January 15, 2026
In his first career playoff appearance, New England Patriots quarterback
Drake Maye led his team to a 16-3 win in the Wild Card round over the Los Angeles Chargers. The 23-year-old completed 17 of 29 pass attempts for 268 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while adding 66 rushing yards on 10 attempts. However, Maye also fumbled twice, one of which was recovered by the Chargers. Maye's production upside remains sky-high, but any potential ball security issues may only be exacerbated in the Divisional Round against the Houston Texans. Houston allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards (3,486) in the regular season while ranking tied for third in interceptions (19). The Texans' defense is also coming off a dominating performance in the Wild Card round against the Pittsburgh Steelers, in which it forced two turnovers, recorded four sacks, and allowed just six points. Maye's rushing ability could carry him to success, but the difficult matchup makes him a low-end quarterback option for fantasy managers in the Divisional Round.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 15, 2026
Chicago Bears running back
D'Andre Swift was one of the stars of his team's Wild-Card win over the Green Bay Packers, recording 92 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 15 touches. Swift and Bears rookie back
Kyle Monangai split playing time nearly evenly, with Swift earning 39 snaps and Monangai 36. However, Swift was the more productive player of the two, as Monangai was held to 49 scrimmage yards on nine touches. Chicago is now set to host the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs. The Rams' run defense performed well during the regular season, but allowed three rushing touchdowns to the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card round. Swift profiles as the priority player in the Bears' backfield for fantasy managers in the Divisional round against Los Angeles.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 15, 2026
New England Patriots tight end
Hunter Henry (knee) returned to full practice participation on Thursday after being listed as limited on Wednesday due to a knee injury. Barring a setback, it appears as though Henry is on track to play in New England's Divisional Round matchup against the Houston Texans. The 31-year-old was one of the stars of his team's Wild Card Weekend win over the Los Angeles Chargers, hauling in three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown on five targets. Dating back to the regular season, Henry has now recorded a touchdown grab in three out of his last four outings. Houston profiles as a difficult matchup, as it has allowed the seventh-fewest receiving yards to tight ends in the NFL so far this season. Still, Henry's touchdown upside makes him a solid tight end option for fantasy managers in the Divisional Round.
--Will BradySource: New England Patriots
January 15, 2026
Chicago Bears wide receiver
DJ Moore (knee) was a limited practice participant on Thursday as he battles a lingering knee issue, per Michal Dwojak of Bears Insider. Moore was also listed on Chicago's injury report in the lead-up to the team's Wild Card Weekend matchup against the Green Bay Packers. However, he was active for the game and recorded six receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown on seven targets. Barring a setback, it seems likely that Moore will be able to play in the Divisional round against the Los Angeles Rams. The 28-year-old had a rough close to the regular season, recording just two receptions for 18 yards on seven targets over his final two outings. Still, he led all Chicago wide receivers in snap share in his bounce-back performance against the Packers. Moore profiles as a low-end wide receiver option for fantasy managers in the Divisional round.
--Will BradySource: Bears Insider - Michal Dwojak
January 15, 2026
Chicago Bears wide receiver
Rome Odunze (foot) was a limited practice participant on Thursday, per Michal Dwojak of Bears Insider. Odunze missed the final five games of the regular season due to a stress fracture in his foot and is apparently still managing the injury. However, the 23-year-old was able to return to the field in Chicago's Wild Card Weekend win over the Green Bay Packers, recording two catches for 44 yards on six targets. Barring a major setback, it seems likely that Odunze will play through the injury once again in the Divisional round against the Los Angeles Rams. Still, Odunze was limited to just 69% of the Bears' offensive snaps against the Packers and could be facing a reduced workload for the remainder of Chicago's playoff run. Given his injury concerns and the recent emergence of Bears wide receiver
Luther Burden III and tight end
Colston Loveland, Odunze will be tough for fantasy managers to trust against the Rams.
--Will BradySource: Bears Insider - Michal Dwojak
January 15, 2026
Omar Ruiz of NFL Network reports that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback
Patrick Mahomes (knee) says his rehab from ACL and LCL tears in his knee is "going great." According to Ruiz, Mahomes stated that his goal is to be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season, which doctors have said is possible, but there is still a long way to go. Mahomes underwent surgery in mid-December, so a Week 1 return would require less than nine months of recovery time. Across 14 games before getting injured, the 30-year-old completed 62.7% of his pass attempts for 3,587 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Mahomes also rushed for 422 yards and five scores, making 2025 the most productive rushing season of his career. His recovery progress will be one of the key storylines for fantasy managers to track throughout the offseason.
