card matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, who have allowed the ninth-fewest PPR points per game to running backs this season.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
January 10, 2026
Carolina Panthers wide receiver
Tetairoa McMillan put together an impressive rookie campaign, finishing with 70 catches for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns while playing all 17 games. McMillan is currently a heavy favorite to take home the Offensive Rookie of the Year award after serving as the engine of Carolina's passing attack. The 22-year-old wideout earned a team high 25.8% target share and recorded at least five receptions in seven games. He caught only one of his two targets in Carolina's Week 13 matchup against the Rams, but he thought it went for a 43-yard touchdown. McMillan is in a good position for a better statistical output in Saturday's rematch, as the Rams have allowed the third-most catches per game (5.4) and third-most yards per game (72.6) to opposing teams' WR1s this season.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
January 10, 2026
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Carolina Panthers are expected to pick up quarterback
Bryce Young's fifth-year option this offseason. All eight quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall since 2011 have had their fifth-year options exercised. Young has had an up-and-down third season in the league, completing 63.6% of his passes for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions to go with 54 carries for 216 yards and two scores on the ground in 16 games. The 24-year-old signal caller has reached extreme heights, throwing for the fifth-most yards in a game this season with his 448-yard performance in Week 11. However, Young has also thrown for under 200 yards in 12 games. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick will look for more consistency in the future as he aims to establish himself as the Panthers' franchise quarterback.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Adam Schefter
January 10, 2026
Los Angeles Rams running back
Kyren Williams delivered another highly productive season, compiling 259 carries for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 36 catches (50 targets) for 281 yards and three more scores as a receiver in all 17 games. The 25-year-old split carries with second-year RB
Blake Corum for a good stretch of the season as the Rams reportedly aimed to manage Williams' workload to keep him fresh for the playoffs. Williams should be in line to handle an increased workload in Saturday's Wild Card game against the Carolina Panthers, who have been solid against the run down the stretch, ranking sixth in defensive rushing success rate (36%) over the final five games. Williams had a productive game in the Rams' first meeting versus Carolina in Week 13, rushing for 72 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. He profiles as a high-end RB1 for the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
January 10, 2026
The Atlanta Falcons are hiring former star quarterback
Matt Ryan to be their new president of football operations, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports. Atlanta created the position specifically for Ryan, who will now have the final say as the Falcons' decision-maker. Falcons owner Arthur Blank spoke highly of the 2016 MVP, saying, "Throughout his remarkable 14-year career in Atlanta, Matt's leadership, attention to detail, knowledge of the game, and unrelenting drive to win made him the most successful player in our franchise's history. I am confident those same qualities will be a tremendous benefit to our organization as he steps into this new role." The Falcons fired general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris after finishing 8-9 in 2025, and Ryan will look to bring the franchise back to the playoffs for the first time since his playing days in 2017.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Ian Rapoport
January 9, 2026
The Denver Broncos coaching staff talked up tight end
Evan Engram during training camp, but he didn't end up making a huge impact on offense in his first year in Denver. Engram finished the regular season with 50 catches on 76 targets for 461 yards and only one touchdown, although he did stay healthy and play in 16 games. His limited usage on offense in 2025 merely makes him a TE sleeper in fantasy football playoff leagues when the Broncos begin their playoff run in the Divisional Round. The 31-year-old veteran did see exactly four targets in the final three regular-season games, but it amounted to 102 total yards and no touchdowns. The Broncos are going to need Engram to step up and produce more in the passing attack if they are going to make a run to the Super Bowl. Engram was the TE29 in half-PPR points this year, averaging only 4.9 points per game.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 9, 2026
Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver
Pat Bryant suffered a scary concussion in the Week 16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and didn't play in Week 17. Bryant returned in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, though, to catch four of his five targets for 31 yards. Although the first-year player out of Illinois wasn't in the top 50 receivers in half-PPR points per game during the regular season, he did have a pretty solid first year in the NFL, with 31 catches, 378 yards, and one touchdown on 49 targets in 15 games (seven starts). Bryant was more involved in the second half, too, being targeted at least five times in four of his last five games. Still, he averaged 2.1 receptions and 25.2 yards per game in a Broncos offense that spread the ball around in the passing game in 2025. Without knowing who the Broncos will face yet in the Divisional Round, Bryant is setting up as a low-floor, low-ceiling WR3/flex in fantasy playoff leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 9, 2026
Denver Broncos wide receiver
Marvin Mims Jr. had a disappointing third year in the NFL, catching 37 of 51 targets for a career-low 322 yards and only one touchdown in 15 regular-season games. He added 12 rushing attempts for 78 yards and one touchdown. Last year, he caught only two more passes, but he went for 503 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 17 games. Mims, known as a big-play receiver, had just 8.7 yards per reception and 21.5 yards per game. He was a victim of quarterback
Bo Nix spreading the ball around in 2025, and the emergence of both
Troy Franklin and rookie
Pat Bryant as receiving threats behind WR1
Courtland Sutton. Mims' only receiving score of the year came way back on Sept. 14, and he eclipsed 50 receiving yards just two times all year. Regardless of who Denver faces in the Divisional Round of the postseason, Mims will be a low-upside WR3/flex option for fantasy managers in playoff leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 9, 2026
Denver Broncos running back
