January 12, 2026
Los Angeles Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (shoulder) is going on Injured Reserve after aggravating and re-breaking his scapula injury from earlier this year, according to head coach Sean McVay. The Rams will not have Witherspoon in their secondary for the rest of the postseason after he was injured in Saturday's Wild-Card win over the hosting Carolina Panthers. It's a tough break for the 30-year-old defensive back, who will become a free agent when the new league year begins in March. Witherspoon finished his third year in L.A. with just eight tackles (six solo), one interception, and two pass breakups in his six regular-season games played due to his shoulder injury.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Associated Press - Greg Beacham
January 12, 2026
Houston Texans backup quarterback
Davis Mills (personal), whose wife recently gave birth, will travel to Pittsburgh and be available for the Wild-Card game on Monday night against the Steelers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Mills stayed an extra night at home to be with his family. The 27-year-old signal-caller will be active on Monday night as the backup to starter
C.J. Stroud against Pittsburgh. If Mills hadn't been available for this game,
Graham Mertz would have been in line to serve as Stroud's backup against Pittsburgh. Mills performed admirably for Houston this year when Stroud was unavailable due to a concussion. He appeared in six games (three starts), going 91-for-159 passing for 915 yards with five touchdowns and just one interception to go 3-0 for the Texans.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
January 12, 2026
This time last year, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was projected by many to be a top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The signal-caller who took over for
Jayden Daniels in Baton Rouge had a prolific first year as a starter, passing for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. However, his redshirt senior season was a letdown, as the Tigers' offense crumbled, and Nussmeier was only able to rack up 1,927 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, and five interceptions in nine games. The 23-year-old worked with shaky offensive line play and a lack of a rushing attack in 2025, which can excuse some of the regression, but his draft stock has undoubtedly taken a hit. Once viewed as a first-round prospect, Nussmeier will likely be selected between rounds two and four in April's draft. This means he's unlikely to see a starting role right away, but he'll be an interesting later-round rookie pick and stash candidate in deep dynasty superflex leagues.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: Sports Reference CFB
January 12, 2026
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said that cornerback Christian Gonzalez (head) is in the league's concussion protocol after getting injured in Sunday night's Wild-Card victory over the visiting Los Angeles Chargers, according to Mark Daniels of Mass Live. "How long that lasts, I don't know," Vrabel said. Gonzalez's status for the Divisional Round is now up in the air, and he'll have to pass through the NFL's five-step protocol to be cleared to play on Sunday against either the Pittsburgh Steelers or Houston Texans. New England's defense was firing on all cylinders against a banged-up Bolts offensive line on Sunday night and held the Chargers to just one field goal. If the Patriots don't have Gonzalez in the fold this weekend, though, it will be a big downgrade for their secondary against either Pittsburgh or Houston.
--Keith HernandezSource: Mass Live - Mark Daniels
January 12, 2026
Los Angeles Rams quarterback
Matthew Stafford (finger) has "a little sprain on his index finger," according to head coach Sean McVay. "He's as tough as it gets, and he'll be good to go," McVay said. Stafford's finger got jammed into a Carolina Panthers defender during Saturday's Wild-Card win, but the 37-year-old MVP front-runner should be fine to play this Sunday in the Divisional Round on the road versus the Chicago Bears. Stafford went 24-for-42 passing against Carolina for 304 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He will be a very popular QB option for this week's playoff games in fantasy football, as the Bears' defense allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing QBs during 17 regular-season games, including 32 touchdown passes, the fourth-most in the NFL. Stafford will likely be on L.A.'s injury report this week, but he should be fine to play on Sunday.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Associated Press - Greg Beacham
January 12, 2026
Pittsburgh Steelers running back
Kenneth Gainwell emerged as a surprisingly critical piece of his team's offense over the course of the 2025 season, recording 1,023 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns on 187 touches. Gainwell and the Steelers will face one of the NFL's best defenses in the Wild Card round in the Houston Texans. Houston dominated opposing rushing attacks in the regular season, allowing the fourth-fewest rushing yards (1,593) in the NFL. However, Gainwell does most of his work in the Steelers' passing game. The 26-year-old recorded 73 receptions for 486 yards and three touchdowns this season and earned at least seven targets in four out of Pittsburgh's final five games. Houston has been slightly more susceptible to running back production in the pass game this season, allowing an average of four receptions and 31 receiving yards per game to the position. Given his relatively safe receiving floor, Gainwell profiles as a solid fantasy RB2 option in PPR-scoring leagues in the Wild Card.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 12, 2026
Houston Texans wide receiver
Nico Collins sat out the final week of the regular season for rest purposes, but he's back and ready to go for his team's Wild Card round matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 26-year-old had his second-straight Pro Bowl campaign in 2025, recording 71 receptions for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns on 120 targets across 15 games played. Collins is the clear WR1 in Houston and should heavily feature in the Texans' offensive game plan against the Steelers. Additionally, he will face a Pittsburgh defense that had its struggles defending the pass in the regular season. Pittsburgh finished 2025 ranked 30th in the NFL in passing yards allowed (4,437) and tied for 23rd in passing touchdowns allowed (30). The Steelers also allowed 53 receptions of 20 or more yards, so Collins should have a chance to make plays down the field. Collins averaged 15.7 yards per reception in the regular season and has a career average of 15.0 yards per reception across 66 NFL games. Fantasy managers in playoff leagues should view Collins as a WR1 option in the Wild Card round.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 12, 2026
Houston Texans rookie running back
Woody Marks finished his first season in the NFL with 911 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns on 220 touches across 16 games. Marks finished the year as the clear RB1 in Houston, earning double-digit touches in 10 out of his last 11 contests. He may see an even larger workload in Houston's Wild Card round matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, as Texans backup running back
Jawhar Jordan (ankle) has been ruled out with an ankle injury. The Pittsburgh rush defense finished a solid-but-unspectacular 13th in the NFL in total rushing yards allowed (1,922) in the regular season. However, the Steelers proved difficult to score on on the ground, allowing the third-fewest rushing touchdowns (10) in the league. Marks is a good bet to see a heavy workload against Pittsburgh, but he may have to rely on volume alone for fantasy production. RotoBaller projects Marks as the overall RB10 in full PPR scoring for his matchup against the Steelers.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 12, 2026
The Green Bay Packers are expected to work out a new contract with head coach Matt LaFleur "in the coming days," per ESPN's Adam Schefter. LaFleur has just one season remaining on his current agreement, and Schefter reports that "both sides want clarity moving forward." LaFleur, who will turn 47 in November, has gone 76-40-1 in the regular season across seven seasons at the helm in Green Bay. He's led the Packers to six postseason appearances and won 13 games in each of his first three years with the organization. However, the team has gone out in the first round in back-to-back years, most recently blowing a sizable second-half lead to the division rival Chicago Bears, ending their 2025 campaign. Regardless, it appears as though Green Bay wants to commit to LaFleur long-term and end speculation about his job security going forward.
