January 8, 2026
The Baltimore Ravens have requested to interview San Francisco 49ers head coach Robert Saleh for their head-coaching job, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Saleh has also received interview requests from the Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans. Baltimore is looking for a new coach after they fired John Harbaugh on Tuesday, following 18 years with the organization. The Ravens also plan to speak with Broncos DC Vance Joseph, Broncos quarterbacks coach/pass-game coordinator
Davis Webb, Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, and Vikings DC Brian Flores for the head-coaching job. Saleh's time as the head coach of the New York Jets didn't go so well, but he's done a respectable job coaching a banged-up 49ers defense in 2025. The No. 1 priority for the team's next head coach will be to "invigorate" and motivate quarterback
Lamar Jackson.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
January 8, 2026
Houston Texans running back
Jawhar Jordan (ankle) did not practice due to a high-ankle sprain on Thursday, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Sports. Jordan suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Houston Texans and will be a serious question mark to be ready to play by Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Wild-Card playoff matchup. Before the 26-year-old got hurt in Week 18, he had taken over the RB2 role in Houston over veteran
Nick Chubb. Chubb was a healthy scratch for the regular-season finale. If Jordan cannot play this week, Chubb will almost certainly dress on Monday to provide backfield depth behind rookie
Woody Marks. Jordan only appeared in four games during the regular season in his second year in the NFL, carrying the ball 43 times for 193 yards and no touchdowns.
--Keith HernandezSource: KPRC 2 Sports - Aaron Wilson
January 8, 2026
The Cleveland Browns will interview defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees for their vacant head-coaching position, according to Mark Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Browns have also requested interviews with Ravens OC Todd Monken, Seahawks DC Aden Durde, and Bengals OC Dan Pritcher. Schwartz ran one of the most dominant defenses in the league this year, while Rees took over the team's rookie-oriented offense back in Week 10. The Browns are searching for a new head coach after firing Kevin Stefanski on Monday. Schwartz went 29-51 overall with one playoff appearance as the head coach for the Detroit Lions from 2009-13. Since Cleveland hired him as the DC in 2023, he has had a lot of success with the unit. There are some people who believe he'd be better off staying in the coordinator role, with the Browns bringing in another offensive-minded head coach.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Cleveland Plain Dealer - Mary Kay Cabot
January 8, 2026
Chicago Bears wide receiver
DJ Moore (knee) is good to go for Saturday night's Wild-Card game against the division-rival Green Bay Packers after being removed from the injury report on Thursday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Moore finished second on the team with 682 receiving yards and was tied for the team lead with six touchdowns in 17 games during the regular season. The 28-year-old also had five catches for a season-high 97 yards and a touchdown in the big overtime win over the Packers in Week 16. In two games since then, though, Moore has a combined two catches for 18 yards. Moore can break big plays, but his floor is dangerously low, as evidenced by five games in 2025 with either one or zero catches. He profiles as a boom/bust WR2 on Wild-Card weekend in playoff leagues, especially with
Rome Odunze (foot) returning after a five-game absence.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
January 8, 2026
Chicago Bears wide receiver
Rome Odunze (foot) is off the injury report and is set to return to action on Saturday night against the division-rival Green Bay Packers in the Wild-Card round of the postseason, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. It will be Odunze's first game action since Week 13 due to a stress fracture in his foot. Despite missing five straight games, the 23-year-old second-year pass-catcher finished third on the Bears with 661 receiving yards, and he was tied for the lead with six touchdown grabs. The former first-rounder scored five of his six TDs in the first four weeks of the season before hitting a wall. Odunze's drop in production may have had something to do with his foot injury, but regardless, he enters postseason play as a shaky WR4/flex option in fantasy leagues. In his absence for the last five weeks, rookie WR
Luther Burden III and rookie tight end
Colston Loveland have been the team's go-to receiving options.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
January 8, 2026
Buffalo Bills kicker
