January 16, 2026
Denver Broncos wide receiver
Troy Franklin took a pretty big leap forward in his second NFL season in 2025, catching 65 passes on 104 targets for 709 yards and six touchdowns in 17 regular-season games after posting a 28-263-2 line in 16 games as a rookie in 2024. Franklin was the team's second leading receiver this year behind
Courtland Sutton, and his six TDs also ranked second. The 22-year-old was tied for 46th among all WRs at 8.3 half-PPR fantasy points per game, though, and he wasn't as productive late in the year when rookie
Pat Bryant began to see a bigger role next to him in the passing game. In the last two regular-season games, Franklin caught only four passes for 17 yards, although the Broncos' offense didn't have to do much to handle KC and L.A. with most of their starters resting. Against the Bills in the Divisional Round, a defense that allowed the seventh-fewest half-PPR points per game to receivers, Franklin will be a low-cost, low-end fantasy WR in playoff formats.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 16, 2026
Denver Broncos quarterback
Bo Nix set a new career high with 3,931 passing yards in his second year as the Broncos' full-time starting QB, but he had four fewer touchdown passes in the same number of games (17). The 25-year-old ran for fewer yards (356), too, while scoring one more TD (five). Nix heads into the playoffs after a first-round bye in the Wild-Card round to face the Buffalo Bills, and he does so with little momentum after two vanilla performances to close out the regular season in wins over the Chiefs and Chargers, in which he didn't go over 182 passing yards with one total touchdown. The Oregon product had back-to-back 300-yard games before that, though, and Denver will most likely be forced to open up their offense on Saturday. Nix finished as the QB7 in overall fantasy points in 2025, but he'll be on the lower end of QB options in playoff formats against a Bills defense that allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing passers during 17 regular-season games.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 16, 2026
Chicago Bears rookie running back
Kyle Monangai had a strong first year in the NFL despite being a seventh-round selection out of Rutgers. Monangai had 169 rushing attempts for 783 yards and five touchdowns in 17 regular-season games, adding 18 catches for 164 yards on 30 targets through the air. The 23-year-old was at his peak in 2025 from Weeks 9-13, going for 405 rushing yards and four TDs on 79 carries. Since then, though, Monangai has double-digit carries in just two of six contests, and he has had single-digit carries over the last four games. He had eight carries for only 27 yards in the Wild-Card win over the Green Bay Packers, and he had only six carries for 14 yards in Week 18 against Detroit. Monangai has been on the field for 40-45% of the offensive snaps the last six games, but he'll be a low-end RB option in fantasy playoff lineups this weekend against a Los Angeles Rams' defense that allowed the third-fewest rushing TDs (six) to RBs all year.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 16, 2026
Chicago Bears quarterback
Caleb Williams was a top-10 fantasy signal-caller in his second year in the NFL, and although it wasn't always pretty, he has his team one win away from the NFC Championship. Williams led the Bears back from down 21-3 at halftime to beat the Green Bay Packers on Wild-Card weekend, throwing for a season-high 361 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. The 24-year-old has gone over 300 passing yards in two of the last three games and has tossed six touchdown passes to three interceptions in that span. Williams has an uncanny knack for extending plays outside the pocket and finding open receivers down the field in the second half with games hanging in the balance. Even though inclement weather is expected in Chicago on Sunday for the Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Rams, the former first overall pick will have top-three QB upside in fantasy against a Rams defense that has looked a lot more vulnerable late in the year.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 16, 2026
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said "nothing is impossible" regarding wide receiver
A.J. Brown's future with the Philadelphia Eagles. Rapoport adds that if the Eagles want to trade Brown this offseason, they can certainly do so, although they'd be taking a salary cap hit. "It's hard to find great players in the NFL, and A.J.'s a great player," general manager Howie Roseman said when asked if he'd be open to trading Brown. The 28-year-old pass-catcher had seven touchdown receptions during the regular season for the third straight year with the Eagles, and he also reached the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth straight season and sixth time in seven NFL seasons. However, he didn't exactly see eye to eye with either quarterback
