January 20, 2026
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is expected to become the Los Angeles Chargers' offensive coordinator, barring a change of heart, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. McDaniel has informed other teams that he's out of the running, and he's scheduled to have dinner with the Chargers on Tuesday night. In L.A., McDaniel will be replacing Greg Roman. It will be quite the scheme change for the Bolts, going from a run-first offensive mind in Roman to McDaniel, who runs a version of Kyle Shanahan's offense in San Francisco. McDaniel went 35-33 with two playoff appearances in his four seasons in Miami, and he'll now join a Chargers team that has two 11-win seasons under head coach Jim Harbaugh. The addition of McDaniel in L.A. should be good news for both quarterback
Justin Herbert and young running back
Omarion Hampton heading into next season.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
January 20, 2026
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver
Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks will face a familiar foe in the NFC Championship game this weekend in the division-rival Los Angeles Rams. Smith-Njigba led the NFL with 1,793 yards and scored the third-most touchdowns (10) among wideouts on 119 receptions. He's proven in his second year in the league that he's one of the best receivers in the NFL, and he'll have a chance to go off for the third straight time this year against a Rams defense that has surrendered the most half-PPR fantasy points to the position in the last five weeks. In the first meeting against L.A. in a Week 11 loss, JSN had a season-high nine catches for 105 yards on 12 targets. In the rematch in the overtime win in Week 16, Smith-Njigba caught eight of 13 targets for 96 yards and a touchdown. In what could be a shootout, Smith-Njigba is one of the highest-upside receivers in fantasy this week.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 20, 2026
Los Angeles Rams rookie tight end
Terrance Ferguson scored his second and third touchdowns in back-to-back weeks at the end of the regular season before
Tyler Higbee returned from Injured Reserve. Then Ferguson injured his hamstring, which caused him to miss the Week 18 regular-season finale and the Wild-Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles. In the 22-year-old's return in the Divisional Round win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Ferguson caught just one of a season-high five targets for 19 yards. There's plenty to like about Ferguson's long-term outlook, but right now, he's just too hard to trust when he's fighting for targets alongside
Colby Parkinson and Higbee. During the regular season, Ferguson had a total of just 11 receptions for 231 yards and three touchdowns on 25 targets. The matchup against the division-rival Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game this weekend is a decent one, but Ferguson is unlikely to return value unless he scores.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 20, 2026
Los Angeles Rams tight end
Colby Parkinson is emerging as the team's best TE option in fantasy football playoff leagues despite fellow TEs
Tyler Higbee and rookie
Terrance Ferguson being involved. In the Divisional Round victory over the Chicago Bears, Parkinson caught three of his seven targets for 56 yards. The 27-year-old tied Pro Bowl receiver
Puka Nacua for the team lead in receiving yards in snowy conditions. The fact that the Rams are involving three pass-catching tight ends makes Parkinson a bit more volatile in fantasy, but it should be comforting to know that he has had exactly seven targets in four of the last six games. He also scored a combined three touchdowns in the two games before this past Sunday's overtime win over the Bears. Parkinson has notable upside going into the NFC Championship matchup against a Seahawks defense that allowed the 11th-most half-PPR fantasy points to the position in 17 regular-season games.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 20, 2026
New England Patriots running back
Rhamondre Stevenson hasn't scored a touchdown in two playoff games this year, but he has recorded 209 scrimmage yards on 33 touches. Stevenson had 16 rushing attempts for 70 yards and also caught all four of his targets for 11 yards in the Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans. The 27-year-old's 16 carries were the second-most he's had all year, with rookie
TreVeyon Henderson carrying the ball 12 times for only 25 yards. Fantasy managers should expect Stevenson to have another big role in the AFC Championship clash this Sunday against the Denver Broncos. His role makes him a top-three fantasy RB in playoff leagues, but the sledding could be tough on the road against a Broncos defense that allowed the fewest half-PPR points per game during the regular season.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 20, 2026