--Will BradySource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
January 12, 2026
The Cleveland Browns are interviewing former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel for their open head-coaching role on Monday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Miami fired McDaniel on Thursday after four seasons at the helm. McDaniel went 35-33 in the regular season with the Dolphins, but posted losing records and missed the playoffs in each of the last two years. He led the Dolphins to playoff berths in both 2022 and 2023, but finished his tenure with the Dolphins a career playoff record of 0-2. McDaniel has a reputation as an offensive guru, and Miami was the number one offense in the NFL in terms of yardage in McDaniel's second season. However, the Dolphins regressed in 2025, finishing 26th in total yards and 25th in points scored. The Browns have finished 28th or worse in points scored in each of the last two seasons, so the organization is no doubt eyeing McDaniel as a potential fix for its ailing offense.
--Will BradySource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
January 12, 2026
Buffalo Bills wide receiver
Gabe Davis (knee) is set to undergo an MRI on his injured knee on Monday, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Davis was carted off from Buffalo's Wild Card round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars after taking a big hit going over the middle of the field. Rapoport reports that Davis' knee was so swollen initially that diagnosing the injury has been difficult, and that Davis' status "does not look good" for the remainder of the postseason. The 26-year-old recorded two receptions for 14 yards on three targets against Jacksonville before getting injured and hauled in 12 catches for 129 yards and a touchdown across six regular-season games with the Bills. If Davis is unable to play in the AFC Divisional round against the Denver Broncos, the Bills will likely rely more heavily on wide receivers
Brandin Cooks,
Keon Coleman, and
Tyrell Shavers.
--Will BradySource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
January 11, 2026
Chicago Bears quarterback
Caleb Williams led his team to yet another comeback win in impressive fashion in the 31-27 victory over the division-rival Green Bay Packers on Saturday night in the Wild-Card round of the playoffs. Williams finished 24-for-48 passing for a season-high 361 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He added four carries for 20 yards and also took one sack for a loss of nine yards. The 24-year-old second-year signal-caller also fumbled, but it was recovered by the Bears. It was the Bears' single-game playoff passing-yardage record. It wasn't pretty, but Williams continues to display his elite athleticism by extending the play outside the pocket to find his receivers deep down the field. The USC alum could get into a shootout with the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round, giving him plenty of fantasy upside. Williams has now gone over 300 passing yards in two of his last three games, with six touchdowns and three interceptions combined in his last three contests.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
January 11, 2026
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur's future with the organization is in question after losing to the division-rival Chicago Bears in the Wild-Card round of this year's postseason, according to Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Packers president Ed Policy must decide if the team will give LaFleur a contract extension, or if they will be looking for a new head coach this offseason. The least likely option is for the Packers to retain LaFleur for the final year of his contract in 2026. LaFleur said "of course" his preference would be to remain with the team. If LaFleur were to be fired, he'd instantly become one of the top candidates on the market for another head-coaching job, along with Baltimore Ravens former head coach John Harbaugh. In his seven seasons with the Packers, LaFleur has gone 76-41. If Green Bay has a head-coaching vacancy, it will be one of the most coveted positions with a roster already built for Super Bowl contention.
--Keith HernandezSource: Green Bay Press-Gazette - Ryan Wood
January 11, 2026
Chicago Bears tight end
Colston Loveland caught eight of his 15 targets for 137 yards during Saturday's Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers. Loveland's impressive rookie campaign continued as he set new personal-best marks in targets and yards. He now has 24 catches, 322 yards, and two touchdowns over his last three games. According to Jacob Gibbs of CBS Sports, the 21-year-old's big game made him just the second tight end in NFL history to record at least 10 targets and at least 130 yards in a playoff game at age 22 or younger. He joins just
Rob Gronkowski in that select group. Loveland will look to remain hot as the Bears advance to face either the Eagles or Rams in the Divisional Round next weekend.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
January 11, 2026
New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (head) exited during the fourth quarter of Sunday's playoff contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. He is officially listed as questionable to return. Gonzalez left the game after breaking up a pass attempt on second down. At the time of his departure, he had defended two passes. The 23-year-old didn't record an interception during the regular season, but he was named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster and is consistently relied upon to cover opponents' No. 1 receivers. His absence will be something to monitor as the Patriots look to defend a three-pronged wide receiver room featuring
Ladd McConkey,
Keenan Allen, and
Quentin Johnston. Charles Woods should earn more cornerback snaps behind Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones.
--Andersen PickardSource: New England Patriots
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