Fantasy Championship round Rankings: Position by position

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We had two significant injuries in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs last weekend, with Zach Charbonnet (ACL) and Bo Nix (broken ankle). Both are out for the remainder of the postseason, which is unfortunate for them and their teams.

For Nix, he will miss the AFC Championship Game against New England, but he should return for the start of the 2026 campaign. We'll see what happens with his recovery and what Denver does this offseason in free agency and the NFL Draft, but Nix should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy quarterback at best in the majority of leagues.

He had a solid game against Buffalo before getting injured with 279 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, along with 29 rushing yards, and he scored at least 21.5 Fantasy points for the eighth time this season. For the season, Nix averaged 20.3 Fantasy points per game.

Charbonnet's injury is the bigger Fantasy storyline for the postseason and into 2026. He will likely miss the start of next season due to his ACL tear, and ESPN reported that Charbonnet is facing "a long road to come back."

Seattle will lean on Kenneth Walker III in the NFC Championship Game against the Rams, and he had a dominant game against the 49ers in the Divisional Round when Charbonnet was injured, with 19 carries for 116 yards and three touchdowns and three catches for 29 yards on three targets. Charbonnet missed one game during the season in Week 3 against New Orleans with a foot injury, and Walker had 16 carries for 38 yards and two touchdowns and one catch for 12 yards on one target.

Walker also did well against the Rams in two games this season in tandem with Charbonnet. In Week 11 at Los Angeles, Walker had 16 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 44 yards on three targets for 20.1 PPR points. And in Week 16 against the Rams, Walker had 11 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 64 yards on three targets for 25.4 PPR points.

Seattle will now have a decision to make with Walker, who is a free agent this offseason. With Charbonnet injured, Walker returning to the Seahawks on a new deal or the franchise tag makes a lot of sense.

We'll see what develops this offseason, but Walker's Fantasy stock is now on the rise, especially if he returns to Seattle while Charbonnet is out. We could be looking at Walker as a second-round pick in the majority of Fantasy leagues.

Charbonnet will be a late-round pick at best, but hopefully, he can make a speedy recovery. For now, Charbonnet's Fantasy stock is clearly on the decline. Now, let's review some other players who saw their Fantasy stock rise or fall after what just happened in the Divisional Round.

Stock Up

Drake Maye

Maye had a solid outing against Houston in the Divisional Round with 179 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, and he added 10 rushing yards. He scored 20.2 Fantasy points, and he's now reached that total in five of his past seven games. For the season, Maye averaged 24.4 Fantasy points per game, and he continues to solidify himself as a top three Fantasy quarterback heading into 2026. The only quarterbacks I would consider drafting ahead of Maye, as of now, are Josh Allen and Joe Burrow.

Caleb Williams

Williams ended his season with an interception in overtime of the 20-17 loss to the Rams, but he gave Chicago a chance to win the game with a ridiculous touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to Cole Kmet. He finished with 20.3 Fantasy points, and he reached that total in each of his final six games. There's a lot to love about Williams, who will hopefully continue to improve in his second season with Ben Johnson, and the Bears are loaded on offense with Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III, and D.J. Moore. I plan to draft Williams as a borderline top-five Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.

Dalton Kincaid

The Bills had a tough 33-30 loss to the Broncos in overtime, but Kincaid ended his season on a high note with six catches for 83 yards and a touchdown on six targets for 20.3 PPR points. In two playoff games against Jacksonville and Denver, Kincaid had nine catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 11 targets. He should be considered a borderline top-10 Fantasy tight end in all leagues for 2026, but we'll see what Buffalo does this offseason to enhance the receiving corps, especially with a new coach and offensive coordinator. Kincaid played in 14 games this season, including the playoffs, and he scored at least 11.8 PPR points in seven of them. He'll be a great late-round pick in all formats.

