January 5, 2026
Patriots running back
TreVeyon Henderson carried the ball 13 times for 53 yards in Sunday's blowout win over the Dolphins, finding the end zone twice in a game that saw most of New England's starters sidelined early in the fourth quarter. Henderson finishes his rookie campaign with 911 rushing yards, 221 receiving yards, and 10 total touchdowns. The Patriots face a stingy Chargers defense in Wild Card Weekend, but Henderson's homerun ability and steadily increasing usage near the goal line make him a strong opening play in playoff fantasy leagues of all formats. New England has averaged 35 rush attempts over their last two games and will likely look to stick to that formula in a game in which they open as 3.5-point favorites at home.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
January 5, 2026
The New York Giants are retaining general manager Joe Schoen, sources told Jordan Raanan of ESPN. The Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll in the middle of the season, but they'll keep Schoen around after the Giants went 4-13. The team has gone 22-551 with a playoff appearance in four seasons with Schoen at the helm in the front office. The Giants will have the fifth pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after winning their final two games. Schoen may have been saved by having strong drafts each of the last two years, which produced players such as quarterback
Jaxson Dart, wide receiver
Malik Nabers, edge rusher Abdul Carter, and running backs
Cam Skattebo and
Tyrone Tracy Jr. "We believe in our young core of talent, which we can build around for future success," co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch said in their statement Monday.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN New York - Jordan Raanan
January 5, 2026
The Cleveland Browns liked what they saw from rookie quarterback
Shedeur Sanders in his first year in the NFL, but they also acknowledged that he has plenty to work on going into 2026, according to Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. "He's still very much a work in progress, like many people," general manager Andrew Berry said. The 23-year-old fifth-rounder didn't make his NFL debut until Week 11 after fellow rookie
Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion. Sanders took over as the starter, though, and started the final seven games for Cleveland. He had his ups and downs, completing 59.2% of his passes for 1,353 yards, seven touchdowns, and nine interceptions while running for 153 yards and another score. Sanders showed enough athleticism and arm strength to at least put himself in the competition for the starting gig going into next season, where he's expected to compete with
Deshaun Watson (Achilles) and Gabriel.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Daniel Oyefusi
January 5, 2026
The Cleveland Browns currently expect quarterback
Deshaun Watson (Achilles) to be on the team next year, according to Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. "I can never predict the future, but right now we do anticipate him being on the 2026 team," general manager Andrew Berry said about Watson's status. Watson tore his right Achilles tendon in October of 2024 and re-ruptured the tendon and required a second surgery on Jan. 9 of 2025. The 30-year-old veteran stayed on the Physically Unable to Perform list all season, but if he can return to full health this year, he's expected to compete for the starting QB job this summer with
Shedeur Sanders and
Dillon Gabriel. Watson will be entering the final year of his five-year, $230 million deal in 2026. He'll be a huge question mark going into next season, but despite the investment the Browns still have in him, he's not guaranteed to win the starting job.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Daniel Oyefusi
January 5, 2026
New York Giants wide receiver
Wan'Dale Robinson (ribs) said he fractured his ribs in the first half of the Week 17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, according to Evan Barnes of Newsday. Robinson finished playing in that game to get to 1,000 yards, but an MRI exam the following day revealed he played through fractured ribs. The 25-year-old was held out of the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys. The impending free agent wideout said that he will take everything into account before deciding on whether to re-sign with the Giants or play elsewhere in 2026 and beyond. Robinson was a beast for fantasy managers in PPR leagues in 2025, catching 92 of his 140 targets for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns. He should be fully healthy way ahead of training camp and the preseason, but his fantasy value could change drastically next year if he leaves the Giants.