Matt Prater (quadriceps) was seen at the portion of practice open to the media on Thursday, and The Buffalo News' Katherine Fitzgerald reports that Prater is "pretty confident" that he'll be ready to go for Sunday's Wild-Card tilt on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 41-year-old veteran placekicker aggravated a right-quad injury in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the New York Jets. It's the same injury that caused him to miss Weeks 16 and 17. For insurance, the Bills added
Matthew Wright to their practice squad earlier this week. It sounds like Prater is planning to play this weekend, but he could be listed as questionable on the team's final injury report on Friday. Prater was the 24th-ranked kicker in overall fantasy points in 2025, and he'll face a tough matchup if he's active. The Jags allowed the third-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing kickers.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Buffalo News - Katherine Fitzgerald
January 8, 2026
Buffalo Bills running back
Ty Johnson (ankle) was not seen at the portion of practice open to the media on Thursday, according to ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg. Johnson was also listed as a non-participant during Wednesday's walkthrough practice, putting him in danger of missing Sunday's Wild-Card playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 28-year-old got more run in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the New York Jets, but he suffered an ankle injury that has kept him out of the first two practices this week. Johnson isn't a realistic starting fantasy back when healthy as the RB3 behind
James Cook and
Ray Davis. If he doesn't play this weekend, though, it could open up a bigger complementary role for Davis, who had 21 carries for 151 rushing yards against the Jets, also adding a receiving touchdown.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Alaina Getzenberg
January 8, 2026
Washington Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore was arrested on Wednesday night in Lakewood, Ohio, on charges of carrying concealed weapons and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, according to police. "We have been made aware of the arrest and are gathering more information. We are in communication with the NFL League Office and have no further comment at this time," the Commanders said in a statement. The 29-year-old defensive back suffered a season-ending ACL injury in November of 2025 and played in only nine games for the Commanders this year as a result. The four-time Pro Bowler won Defensive Rookie of the Year back in 2017 with the New Orleans Saints after he was taken 11th overall that year out of Ohio State. Lattimore could be facing a short suspension for his actions to begin the 2026 campaign.
--Keith HernandezSource: WKYC - Anna Meyer
January 8, 2026
Buffalo Bills wide receiver
Joshua Palmer (ankle) was not seen at the portion of practice open to the media on Thursday, according to Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN. Palmer played over 80 percent of the offensive snaps in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the New York Jets, but he has yet to practice this week and is in danger of missing the Wild-Card tilt this Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 26-year-old wideout missed Weeks 13-15 with an ankle injury, but it's unclear if he's dealing with an aggravation of that injury or a new one. Either way, Palmer's status is up in the air for this weekend. He has not been on the fantasy radar all year in his first season in Buffalo, catching just 22 of 37 targets for 303 yards and no touchdowns. If Palmer is inactive against the Jags, it will open more playing time for
Brandin Cooks,
Gabe Davis, and
Tyrell Shavers.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Alaina Getzenberg
January 8, 2026
Carolina Panthers wide receiver
Jalen Coker got a late start to the 2025 season while recovering from an injury, but he quickly established himself as the WR2 behind rookie first-rounder
Tetairoa McMillan, finishing the regular season with 33 catches on 43 targets for 394 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in 11 games played in his second NFL season. Coker hasn't been flashy by any means and was not a top-50 wideout in terms of half-PPR points per game, but he is rolling into the postseason having scored three times in the last five games. He'll be an interesting low-end WR2 option for fantasy managers against the visiting Los Angeles Rams on Wild-Card weekend this Saturday. Coker caught four of six targets for 74 yards and a touchdown in the upset win over L.A. on Nov. 30, and the Rams defense allowed the 11th-most half-PPR points per game to opposing receivers during the regular season.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 8, 2026
Carolina Panthers tight end