--Will BradySource: NFL Network - Omar Ruiz
January 15, 2026
ESPN's Jeff Darlington reports that former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel could decide to wait to take another head-coaching job this cycle, especially since he very much likes the idea of a few of the open offensive-coordinator jobs around the league. The Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Los Angeles Chargers all have openings that McDaniel might really like. The Buccaneers' job, in particular, could be the most appealing to McDaniel because of the autonomy it would provide. The Eagles, Lions, and Chargers all have offensive-minded head coaches who could clash with McDaniels' scheme and preferences. Right now, the former Dolphins coach is doing his due diligence and interviewing with all the teams that are interested in him before he makes a final decision.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Darlington
January 15, 2026
Buffalo Bills kicker
Matt Prater (quadriceps, calf) has been cleared to kick in the Divisional Round this Saturday against his former team, the Denver Broncos. Prater was held out of Tuesday's practice, was a full-go on Wednesday, and was limited on Thursday. The 41-year-old veteran aggravated a quad injury in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the New York Jets, but he was active last weekend and handled field goals and extra points in the Wild-Card win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Prater made both of his field goals (one from 50-plus yards) and all three of his extra points against the Jags. He'll have the thin air in Denver to his advantage on Saturday, but at less than 100% in a tough matchup, Prater is on the lower end of kicking options this weekend. The Broncos allowed the third-fewest fantasy points per game to placekickers in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: Buffalo Bills PR
January 15, 2026
Buffalo Bills tight end
Dalton Kincaid (knee, calf) was limited in practice all week with knee and calf injuries, but he was cleared from the final injury report on Thursday and will be active on Saturday against the hosting Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round. Kincaid might not be 100% healthy this weekend, but he'll be available and should be one of quarterback
Josh Allen's top targets, especially with receivers
Gabe Davis (knee) and
Tyrell Shavers (knee) out. The Broncos' defense was pretty stingy all year against opposing offenses, but they were around the middle of the pack in terms of half-PPR points allowed per game to the TE position. Given the lack of aerial weapons for Allen, he'll be forced to use both Kincaid and TE
Dawson Knox. Kincaid is coming off a touchdown in the Wild-Card win over the Jaguars and should be considered a top-three TE in fantasy lineups this weekend.
--Keith HernandezSource: Buffalo Bills PR
January 15, 2026
Buffalo Bills quarterback
Josh Allen (foot, knee, finger) was listed with foot, knee, and finger injuries this week, but he practiced in full on Wednesday and Thursday and has been cleared to play in the Divisional Round of the playoffs this Saturday against the Denver Broncos. Allen is heading into a less-than-ideal matchup on the road with two of his receivers (
Gabe Davis and
Tyrell Shavers) out for the rest of the year with torn ACLs. However, he should still be considered one of the top-two QB plays in fantasy football playoff leagues because of his dual-threat abilities. Denver's strong defense allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to QBs during the regular season, but Allen is a different breed. He was the top fantasy QB in 2025 and led the NFL with 14 rushing touchdowns -- the next closest was
Trevor Lawrence with nine.
--Keith HernandezSource: Buffalo Bills PR
January 15, 2026
New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (concussion) shed his non-contact jersey in practice on Thursday, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. It suggests that Gonzalez is trending in the right direction to clear the league's concussion protocol to play on Sunday in the Divisional Round versus the visiting Houston Texans. Gonzalez could be a full participant in practice after being limited on Wednesday, but even if he is, he'd still need clearance from an independent neurologist to play on Sunday. The 23-year-old former first-rounder is one of the top cornerbacks in the league, so not having him this weekend would be a big blow to the Patriots' defense. The good news for New England is that it's looking like Houston will be without top receiver
Nico Collins (concussion). If Gonzalez plays, he could be locked up against rookie wideout
Jayden Higgins for most of the day.
UPDATE: Gonzalez practiced in full on Thursday.--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN Boston - Mike Reiss
January 15, 2026
The Pittsburgh Steelers have requested to interview Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley for their vacant head-coaching position, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Hafley has now been contacted by six teams about their head-coaching job, and he's considered one of the favorites to land the gig with the Miami Dolphins. So far, the Steelers are focusing their attention on defensive-minded head-coaching candidates as they look to replace Mike Tomlin, who resigned on Tuesday. Hafley has run the Packers' defense the last two seasons under head coach Matt LaFleur. In addition to searching for a new head coach, Pittsburgh will most likely be trying to figure out what to do at quarterback, with veteran
Aaron Rodgers unlikely to re-sign as a free agent now that Tomlin is gone.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
January 15, 2026
Houston Texans wide receiver
Nico Collins (concussion) is not at the portion of practice open to the media on Thursday as he remains in the league's concussion protocol, according to Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle. Collins is a "long shot" to play on Sunday against the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round, considering the steps he must still clear to be allowed to play this weekend. The 26-year-old suffered a concussion on Monday night in the Wild-Card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and never returned. He was seen being carted off the field with a towel over his head. He has one more day to return to practice, but this late in the week, Collins' chances aren't great. It's looking like the Texans will ask rookie receivers
Jayden Higgins and
Jaylin Noel,
Christian Kirk, and
Xavier Hutchinson to step up on Sunday, with Collins likely unavailable.
--Keith HernandezSource: Houston Chronicle - Jonathan M. Alexander
January 15, 2026
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (biceps, knee) was limited in practice all week and will be listed as questionable for Saturday's Divisional Round game versus the hosting Denver Broncos, according to Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network. The Bills will be without two starters on defense in cornerback Maxwell Hairston (ankle) and safety Jordan Poyer (hamstring), so the Bills would certainly welcome Oliver back if he is ready. The 28-year-old interior defensive lineman has been on Injured Reserve for most of the year due to biceps and knee injuries. In just three games before being shut down, Oliver was very effective, recording 12 total tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble for the Bills. If the Bills officially activate Oliver off IR on Friday, he'll almost certainly be active on Saturday.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Cameron Wolfe
January 15, 2026
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that running back
Ty Johnson (ankle) will be limited in practice on Thursday and will be listed as questionable on the final injury report for the Divisional Round on Saturday in Denver against the Broncos, according to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic. Johnson injured his ankle in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the New York Jets and was inactive last Sunday for the Wild-Card victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 28-year-old could be a game-time decision in Denver on Saturday, but even if he suits up, he won't be recommended for fantasy playoff lineups against a stout Broncos defense. Johnson has mostly operated as the RB3 this year behind starter
James Cook and
Ray Davis, carrying the ball 50 times for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson added two receiving TDs in 17 regular-season games.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Joe Buscaglia
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