--Keith HernandezSource: Newsday - Evan Barnes
January 5, 2026
New York Giants running back
Cam Skattebo (ankle) said he is hoping to be back healthy by training camp as the long-term goal, according to Evan Barnes of Newsday. There is no rush for Skattebo to be back for organized team activities in the spring. "I'm juiced to see what this franchise can be within the next five years," Skattebo said. The 23-year-old from Arizona State took over the Giants' backfield by midseason, but his rookie campaign came to an end when he dislocated his right ankle in Week 8. The bruising back ran for 410 yards and five touchdowns on 101 carries while also catching 24 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver in eight games. Long term, Skattebo figures to be New York's lead back, but his fantasy value in 2026 will depend on how his recovery goes and whether he'll be ready for the start of the regular season in the fall.
--Keith HernandezSource: Newsday - Evan Barnes
January 5, 2026
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback
Joe Flacco isn't considering retirement, but he hopes to be "selective" in what comes next in his career, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. It's clear that Flacco wants to continue playing, and he's even open to coming back to Cincinnati, even if that would mean serving as
Joe Burrow's backup. He's also open to fielding calls from a team that needs a signal-caller for next season. The 40-year-old began the 2025 season as the Cleveland Browns' starting QB before a midseason trade to the Bengals to help out while Burrow recovered from turf-toe surgery. The former Super Bowl champion proved that he still has something left in the tank, although he went just 2-8 in his 10 starts with the Browns and Bengals. Flacco completed 60.3% of his passes for 2,479 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 picks. At best, Flacco will be in play as a low-end QB2 in superflex leagues if he ends up playing a 19th NFL season and making more starts in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Paul Dehner Jr.
January 5, 2026
Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback
Cameron Ward (shoulder) suffered an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder in Sunday's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Week 18 regular-season finale, but he will not require surgery, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. It's the best-case scenario for the young QB heading into the offseason. Ward suffered the injury while diving for a touchdown in the first quarter of Sunday's game, and he never returned. The 23-year-old former first overall pick will be rehabbing for a few months, but barring a setback, he should be recovered well before the start of training camp and the preseason. The Miami product started for the Titans all season in his first year in the NFL and predictably struggled, completing 59.8% of his pass attempts for 3,169 yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He added 39 rushing attempts for 159 yards and two TDs. Ward could be up and down again in Year 2 as he continues to develop, especially since he'll be learning a new offense under a new head coach.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
January 5, 2026
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said on Monday that the team expects to get wide receiver
Davante Adams (hamstring) back for Saturday's Wild-Card playoff game against the hosting Carolina Panthers, according to Stu Jackson of TheRams.com. Adams has not played since aggravating his left hamstring injury in the Week 15 win over the Detroit Lions. However, he returned to practice last week and should be ready to roll against Carolina to begin the playoffs. Despite missing the final three games of the regular season, the 33-year-old veteran pass-catcher still finished with a league-high 14 touchdown receptions in his 14 games played in his first year with the Rams. Adams could be a step slower in his return for the postseason, but his chemistry with quarterback
Matthew Stafford should be enough to make him a popular DFS play.
--Keith HernandezSource: TheRams.com - Stu Jackson
January 5, 2026
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Marvin Harrison Jr. said that he lost the majority of the weight he had put on this past offseason (10 pounds) while dealing with appendicitis late in the season, according to Tyler Drake of Arizona Sports. Harrison said he basically had two weeks of doing nothing before "jumping back into the fire." The 23-year-old former first-rounder missed Weeks 11 and 12 following an appendectomy. Harrison returned in Week 13 to catch six of seven targets for 69 yards, but he suffered a heel injury that sidelined him in Weeks 14 and 15. He wasn't the same receiver to close out the year, catching just one of four targets for 14 yards in his final two games before suffering a new foot injury in Week 17 that cost him the regular-season finale. Harrison will now focus on getting healthy in the offseason before trying to bounce back in 2026 in his third year in the league. His fantasy arrow is pointing down after two straight disappointing seasons, especially now that Arizona could be searching for a new quarterback this offseason.