Denver Broncos rookie running back
RJ Harvey had a disappointing showing on the ground in the Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills, carrying the ball six times for only 20 yards. Harvey helped his fantasy managers in PPR leagues by catching five of a season-high six targets for 46 yards through the air, though. Against a weaker Buffalo run defense, it was a disappointing performance for Harvey, who saw his lowest carry total since Week 10. Things won't get any easier for the second-rounder going into a tough AFC Championship matchup against the visiting New England Patriots. Although Denver may put more of an emphasis on trying to get their ground game going now that starting quarterback
Bo Nix (ankle) is out the rest of the way, it doesn't mean that Harvey will have success against a Patriots defense that allowed the fourth-fewest half-PPR points per game to RBs this year, including only eight rushing TDs.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 20, 2026
Los Angeles Rams running back
Kyren Williams did most of the heavy lifting in the team's thrilling overtime victory over the Chicago Bears in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, carrying the ball 21 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns while adding four catches for 30 yards on five targets. Meanwhile, backfield mate
Blake Corum had only six carries for 19 yards. Williams isn't heading into the most ideal matchup in the NFC Championship game on Sunday against the division-rival Seattle Seahawks, but he'll still be a top-three fantasy RB on volume alone in a high-flying offense. Williams could be a letdown against a Seahawks defense that allowed the second-fewest half-PPR points per game to the RB position during the regular season, including a league-low five rushing TDs. And if Corum gets more involved like he was at the end of the regular season, it would lower Williams' floor more.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
January 20, 2026
The Green Bay Packers are scheduled to interview former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon for their defensive-coordinator job this week, sources told Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. The Dallas Cowboys interviewed Gannon for the same position on Tuesday, and he has interest in other DC jobs around the league after being fired by the Cardinals at the end of the 2025 season. Before joining Arizona, Gannon was the DC with the Philadelphia Eagles for two years under head coach Nick Sirianni. The Packers are looking to replace Jeff Hafley, who left to become the head coach for the Miami Dolphins. Hafley leaves Green Bay's defense in a good position, and All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons (knee) will provide a huge boost whenever he's ready to return from a torn ACL. In his three seasons as the Cardinals' head coach, Gannon went 15-36, including 3-14 in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Mike Garafolo
January 20, 2026
Houston Texans cornerback Jaylin Smith (knee) had season-ending knee surgery, but he has made steady progress in his recovery and is on track to play next season, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Sports. Smith, who was a third-round pick by Houston last April, was placed on Injured Reserve in early November. The 22-year-old defensive back also missed four games in his first NFL season with a hamstring injury, so he finished with only six tackles (three solo) and a fumble recovery in his four games played. When he was on the field, though, Smith played well as the team's third cornerback behind Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter. It's unclear yet if Smith will be ready for the Week 1 season opener, but he should be available at some point in 2026. The Texans will be hoping he'll be on the field more as he looks to develop in Year 2.
--Keith HernandezSource: KPRC2 Sports - Aaron Wilson
January 20, 2026
The Green Bay Packers released cornerback Trevon Diggs on Tuesday, according to general manager Brian Gutekunst. Diggs was waived by the Dallas Cowboys during the 2025 season before the Packers scooped him up in late December. The 27-year-old former second-rounder played 33 defensive snaps in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Minnesota Vikings in his only regular-season game for the Packers. In the Wild-Card loss to the Chicago Bears, Diggs played just one snap. In nine total games in 2025, he had 27 tackles (20 solo) and no interceptions. There is a chance that the Packers restructure Diggs' contract and bring him back this offseason. After recording a career-high 11 interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) with the Cowboys in his second season in 2021, Diggs has just six interceptions since and has struggled with injuries.