Jayden Higgins

Nico Collins (concussion) didn't play in the 28-16 loss to New England, which allowed Higgins to play a more prominent role with six catches for 59 yards on 10 targets. It wasn't a great game, but I'm hopeful Higgins will open the 2026 campaign as the No. 2 receiver for the Texans opposite Collins. We'll see what happens with Tank Dell (knee), who missed all of 2025, and Christian Kirk is a free agent this offseason. Jaylin Noel will also have an expanded role as well, but Higgins is worth drafting in all leagues with a late-round pick. He had eight games in his rookie season with at least five targets, and he averaged 11.5 PPR points over that span, including four touchdowns.

Kayshon Boutte

Boutte had three catches for 75 yards and a touchdown on five targets in the victory against Houston, and he's someone to target in all leagues with a late-round pick in 2026. We'll see what New England does with its receiving corps this offseason, especially with Stefon Diggs, but Boutte should still have a prominent role for the Patriots. He had five games this season with at least five targets, including the playoffs, and he scored at least 13.5 PPR points in all of those outings. He could emerge as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues if he gets more chances in 2026.

Stock Down

Christian McCaffrey

McCaffrey fought through a stinger in the 41-6 loss at Seattle, and he struggled with 11 carries for 35 yards and five catches for 39 yards on six targets. His production against the Seahawks isn't the real concern, especially since he played hurt, but we now have to determine his Fantasy value for 2026. He turns 30 in June, and he has had over 400 total touches for the second time in three seasons. For now, we'll plan to draft McCaffrey in the first round in the majority of leagues, but he could be tough to trust at his age and coming off a heavy workload in 2025.

Luther Burden III

I'm excited to draft Burden in 2026, and he could be special in his sophomore campaign. But he struggled in his past two games against Green Bay and the Rams when Rome Odunze was healthy, with a combined six catches for 66 yards on 14 targets. Burden also had three catches for 35 yards on four targets in Week 18 against Detroit. We'll see what the Bears do this offseason with D.J. Moore, but if he returns as expected, then it could be too many mouths to feed in Chicago for Burden to reach his full potential when you include Odunze and Colston Loveland. Burden remains my favorite Bears receiver in 2026, but the earliest I would draft him is Round 5 in most leagues.

Courtland Sutton

We'll see how Sutton does in the AFC Championship Game against New England, but it's hard to expect a big outing with Bo Nix (ankle) out and Jarrett Stidham under center, especially with a matchup looming against Christian Gonzalez. Sutton struggled against Buffalo with four catches for 53 yards on nine targets, and he has scored 9.3 PPR points or less in three games in a row. For the season, Sutton averaged 13.5 PPR points per game, and he's been solid in two years with Nix, with an average of 77.5 catches, 1,049 yards, and 7.5 touchdowns over that span. He's a good No. 2 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues, but the earliest you should draft him is Round 4.

C.J. Stroud

Stroud was bad in the loss to New England with 212 passing yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions, and he added 11 rushing yards for 7.6 Fantasy points. He ended the season with five games in a row with 19.3 Fantasy points or less, and he only had one game with more than 20 Fantasy points since Week 8. The hope for Stroud in 2026 would be Tank Dell (knee) back at 100 percent and a loaded receiving corps featuring Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, Dell, and Dalton Schultz. But Stroud has yet to recapture his rookie season magic from 2023 when he averaged 21.5 Fantasy points, and he's been at 17.6 points or less in each of the past two years. Stroud should only be considered a backup Fantasy quarterback in most leagues for next season.

Woody Marks

Marks was bad against New England with 14 carries for 17 yards and two catches for 19 yards on three targets. It was a huge step back from his performance in the Wild-Card Round against Pittsburgh, when he had 19 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown and no catches on one target. But Marks struggled down the stretch with 8.5 PPR points or less in seven of his final nine games, including the playoffs. He had at least 16 total touches in seven of those outings, but five of them were bad stat lines. We'll see what Houston does with its backfield in 2026, and it appears that Joe Mixon (foot) won't be back after he missed all of 2025. Marks could be the No. 1 running back for the Texans, but the earliest I would draft him is Round 6.