Houston Texans running back Nick Chubb will have an elevated role as the team's RB2 on Monday night against the hosting Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild-Card playoff game, with Jawhar Jordan (ankle) ruled out. Chubb was a healthy scratch in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Indianapolis Colts, with Jordan taking over RB2 duties behind rookie starter Woody Marks. The 30-year-old should be more involved against Pittsburgh, but he by no means should be considered a standalone starter in fantasy lineups on Monday night. Chubb saw one carry in two of his final three regular-season games. He averaged 4.1 yards per carry on his 122 rushing attempts for 506 yards in 15 regular-season contests. Dare Ogunbowale may see the field more than Chubb on Monday night. Chubb hasn't seen double-digit carries in a game since Nov. 2 against the Broncos.

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III stepped up with DK Metcalf on suspension in the team's Week 18 win over the Baltimore Ravens, which helped them win the AFC North division. Austin caught three of his seven targets for 55 yards and the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was the 26-year-old's third touchdown of the year and his first since back on Sept. 21 in the win over the New England Patriots. The week prior, with Metcalf out due to suspension, Austin caught his only target for an eight-yard gain. His touchdown catch in Week 18 against the Ravens came with help from cornerback Chidobe Awuzie slipping to leave him wide open. Austin had just 31 catches for 372 yards and three touchdowns in 14 regular-season games, so he wasn't really on the radar in 12-team fantasy leagues. With Metcalf returning from his suspension in the Wild-Card game on Monday night against the Houston Texans, we aren't expecting much from Austin against the No. 1 defense in the NFL.

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Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth had very limited fantasy football upside in 2025 while sharing TE duties with both Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington (forearm). He finished as the TE24 in half-PPR scoring in 16 regular-season games, with 41 catches on 54 targets for 486 yards and four touchdowns. Freiermuth and Smith should have slightly bigger roles going into the playoffs on Wild-Card weekend on Monday night against the Houston Texans with Washington out, but the 27-year-old still isn't an ideal option for fantasy managers in a bad matchup. Freiermuth did finish the regular season strong with six catches on 10 targets for 114 yards in the final two games, but he hasn't scored since Nov. 23. The Texans have the No. 1 defense in the league, and they've allowed only 775 receiving yards (seventh-fewest) and eight TDs all year to the tight end position.

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Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Jayden Higgins comes into Monday night's Wild-Card playoff matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a touchdown in each of his last two games. The matchup against Pittsburgh is a good one, as the Steelers' defense has allowed the eighth-most half-PPR fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts. The 23-year-old second-rounder from Iowa State only caught two passes for 23 yards in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Indianapolis Colts despite playing a season-high 81% of the offensive snaps with Nico Collins resting, but the rookie still managed to find the end zone for the second straight week. It's worth noting that he had another long touchdown catch called back due to a penalty. Higgins figures to be the WR2 behind Collins on Monday, where he'll be a boom/bust WR2 for fantasy managers.

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Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said on Monday that it was "precautionary" when asked why tight end Dalton Kincaid (leg) was in a walking boot following Sunday's Wild-Card victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg. McDermott also said that Kincaid "should be fine" to play in the Divisional Round of the playoffs this Saturday versus the hosting Denver Broncos. The 26-year-old third-year tight end caught three of his five targets on Sunday for 28 yards and a touchdown in the 27-24 win. However, he played only 28 offensive snaps after dealing with both knee and hamstring injuries late in the regular season. Fantasy managers would like to see Kincaid on the field more, but that might not happen if he's not 100% the rest of the postseason. Still, he'll be in play as a TE1 in fantasy football lineups if he's active against Denver. Kincaid has a team-high six receiving scores this year.

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Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said on Monday that wide receiver Gabe Davis (knee) suffered a torn left ACL and will be out for the rest of the season, according to Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN. Before injuring his knee in Sunday's Wild-Card win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Davis caught two of his three targets for 14 yards. The 26-year-old rejoined the Bills this year, but he didn't make his season debut until Week 11, and he played in only six games as WR depth. Davis finished his sixth year in the NFL with a career-low 12 receptions on 18 targets for 129 yards and one touchdown in six regular-season games. It's incredibly bad timing, as he'll be an unrestricted free agent in March. Because Davis could miss at least half of the 2026 season, he probably won't have many suitors on the free-agent market this offseason.

