January 11, 2026
New England Patriots wide receiver
Kayshon Boutte (hamstring) is officially active for Sunday's playoff contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. He had been listed as questionable after practicing in a limited capacity. Boutte was a solid contributor in his role as the No. 2 receiver behind
Stefon Diggs throughout the regular season. Over 14 games, he caught 33 passes for 551 yards and a career-high six touchdowns. He'll have a tougher test on Sunday night as he faces a Chargers defense that allowed the ninth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers during the regular season. DFS players and bettors may choose to stay away from Boutte, as Diggs is the only Patriots receiver who can really be trusted ahead of this tougher matchup.
--Andersen PickardSource: New England Patriots
January 11, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers rookie tight end
Oronde Gadsden displayed his versatility and developed a strong connection with
Justin Herbert during the 2025 NFL season. The 22-year-old had 49 catches for 664 yards and three touchdowns on 69 targets. Gadsden was a pleasant surprise for fantasy managers who were able to snipe him off waivers in his rookie season. Entering Wild Card Weekend, Gadsden will face a solid New England Patriots defense. The Patriots' defense allowed the fourth-fewest rushing touchdowns and the sixth-fewest rushing yards, while having one of the NFL's mild passing defenses. This could favor the Gadsden and the Chargers' passing attack. If the Chargers have a slow start running the football, they could turn Herbert's arm loose early. Gadsden could see a good number of targets against an average NFL passing defense in his first playoff game.
--Wyatt McClintockSource: NFL.com
January 11, 2026
New England Patriots tight end
Hunter Henry finished the 2025 season on fire with three straight TE1 performances to end the year. The 31-year-old had 60 catches for 768 yards and seven touchdowns, while on his way to a TE9 overall finish in PPR leagues. Entering Wild Card Weekend, Henry and the Patriots will face a solid Los Angeles Chargers defense. The Chargers have allowed the third-fewest receiving touchdowns and the fourth-fewest receiving yards this season. In a tough round one match-up, Henry will have to continue to perform at a high level to keep the Patriots' offense moving on schedule. Henry will look to add on to his new career highs in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns that he set in the regular season during the postseason.
--Wyatt McClintockSource: NFL.com
January 11, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver
Quentin Johnston was on a fantasy rollercoaster throughout the 2025 regular season. Johnston started the year on a tear and finished on a high note, but in the middle of the year, his fantasy production took a large dip. The 24-year-old had 51 catches for 735 yards and eight touchdowns, missing three regular-season games due to injuries and being rested as a key starter in Week 18. Entering Wild Card Weekend, Johnston will face the New England Patriots. The Patriots' defense ranked near the middle of the league in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers in 2025, but they allowed the seventh-most touchdowns to the position. Johnston has had a knack for scoring touchdowns the last two seasons and has become a reliable red zone weapon for
Justin Herbert. In a big game, Johnston will look to be a major contributor in the red zone.
--Wyatt McClintockSource: ESPN
January 11, 2026
San Francisco 49ers tight end
George Kittle (Achilles) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's playoff contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. The superstar tight end appeared to suffer a non-contact injury while catching a pass during the second quarter. Video from the FOX broadcast appeared to show a pop in the back of Kittle's leg, creating concern for a severe Achilles injury. He immediately reached for his lower leg, was in visible pain, and had to be carted to the locker room. The 32-year-old will now undergo additional testing as the 49ers work toward an official diagnosis. If the team's worst fears are confirmed, Kittle will likely miss the remainder of the 2025 NFL playoffs.
Jake Tonges should earn more snaps in his absence. In the six games that Kittle missed during the regular season, Tonges totaled 29 catches, 269 yards, and three touchdowns. Tonges is a talented pass-catching tight end, but he doesn't come close to filling the enormous void left behind by Kittle's injury.
--Andersen PickardSource: Adam Schefter
January 11, 2026
New England Patriots wide receiver
Stefon Diggs has momentum on his side ahead of Sunday's Wild Card Round contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. Diggs has been a main reason for the Patriots' success in 2025. He stepped up as the AFC East champions' No. 1 receiver, catching 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns while ranking as the overall WR17 in full-PPR leagues. Diggs was targeted just three times in the Patriots' Week 18 win, but he still has 18 catches, 282 yards, and one touchdown over his last three games combined. He has consistently operated as a dependable target for
Drake Maye on both medium pass attempts over the middle and longer throws to the perimeter. He should continue to flash pure talent and versatility against the Chargers on Sunday. Los Angeles has allowed the ninth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers in 2025, but Diggs has shown that he can produce even in trickier matchups.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
January 11, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver
Ladd McConkey was an inconsistent contributor throughout the 2025 regular season, but he'll have an opportunity to get back on track by making a big impact against the New England Patriots in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs on Sunday evening. McConkey had 66 catches for 789 yards and six touchdowns through 16 regular-season games, with his lone absence coming in Week 18 as Los Angeles rested key starters. New England ranked near the middle of the league in terms of fantasy points allowed to wide receivers in 2025, but they did allow the seventh-most touchdowns to the position. The best fantasy performance of McConkey's career came against the Patriots in Week 17 of the 2024 season, as he caught eight passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns. New England's defense has gotten much stronger since then, but nonetheless, the second-year wideout will look to use today's game as an opportunity to get back on track.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
January 11, 2026
Buffalo Bills wide receiver
Gabe Davis (leg) was seen walking on crutches in the locker room following Sunday's Wild Card win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com. He was also wearing a brace on his left leg. Davis exited the game after an incomplete pass during the fourth quarter, and he was ruled out shortly thereafter. The 26-year-old finished the playoff contest with two catches for 14 yards, occupying a modest role behind
Khalil Shakir. As of now, it's too early to tell whether he'll be able to play in the Bills' next playoff game against the Broncos, Texans, or Steelers. If he can't suit up next weekend,
Tyrell Shavers and
Brandin Cooks would earn more snaps on offense.