--Keith HernandezSource: Arizona Sports - Tyler Drake
January 5, 2026
The Arizona Cardinals fired head coach Jonathan Gannon on Monday, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Cardinals had an extremely disappointing 2025 campaign that closed out with nine straight losses, which ultimately cost Gannon his job. General manager Monti Ossenfort will lead the search for a new head coach in the desert. Gannon was in his third year with Arizona. He'll finish up his time with the Cardinals with a 15-36 record in three seasons as the head coach. Gannon never reached the playoffs while never finishing higher than third in the NFC West. Arizona went 4-13 in 2023 and 8-9 last year before finishing 3-14 in 2025. He went 3-15 combined against the NFC West. The Cardinals were decimated by injuries this year, with 42 different players missing a combined 309 games due to injury. The offense struggled all season, and quarterback
Kyler Murray (foot) didn't play after getting injured in Week 5.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
January 5, 2026
The Las Vegas Raiders fired head coach Pete Carroll on Monday, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. Carroll, 74, went just 3-14 in his lone season with the Raiders. Despite beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the Week 18 regular-season finale, the Raiders secured the No. 1 overall pick for the 2026 NFL draft. Going into the season finale, the Raiders had lost 10 straight games under Carroll. Owner Mark Davis said in a statement that general manager John Spytek and minority owner
Tom Brady will lead football operations going forward, including the search for the next head coach. It's the first time Carroll has been fired in his first season since 1994, when the New York Jets fired him after the team went 6-10. Vegas ranked near the bottom in every major offensive category under Carroll in 2025, including rushing yards per game (77.5). On defense, they ranked 25th in points allowed (25.4).
--Keith HernandezSource: The 33rd Team - Ari Meirov
January 5, 2026
Dallas Cowboys running back
Phil Mafah got his first taste of NFL action in Week 18 against the New York Giants and finished the game with 29 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on seven touches. A seventh-round pick out of Clemson in the 2025 NFL draft, Mafah spent most of his rookie season on Injured Reserve with a shoulder injury. He got his chance to make an impression in Week 18 due to injuries to Cowboys running backs
Javonte Williams (shoulder, neck) and
Malik Davis (calf, eye). Heading into 2026, the Cowboys' running back room is in flux. Williams was the team's clear RB1 throughout the 2025 season, but he will hit free agency and is uncertain to be retained. Davis is also a free agent, though Dallas holds his restricted free agent rights. Depending on how the Cowboys choose to address the running back position this offseason, Mafah could find himself battling with 2025 fifth-rounder
Jaydon Blue for a role in the Dallas backfield.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 5, 2026
Pittsburgh Steelers running back
Kenneth Gainwell continued to function as one of his team's most trusted offensive weapons in Week 18, recording 74 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 13 touches in a win over the Baltimore Ravens. While Gainwell scored his touchdown as a rusher, he did most of his work as a receiver, hauling in eight catches for 64 yards on nine targets. The 26-year-old finishes his 2025 season with 1,023 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns on 187 touches across 17 games played. He earned at least seven targets from Steelers quarterback
Aaron Rodgers in four out of the team's final five games. Gainwell will be a free agent once Pittsburgh's 2025 playoff run ends, so he's uncertain to be back with the Steelers next season. However, he could be a valuable PPR option for fantasy managers in 2026, particularly if he ends up playing alongside Rodgers in Pittsburgh for a second straight year.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 5, 2026
Houston Texans wide receiver
Jayden Higgins finished his rookie season by hauling in two catches for 23 yards and a touchdown on five targets in his team's 38-30 Week 18 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Higgins established himself as Houston's WR2 alongside star wideout
Nico Collins over the course of the 2025 season, recording 41 receptions for 525 yards and six touchdowns on 68 targets across 17 games played. The 23-year-old recorded at least five targets in six out of his final nine games of the season and finished the year on a two-game touchdown-scoring streak. While Higgins has more work to do before he can be viewed as a consistent fantasy contributor, he flashed high upside at certain points throughout 2025, particularly as a big-bodied red zone target.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
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