Tommy Tremble will be the team's top pass-catching tight end going into the playoffs with
Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle) on Injured Reserve. With Sanders out in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tremble caught three of his four targets for 38 yards and just his second touchdown of the year. The 25-year-old was the team's third leading receiver in the loss to Tampa. In 17 regular-season games with Carolina in 2025, Tremble caught 27 of his 37 targets for 249 yards and two scores. He'll still be more of a dart throw as a TE streamer in fantasy football playoff leagues when the Panthers take on the visiting Los Angeles Rams on Wild-Card weekend this Saturday. The Rams defense has been in the middle of the pack in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing TEs this year, and they've allowed the eighth-fewest total yards (775) to the position.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 8, 2026
Carolina Panthers running back
Chuba Hubbard opened the 2025 season with double-digit carries in his first six games. Since then, he's seen double-digit carries just once in nine games as
Rico Dowdle has pretty much taken over as Carolina's lead back. The 26-year-old has 134 carries for 511 yards (3.8 yards per carry) and only one touchdown, adding 30 receptions for 223 yards and three receiving touchdowns on 39 targets. Fantasy managers probably won't have much confidence in Hubbard as an RB2 going into the Wild-Card playoff matchup on Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams. In the last four games, Hubbard has just 23 carries for 78 yards (3.4 yards per tote) and seven catches for 29 yards. He'll be stuck in a timeshare with Dowdle again this weekend against a Rams defense that allowed just six rushing TDs to RBs during the regular season, the third-fewest in the NFL.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 8, 2026
Carolina Panthers quarterback
Bryce Young had a decent showing in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, going 24-for-35 passing for 266 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. It was a nice bounce-back performance after he threw for just 54 yards in the Week 17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The 24-year-old's 266 passing yards were his third-highest total of the year. He'll get a rematch with the Los Angeles Rams on Wild-Card weekend, after upsetting them in Week 13. Young went 15-for-20 that day for 206 yards and a season-high three touchdowns. Can he repeat the feat this Saturday? It's going to be difficult against a Rams defense that allowed the 10th-fewest points per game, although they were around the middle of the pack in fantasy points allowed per game to QBs. Young averaged only 15.4 fantasy points per game in 2025, placing him as the QB27. His upside isn't great going into Saturday's Wild-Card matchup.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 8, 2026
Philadelphia Eagles running back
Tank Bigsby showcased his talents in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders with the team resting starter
Saquon Barkley. Bigsby played a season-high 59% of the offensive snaps and had 16 rushing attempts for 75 yards and a touchdown, also adding one catch for a 31-yard gain. Four of the 24-year-old's carries went for at least eight yards to finish with a 4.7 yard-per-carry average. It was a nice showing for the former third-rounder, but he'll go back to being Barkley's backup for Sunday's Wild-Card matchup versus the visiting San Franciscoso 49ers. In his 17 total games with Philly and the Jacksonville Jaguars during the regular season, Bigsby had 63 carries for 356 yards and two touchdowns while adding three catches for 32 yards. With a minor role likely coming against San Fran, Bigsby won't be a realistic starting option for playoff lineups.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 8, 2026
Houston Texans wide receiver
Christian Kirk won't be a very popular fantasy option for playoff leagues going into the team's Monday night Wild-Card matchup against the hosting Pittsburgh Steelers, even though the Steelers' defense was a top-10 matchup for opposing wideouts in 2025 in terms of half-PPR points per game. In the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Indianapolis Colts, Kirk caught just one of two targets for minus-three yards, even with top receiver
Nico Collins getting the day off. However, the Texans did bench starting quarterback
C.J. Stroud after halftime. Still, the 29-year-old Kirk had fewer snaps than both rookie
Jayden Higgins and
Xavier Hutchinson, and he has only 28 catches for 239 yards and one touchdown on 52 targets all year. Kirk has been on the field plenty for Houston, but he hasn't been targeted much and has basically been sharing slot duties with rookie
Jaylin Noel of late.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
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