--Andersen PickardSource: Alaina Getzenberg
January 11, 2026
The Las Vegas Raiders have requested to interview Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero for their head-coaching vacancy, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Vegas continues to speak with candidates on both sides of the ball, and Evero is regarded as a talented, young defensive coordinator. With that being said, Carolina reportedly signed Evero to a contract extension on Sunday, and head coach Dave Canales said that Evero will "absolutely" be back next year. It's unclear whether Canales' comments came before the Raiders' interview request, but presumably, Carolina will allow him to interview for the position despite his new contract. Vegas, armed with the No. 1 pick and the rights to draft Fernando Mendoza, is looking to bounce back after an ugly 3-14 campaign under head coach Pete Carroll.
--Andersen PickardSource: Adam Schefter
January 11, 2026
Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur has been asked to interview for head-coaching vacancies with the Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. LaFleur will interview for both positions during the upcoming week. He had to wait until after Saturday's Rams win before he could begin interviewing for head coaching jobs. LaFleur is regarded highly in league circles thanks to Los Angeles' dominance on offense this year. With that said, LaFleur is not the team's offensive playcaller -- that title belongs to Sean McVay -- and players like
Matthew Stafford,
Puka Nacua,
Davante Adams, and others deserve plenty of credit for the team's success. Nevertheless, LaFleur has played a major role in getting this offense near the top of the NFL leaderboards. Now, he'll get a chance to pitch himself for vacancies with a pair of three-win teams. It's worth noting that Las Vegas has the No. 1 draft pick and appears to be in the driver's seat for Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
--Andersen PickardSource: Adam Schefter
January 11, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback
Justin Herbert is well-rested coming into Wild Card Weekend after he sat out Week 18 against the Denver Broncos. Now, the Chargers open their playoff run with a road game against the AFC East champion New England Patriots. When Herbert last played 15 days ago against the Texans, He tallied 236 passing yards, 37 rushing yards, and one touchdown. However, he also took five sacks and threw an interception in that four-point loss. The interceptions have become a worrisome trend for Herbert, who has been picked off in four of his last five games. He also has five total turnovers during that span. Herbert hasn't gone back-to-back weeks without an interception since Weeks 1 and 2. He'll be tasked with protecting the football on Sunday if the Chargers have any chance of pulling off a road upset. One potential route to success for Herbert is running the football. He has 145 rushing yards in his last four games.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
January 11, 2026
New England Patriots quarterback
Drake Maye put together a phenomenal regular season, and he'll look to carry that momentum into Sunday's Wild Card contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. Maye was the overall QB2 in fantasy scoring this year, but he'll face a tough test in the form of this Chargers defense. Los Angeles surrendered the second-fewest fantasy points, third-fewest passing touchdowns, and fourth-fewest passing yards to opposing quarterbacks in 2025. The Bolts have also intercepted 19 passes, which is third-most in the NFL. Maye has excelled against tough defenses in the past, so he'll just need to play diligent, clean football with the season on the line Sunday. One possible route to success for Maye is running the football. Just last weekend,
Bo Nix rushed for a season-high 49 yards against the Chargers, and we could see Maye follow a similar style of play. He has six passing touchdowns over his last two games and remains a high-upside option for Wild Card Weekend.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
January 11, 2026
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver
A.J. Brown got off to a slow start to the 2025 season, recording just one game with double-digit PPR fantasy points through Week 5. However, the 28-year-old closed the season looking like his old self. From Week 12 onwards, Brown hauled in 40 receptions for 546 yards and four touchdowns on 56 targets across six games played. In the Wild Card round, Philadelphia is set to host the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers' defense struggled to defend the pass for much of the regular season, finishing the year ranked 23rd among NFL defenses in total passing yards allowed (4,110) and tied for 21st in passing touchdowns allowed (29). San Francisco also recorded the fewest sacks (20) of any team in the NFL, so Eagles quarterback
Jalen Hurts should have time to target Brown down the field. Between the matchup and his strong finish to the regular season, Brown profiles as a high-end wide receiver option for fantasy managers in the Wild Card round.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 11, 2026
Buffalo Bills wide receiver
Gabe Davis (knee) has been ruled out for the remainder of his team's Wild Card round matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 26-year-old was carted off after taking a big hit going over the middle of the field. Before getting injured, Davis recorded two receptions for 14 yards on three targets. His absence further depletes a Bills wide receiver corps that was already quite thin. Without Davis, Buffalo will likely rely on wideouts
Khalil Shakir,
Tyrell Shavers, and
Brandin Cooks for the remainder of Wild Card Weekend. Bills tight end
Dalton Kincaid could see an uptick in targets as well.
--Will BradySource: Buffalo Bills
January 11, 2026
Carolina Panthers left tackle Ikem Ekwonu (knee) was forced to exit early from his team's Wild Card Weekend loss to the Los Angeles Rams after suffering a knee injury. According to Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer, Panthers head coach Dave Canales said on Sunday that Ekwonu suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee and will require surgery. While Ekwonu's return timeline is not yet clear, he could be at risk of missing training camp and possibly even the start of the 2026 regular season. Pro Football Focus graded Ekwonu as the 37th-best tackle in the NFL out of 89 qualified players at the position for his work in 2025. With Ekwonu's health in question, the Panthers may need to prioritize acquiring depth at the tackle position over the offseason.
--Will BradySource: The Charlotte Observer - Mike Kaye
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