Jalen Hurts or head coach Nick Sirriani, and the Eagles might prefer a divorce as they look to turn around their struggling offense in 2026. Depending on who the team's next offensive coordinator is, Brown's fantasy prospects next year might look better if he's not in Philly.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
January 16, 2026
San Francisco 49ers tight end
Jake Tonges will be a legitimate top-five TE option for fantasy managers in playoff leagues for the Divisional Round on Saturday night against the Seattle Seahawks, following
George Kittle's torn Achilles tendon in the Wild-Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The last time Kittle sat out with an injury on Dec. 28 in the win over the Chicago Bears, Tonges had seven catches on nine targets for 60 yards and a touchdown. He also had seven grabs on a season-high 11 targets for 41 yards and a score back in the Oct. 2 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams when Kittle was out due to injury. The Niners will be facing a stout Seattle defense that held them to just three points in the Week 18 regular-season finale, but their D did allow the 11th-most half-PPR fantasy points per game to TEs during the regular season.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 16, 2026
Los Angeles Rams running back
Blake Corum split time more evenly with backfield mate
Kyren Williams down the stretch of the regular season, and that near-even timeshare continued in the Wild-Card win over the Carolina Panthers last Saturday. Corum had 11 carries for 45 yards and added two catches on two targets for 13 yards. Meanwhile, Williams had 15 total touches. The 25-year-old Michigan product has had double-digit carries in five of his last six games, and even if Williams is the lead back on Sunday in the Divisional Round against the hosting Chicago Bears, Corum should see enough of a role to make him a low-end starting RB option for fantasy managers in playoff leagues. Expected inclement weather in Chicago could also force both teams to run the ball more, which would lead to more work for Corum. During the regular season, the Bears' defense allowed the 10th-most rushing yards (1,772).
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 16, 2026
New England Patriots tight end
Hunter Henry showed up on this week's injury report with a knee injury, but he was ultimately cleared and shouldn't have any limitations in Sunday's Divisional Round matchup against the Houston Texans. Henry finished the regular season as the second-leading receiver for the Patriots with 87 receptions for 768 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns in 17 games. The 31-year-old veteran has developed a nice chemistry with second-year quarterback
Drake Maye. Henry has cleared 50 receiving yards in each of the last two games and has scored in three of the last four contests, including last week's Wild-Card win over his former team, the Los Angeles Chargers. The Patriots head into the Divisional Round with a matchup against the top-ranked Texans' defense, though, and could find it difficult to move the ball consistently. The poor matchup makes Henry a midrange TE for fantasy playoff lineups this weekend.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 16, 2026
NFL sources familiar with the Philadelphia Eagles' organizational mindset think that they might draft a quarterback this spring, according to The Athletic's Michael Silver. Current QB
Jalen Hurts, who has three years remaining on his five-year, $255 million extension, likely isn't going anywhere anytime soon, especially given owner Jeffrey Lurie's regard for him. After winning Super Bowl MVP honors a year ago, Hurts has been the source of much internal frustration, including from teammates other than receiver
A.J. Brown. The 27-year-old ran the ball less in 2025, lessening his impact as a dual threat, and he also has limitations because of his lack of willingness to operate under center, an aversion to pre-snap motion, an inability to make quick post-snap reads, and a reluctance to try intermediate and in-breaking passes. Silver suggests that Hurts needs to be "pushed beyond his comfort zone," which could be done by drafting a QB and with a new voice at offensive coordinator.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Michael Silver
January 16, 2026
The New York Jets have completed eight interviews this week for their open defensive-coordinator position, according to Eric Allen of NewYorkJets.com. The first round of interviews were with Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, Dolphins cornerbacks coach Mathieu Araujo, Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda, Packers defensive run-game coordinator DeMarcus Covington, Vikings defensive pass-game coordinator and CBs coach Daronte Jones, Broncos assistant head coach and defensive pass-game coordinator Jim Leonhard, Jets defensive backs coach and pass-game coordinator Chris Harris, and Lions safeties coach Jim O'Neil. The Jets need serious help on both sides of the ball under head coach Aaron Glenn. On defense, they allowed the second-most points per game (29.6) and the eighth-most total yards per game (355.6).