Jaleel McLaughlin was only active for eight games in 2025 and didn't make his season debut until Week 6. It wasn't until after
J.K. Dobbins suffered a season-ending Lisfranc foot injury that McLaughlin started to really become a factor in Denver's backfield in Week 11. The 25-year-old finished his third year in the NFL with a career-low 37 carries for 187 yards (5.1 yards per tote) and one touchdown, adding four catches for 27 yards. Head coach Sean Payton continues to say that he'd like to get McLaughlin more work, but it has been rookie
RJ Harvey who has been the Broncos' clear lead back. To close out the regular season, McLaughlin had 13 carries for 81 yards on the ground while adding a 17-yard catch in two wins against the Chiefs and Chargers. The Broncos have a bye in the Wild-Card round of the playoffs this weekend, but at best, McLaughlin will be a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex option in playoff leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 9, 2026
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn and former offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury didn't share the same offensive vision for the future, multiple team and league sources told ESPN's John Keim. According to these sources, Quinn "wanted a different offensive identity" and spoke with his staff about "wanting a better run-pass balance." The Commanders finished ninth in number of rushes, but they ranked 25th in carries by running backs in 2025. Quarterback
Jayden Daniels developed a special relationship with Kingsbury, but he also has a strong relationship with former QBs coach
David Blough, who has been promoted to take Kingsbury's job. It was a disappointing 2025 for the entire organization, but perhaps more so for Daniels, who was limited to seven games with three different injuries. Washington's offense will seek more balance under Blough next year, but if Daniels is going to bounce back to how he played in his impressive rookie campaign, he's going to need to get healthy first.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - John Keim
January 9, 2026
The Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala reports that former NFL quarterback
David Blough is taking over as the Washington Commanders' offensive coordinator. Blough was a practice-squad QB for the Detroit Lions just two years ago, but he quickly transitioned to coaching as Washington's assistant quarterbacks coach and helped fill in when QBs coach Tavita Pritchard left for Stanford. Blough is a quick riser and a bright offensive talent, but he'll have big shoes to fill in his new role in D.C. after Kliff Kingsbury mutually agreed to part ways with the organization to pursue another head-coaching job. He has worked closely with young QB
Jayden Daniels and will need to continue to develop his relationship with him as Daniels heads into his third NFL season. During his playing career, Blough played for Kingsbury, Bears head coach Ben Johnson, and Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Nicki Jhabvala
January 9, 2026
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is scheduled to interview for the Tennessee Titans' head-coaching job next Wednesday, sources told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. McDaniel has generated significant interest around the league since the Dolphins fired him on Thursday after posting a 35-33 record and two playoff trips in his four seasons at the helm in Miami. He is not only generating interest for head-coaching jobs around the league, but also openings at offensive coordinator. The Lions are one team interested in McDaniel as a coordinator. The Cleveland Browns are another team reportedly interested in talking to McDaniel about their head-coaching position. If McDaniel is hired by the Titans, it would be good news for the development of quarterback
Cameron Ward, who struggled in his first year in the NFL after being taken first overall by Tennessee last April.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
January 9, 2026
The Baltimore Ravens announced on Friday that they completed an interview with former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski for their head-coaching position. The Ravens are casting a wide net for their next head coach following the firing of John Harbaugh earlier this week after 18 years with the organization. Stefanski has been a hot head-coaching candidate this cycle after the Browns fired him on Monday. He has already met with the New York Giants and is expected to interview with the Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, and Tennessee Titans as well. Stefanski spent the first 14 years of his NFL career on the Minnesota Vikings' coaching staff before joining the Browns in 2019. He finished 45-56 during the regular season in his six years as Cleveland's head coach, leading the team to its first playoff appearance in 18 years and first playoff victory in 26 years.
--Keith HernandezSource: Baltimore Ravens
January 9, 2026
New York Giants running back
Cam Skattebo (ankle) is out of his walking boot after being "stuck" in it for eight weeks, and he said he is on schedule in his recovery from a gruesome dislocated right ankle that he suffered in Week 8, according to Dan Salomone of Giants.com. Skattebo said he will soon start "upping" his speed, and training camp remains his ultimate goal for a return date. The 23-year-old fourth-round pick out of Arizona State last April should be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season this fall as long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks once he begins ramping up on-field workouts.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. remains in the fold in New York's backfield, but before Skattebo's injury, he had become the Giants' clear preferred option at RB. Skattebo is a bruising dual-threat back that had 410 rushing yards and five scores on 101 carries in his first eight NFL games, adding 24 catches for 207 yards and two more TDs.
--Keith HernandezSource: Giants.com - Dan Salomone
January 9, 2026
Houston Texans running back
Jawhar Jordan (ankle) remained sidelined at practice on Friday due to a high-ankle sprain that he suffered on an illegal hip-drop tackle in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Indianapolis Colts, league sources told Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Sports. High-ankle sprains often sideline players for multiple weeks, so the 26-year-old Jordan is looking like a long shot to be able to play on Wild-Card weekend on Monday night against the hosting Pittsburgh Steelers. Jordan had taken over RB2 duties in the final few weeks of the regular season from veteran
Nick Chubb before his injury. With Jordan now looking unlikely to play on Monday, expect Chubb to be active against the Steelers and serve as the backup to rookie RB
Woody Marks. Jordan had only 43 rushing attempts for 193 yards and no touchdowns in four games for Houston during the regular season.
--Keith HernandezSource: KPRC 2 Sports - Aaron Wilson
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