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Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (ankle, leg) said he broke his fibula and tore a ligament in his ankle this year, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The ligament injury in Wyatt's ankle is the worst of the two injuries, but he said that he would "definitely be ready for training camp." The 27-year-old defensive lineman was placed on Injured Reserve back on Dec. 5, and he wasn't available to the Packers the rest of the way. When healthy, Wyatt, a former 28th overall pick in 2022 out of Georgia, will be a key interior-line presence for the Packers' defense. He'll be playing on his fifth-year option in 2026. In 10 games before his injury in 2025, Wyatt had 27 tackles (15 solo), four sacks, six tackles for loss, seven QB hits, and two pass breakups. He's had at least four sacks in each of the last three seasons.

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Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud averaged 234 passing yards per game in his five full starts since returning from the mid-season concussion that cost him three games. In that time, he threw six touchdowns to two interceptions while adding 169 yards and a score in a Week 18 win over the Colts that saw most of the team's starters pulled early. On Monday night, the Texans travel to Pittsburgh to face a Steelers defense that ranked 30th out of 32 teams against fantasy quarterbacks in the regular season. While Stroud doesn't offer the ceiling of some of the other quarterbacks in the playoff field, he is a smart, reliable passer with an underrated stable of pass catchers. He is RotoBaller's QB10 for the weekend, but given the plus-matchup, he makes for a smart start in any fantasy playoff format that allows players to be used only once.

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Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said on Monday that he's optimistic that rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson (hamstring) will play against the Chicago Bears on Sunday in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, according to Gary Klein of The Los Angeles Times. Ferguson suffered a hamstring injury in Week 17 and has missed the last two games, including Saturday's Wild-Card victory over the Carolina Panthers on the road. The 22-year-old rookie tight end scored touchdowns in each of the last two games that he played in against the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks, but that was also when Tyler Higbee was still on Injured Reserve. Higbee is now back in the fold, and the Rams also have Colby Parkinson at the position, which will likely leave a very small role for Ferguson if he returns in the Divisional Round this Sunday in Chicago.

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Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (knee) said on Monday that he's targeting a Week 1 return for the start of the 2026 season this fall, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. "By the time Week 1 rolls around, I'll be 10 months post-surgery and hopefully bulletproofed by then. I already feel pretty good. My progress so far has been great. Some would say even ahead of schedule," Kraft said. The 25-year-old tore his ACL in the Week 9 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Before the season-ending injury, Kraft was well on his way to a breakout campaign in his third year in the league, as he caught 32 of his 44 targets for 489 yards and six touchdowns in eight starts. In 2024, he had a 50-707-7 line in 17 regular-season games. Kraft's 2026 fantasy value will mainly be tied to whether he's ready for the season opener, and if he is, he should be considered a strong TE1 target.

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers returns to the playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season, and on Monday night, he faces a Texans defense that has given quarterbacks fits all year long. Houston has held opposing quarterbacks 4.1 fantasy points below their season-long average, topped only by the Minnesota Vikings. The 42-year-old Rodgers started the season strongly but has thrown multiple touchdowns in a game only once since Week 9. While it's unlikely he will see anything on Monday night that he isn't mentally prepared for, his physical shortcomings and lack of a supporting cast could leave the Steelers up against it early. In a Wild Card Weekend with 12 teams in action, Rodgers is RotoBaller's QB12 for fantasy playoff leagues.

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf returns from his two-game suspension, and on Monday night, he faces a Texans defense that finished the regular season as the fourth most difficult matchup for fantasy wide receivers. On average, the Texans held opposing wide receiver rooms 4.4 points below their season-long average in half-PPR formats. With Metcalf the only true outside threat on the Steelers' roster, he is likely to see a fair share of coverage from recently named First Team All-Pro Derek Stingley Jr. In a Wild Card matchup that sees them as three-point underdogs at home, Metcalf is RotoBaller's WR18 in fantasy playoff leagues and should be plugged into lineups on an emergency basis only.

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Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz closed the year as a top-12 fantasy tight end in four of the last six weeks of the regular season, and in Monday night's Wild Card matchup in Pittsburgh, he faces a Steelers defense that has allowed the third-most fantasy points above expectation to the position. With Schultz earning at least four targets in every game this season, while topping a 20% target share seven different times, he has established himself as a critical piece of the Texans' passing offense and one of C.J. Stroud's most trusted weapons. Schultz entered the weekend as RotoBaller's TE6 in fantasy playoff leagues, but he could be in line for a high-ceiling game against an opponent that has struggled to defend the position all year long.