--Keith HernandezSource: NewYorkJets.com - Eric Allen
January 16, 2026
The Los Angeles Chargers confirmed on Friday that they have interviewed former Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan for their offensive-coordinator position, according to Omar Navarro of Chargers.com. Callahan was the head coach for Tennessee in 2024 and 2025 before being fired midseason this year. Before joining the Titans, Callahan had 14 years of coaching experience in the NFL, including five seasons as the Cincinnati Bengals' OC after being hired in 2019. With Cincy, he helped the team to two AFC North titles, two AFC Championship appearances, and a trip to a Super Bowl. The Bengals' offense ranked among the top units in his final three years at the helm, but he wasn't able to get the Titans turned around in his brief stint there. The Bolts are looking to replace Greg Roman. A move to Callahan would be a seismic shift away from a run-heavy offense and toward more of a pass-heavy approach.
--Keith HernandezSource: Chargers.com - Omar Navarro
January 16, 2026
Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is interviewing on Friday in Philadelphia for the Eagles' offensive-coordinator job, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Robinson has already interviewed for the same position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions. The 39-year-old spent four years in the NFL as a quarterback after he was a seventh-round pick by the New England Patriots in 2010 out of Oklahoma State. Robinson was the OC in Atlanta the last two years under former head coach Raheem Morris, but his roots were sculpted while coaching in L.A. for Rams head coach Sean McVay. Robinson started his coaching career in 2019 as the assistant QBs coach before being promoted to pass-game coordinator. The Eagles are looking for a philosophical change after their offense went stagnant in 2025 under first-year OC Kevin Patullo.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
January 16, 2026
Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady will interview for the Baltimore Ravens' and Atlanta Falcons' head-coaching jobs on Sunday, after the Bills' Divisional Round game against the Denver Broncos on Saturday, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Brady joined the Bills' coaching staff in 2022 as their quarterbacks coach before eventually being promoted to OC after the team fired Ken Dorsey during the 2023 campaign. He also has experience as an OC with the Carolina Panthers. Before that, Brady worked as the passing-game coordinator for LSU when they won the national title in 2019. In addition to the Ravens and Falcons, Brady has drawn interest for the Miami Dolphins' head-coaching job. Former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is rumored to be the favorite to land the head-coaching job in Atlanta, so it could come down to Baltimore or Miami for Brady.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
January 16, 2026
Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is not expected to interview a second time for the Browns' head-coaching position, a source told The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will interview a second time for the job on Monday, and he appears to be a top candidate to replace Kevin Stefanski, who was fired after six seasons at the helm. The 33-year-old Rees is now unlikely to return to Cleveland's coaching staff in 2026, although he could follow Stefanski to wherever he lands. Rees was a first-time offensive coordinator with the Browns in 2025, although Stefanski called the plays for the first half of the season. In the end, the Browns ranked 32nd overall on offense. In Rees' defense, he was running an offense led by rookie quarterbacks
Dillon Gabriel and
Shedeur Sanders for half the year.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Cleveland Plain Dealer - Mary Kay Cabot
January 16, 2026
Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will get a second interview for the Browns' head-coaching job on Monday, a league source told Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Meanwhile, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who also interviewed for the job, isn't expected to be asked back. If Schwartz gets hired as Cleveland's next head coach, he could retain Rees as the OC. Schwartz, who has been the team's DC for the last three seasons, has presided over one of the top defenses in the NFL in two of the last three seasons. As the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2009-13, Schwartz went 29-51 with one playoff appearance. He has also been a DC with the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles. Schwartz is highly respected around the league, and the sense is the Browns don't want to let him leave the building, which makes him a front-runner to take over for Kevin Stefanski.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Cleveland Plain Dealer - Mary Kay Cabot
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