--Keith HernandezSource: Packers.com
January 20, 2026
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel informed the Cleveland Browns that he's withdrawing from their head-coaching search ahead of a scheduled in-person interview on Wednesday, sources told Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. McDaniel is still a candidate for the head-coaching jobs for the Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders, and he also has an interview for the Los Angeles Chargers' offensive-coordinator job on Tuesday. He has multiple offensive-coordinator offers and could still land a head-coaching job after the Miami Dolphins fired him at the end of the 2025 season. If McDaniel doesn't get a head-coaching job this cycle, he'll have a couple of intriguing OC offers to choose from, the most attractive of which could be with the Philadelphia Eagles. With McDaniel out of the running in Cleveland, the Browns could be down to Todd Monken, Jesse Minter, Grant Udinski, and Nate Scheelhaase.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
January 20, 2026
According to The Athletic's Colton Pouncy, blending new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's scheme with what the Detroit Lions already do on offense could make tight end
Sam LaPorta an "even bigger priority in the passing game" in 2026. Former tight ends coach and current head coach Dan Campbell already clearly values the position. Before having season-ending back surgery, LaPorta was having a Pro Bowl season, catching 40 of his 49 targets for 489 yards and three touchdowns in nine starts. Petzing spent two seasons as the tight ends coach with the Cleveland Browns, and he prioritized the TE position in Arizona, with
Trey McBride being one of the best players at his position in the NFL. Petzing isn't expected to run as much 12 personnel (two TEs) in Detroit, given the investments made at the position, but LaPorta could be in for a nice bounce-back year in 2026 if he's healthy.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Colton Pouncy
January 20, 2026
New England Patriots wide receiver
Stefon Diggs recorded his first touchdown of the postseason in his team's Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans. However, the 32-year-old has posted underwhelming production overall so far this playoffs, hauling in six catches for 56 yards and a score on 11 targets across two games played. Diggs has also remained limited from a playing time perspective, playing 63% of New England's offensive snaps in the Wild Card Round against the Los Angeles Chargers and just 55% of the offensive snaps against Houston. While Diggs should get his chances in the AFC Championship Game, he may continue to struggle with efficiency. Denver finished the regular season ranked second among NFL defenses in yards per pass attempt allowed (6.1). The Broncos might also deploy All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II on Diggs, which could be problematic for the veteran wideout. Fantasy managers may want to be cautious with Diggs in the AFC Championship Game.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 20, 2026
New England Patriots rookie running back
TreVeyon Henderson emerged as an electric playmaker during the 2025 regular season. However, the 23-year-old has struggled so far across his first two playoff appearances, recording just 39 scrimmage yards on 23 touches. Henderson has clearly been outplayed so far by fellow Patriots back
Rhamondre Stevenson, who has racked up 209 scrimmage yards on 26 touches so far this postseason. New England has also moved away from Henderson from a playing time perspective, as he's played at least 14 fewer snaps than Stevenson in each of the team's last two contests. Both Patriots backs will face a tough matchup in the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos, who finished the regular season ranked second among NFL defenses in total rushing yards allowed (1,548) and tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns allowed (11). Based on both the matchup and recent usage trends, Henderson profiles as a tough running back for fantasy managers to trust against Denver.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 20, 2026
Denver Broncos wide receiver
Courtland Sutton posted a modest performance in his team's Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills, hauling in four receptions for 53 yards. Sutton functioned as Denver's WR1, earning a team-high nine targets. He could be in line for another sizable target share in the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots, particularly with fellow Broncos wide receiver
Pat Bryant (concussion) questionable to play after suffering a concussion against the Bills. However, the Denver pass game will be without starting quarterback
Bo Nix (ankle), who will miss the remainder of the postseason after breaking a bone in his ankle late in the game against Buffalo. As a result, Sutton will be catching passes from Broncos backup quarterback
Jarrett Stidham, who has thrown for 1,422 yards, eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions across 20 career NFL games (four starts). While Sutton should remain heavily featured against New England, he may struggle against the tough Patriots defense while working with a backup quarterback.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
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