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Who should I start for fantasy football playoff leagues in 2026? Fantasy football outlooks for Colston Loveland, Brenton Strange, George Kittle, Pat Freiermuth, Dalton Kincaid, Dallas Goedert, Tyler Higbee, Luke Musgrave.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common fantasy football playoff league lineup decisions involve players like Colston Loveland, Brenton Strange, George Kittle, Pat Freiermuth, Dalton Kincaid, Dallas Goedert, Tyler Higbee, Luke Musgrave. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make these decisions and build winning lineups in playoff leagues. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for playoff leagues and the 2026 NFL playoffs. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Fantasy Football Matchup Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in playoff leagues:
Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills
After missing Week 17 due to a knee injury, Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid returned in Week 18 and recorded three catches for 48 yards on three targets in his team's blowout win over the New York Jets. Multiple injuries limited the 26-year-old to just 12 games played in 2025, and he finished the season with 39 receptions for 571 yards and five touchdowns on 49 targets.
On a per-play basis, Kincaid is a highly efficient and productive tight end. However, playing time and target volume are issues for Kincaid's fantasy outlook. He has not played more than 38% of Buffalo's offensive snaps in any game since Week 5 and has not earned more than five targets in a game since Week 9. Heading into his Wild Card Weekend matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kincaid profiles as a high-ceiling, low-floor tight end option for fantasy managers in playoff leagues.
Brenton Strange, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
Across 12 games played in 2025, Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange hauled in 46 receptions for 540 yards and three touchdowns on 60 targets. The 25-year-old ended the regular season strong, recording 14 catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 18 targets over his last three contests. Strange may not offer tremendous production upside, but he has established himself as a low-risk tight end option for fantasy managers. Strange recorded at least 9.9 PPR fantasy points in seven out of the 12 games he was active for this season.
The Jaguars will host the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the AFC playoffs on Sunday. Buffalo's pass defense has been one of the strongest in the NFL this season, allowing the fewest total passing yards (2,894) of any unit. Still, given his projectable role, Strange profiles as a solid TE1 option for fantasy managers in playoff leagues.
Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears rookie tight end Colston Loveland is fresh off his best game of the season in Week 18 against the Lions, catching 10 of his 13 targets for 91 yards and a touchdown. The 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft ends his rookie campaign as the Bears' leading receiver, compiling 58 catches (82 targets) for 713 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games. Since Week 9, Loveland scored the second-most PPR points among all tight ends, trailing only Trey McBride. He recorded at least four receptions in seven of those 10 games and has emerged as one of quarterback Caleb Williams' go-to targets down the stretch, with receiver Rome Odunze (foot) sidelined.
Loveland profiles as one of the best tight ends to roster for fantasy managers in playoff leagues. He'll have a tougher matchup in the Wild-Card round against the division-rival Green Bay Packers, who have allowed the sixth-fewest yards per game (44.9) to tight ends this season. In two games against Green Bay this season, Loveland hauled in seven of his 10 targets for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee (ankle) was listed as a limited participant on the team's estimated injury report on Tuesday, per Sarah Barshop of ESPN. Higbee is managing an ankle injury that caused him to miss six regular-season contests. The 33-year-old veteran came off Injured Reserve to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Arizona Cardinals, though, and he played 64% of the snaps on his way to catching five of his six targets for 91 yards and a touchdown in his first game back.
Higbee should be fine to suit up for the Wild-Card playoff game on the road against the Carolina Panthers after not suffering a setback with his ankle injury. The Rams also have Colby Parkinson and rookie Terrance Ferguson (hamstring), and they are expected to get receiver Davante Adams (hamstring) back after a three-game absence. View Higbee as a touchdown-dependent, low-end TE1 in fantasy this weekend.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Playoff League Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Colston Loveland, Brenton Strange, George Kittle, Pat Freiermuth, Dalton Kincaid, Dallas Goedert, Tyler Higbee, Luke Musgrave. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in playoff leagues.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Playoff League Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for playoff leagues (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Playoff League Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for playoff leagues for Colston Loveland, Brenton Strange, George Kittle, Pat Freiermuth, Dalton Kincaid, Dallas Goedert, Tyler Higbee, Luke Musgrave:
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