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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren finished the regular season with 1,291 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns, but in Monday night's Wild Card finale, he faces a Texans defense that has been among the most punishing all season long. Houston has been the 8th most formidable fantasy defense in terms of limiting opposing running backs, holding lead backs 2.4 points below their season average. With Warren already working as part of a committee with Kenneth Gainwell, neither player boasts a particularly high ceiling, though both are buoyed by their steady work in the passing game. Warren is RotoBaller's RB9 for Wild Card Weekend and will likely need to see a strong target share to make good on that projection.

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Green Bay Packers All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons (knee) said he knows a Week 1 return in 2026 is probably unrealistic, but he thinks he can return from a torn ACL within the first month of the season, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN. Parsons has an expected recovery time of nine months after having surgery to fix a torn ACL in his left knee at the end of December. The good news is that the 26-year-old defensive end suffered a clean tear of his ACL in the Week 15 loss to the Denver Broncos, and he didn't sustain any further damage to other ligaments in his knee. Before his season-ending injury in his first year with the Packers, Parsons collected 41 tackles (19 solo), 12.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles in 14 games. Parsons' IDP stock will obviously be down in 2026 since he won't play a full season, but the three-time All-Pro will have the ability to be a game-changer once again as soon as he returns.

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Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said he's "optimistic" that right guard Kevin Dotson (ankle) will be able to play against the Chicago Bears on Sunday in the Divisional Round of the postseason, according to Adam Grosbard of the Los Angeles Daily News. Dotson has been sidelined since suffering an ankle injury against the Seattle Seahawks back in Week 16 on Thursday Night Football. The 29-year-old's availability for this weekend will ultimately depend on how he looks in practices this week, but Dotson's return would be good news for a Rams offense that is already one of the most potent in the league. Justin Dedich has been stepping up in a starting role on L.A.'s offensive line since Dotson's late-season ankle injury.

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Houston Texans backup quarterback Davis Mills (personal), whose wife recently gave birth, will travel to Pittsburgh and be available for the Wild-Card game on Monday night against the Steelers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Mills stayed an extra night at home to be with his family. The 27-year-old signal-caller will be active on Monday night as the backup to starter C.J. Stroud against Pittsburgh. If Mills hadn't been available for this game, Graham Mertz would have been in line to serve as Stroud's backup against Pittsburgh. Mills performed admirably for Houston this year when Stroud was unavailable due to a concussion. He appeared in six games (three starts), going 91-for-159 passing for 915 yards with five touchdowns and just one interception to go 3-0 for the Texans.

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Los Angeles Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (shoulder) is going on Injured Reserve after aggravating and re-breaking his scapula injury from earlier this year, according to head coach Sean McVay. The Rams will not have Witherspoon in their secondary for the rest of the postseason after he was injured in Saturday's Wild-Card win over the hosting Carolina Panthers. It's a tough break for the 30-year-old defensive back, who will become a free agent when the new league year begins in March. Witherspoon finished his third year in L.A. with just eight tackles (six solo), one interception, and two pass breakups in his six regular-season games played due to his shoulder injury.

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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said that cornerback Christian Gonzalez (head) is in the league's concussion protocol after getting injured in Sunday night's Wild-Card victory over the visiting Los Angeles Chargers, according to Mark Daniels of Mass Live. "How long that lasts, I don't know," Vrabel said. Gonzalez's status for the Divisional Round is now up in the air, and he'll have to pass through the NFL's five-step protocol to be cleared to play on Sunday against either the Pittsburgh Steelers or Houston Texans. New England's defense was firing on all cylinders against a banged-up Bolts offensive line on Sunday night and held the Chargers to just one field goal. If the Patriots don't have Gonzalez in the fold this weekend, though, it will be a big downgrade for their secondary against either Pittsburgh or Houston.

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (finger) has "a little sprain on his index finger," according to head coach Sean McVay. "He's as tough as it gets, and he'll be good to go," McVay said. Stafford's finger got jammed into a Carolina Panthers defender during Saturday's Wild-Card win, but the 37-year-old MVP front-runner should be fine to play this Sunday in the Divisional Round on the road versus the Chicago Bears. Stafford went 24-for-42 passing against Carolina for 304 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He will be a very popular QB option for this week's playoff games in fantasy football, as the Bears' defense allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing QBs during 17 regular-season games, including 32 touchdown passes, the fourth-most in the NFL. Stafford will likely be on L.A.'s injury report this week, but he should be fine to play on Sunday.

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