Fantasy Divisional round Rankings: Position by position

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The Wild-Card Round of the NFL playoffs were great, and we had several exciting finishes with the Rams and Panthers, the Bears and Packers, the Bills and Jaguars and the 49ers and Packers. But we also had some heartbreak, notably with George Kittle.

The tight end ruptured his Achilles in San Francisco's 23-19 victory against Philadelphia, and his status for the start of the 2026 season is now in doubt. Kittle is 32, and it's fair to wonder if he'll ever be the same type of dominant player.

We'll fully evaluate his Fantasy value as we get closer to next season and find out about his rehab, but he won't be ranked as a starting tight end. At best, you'll take Kittle with a late-round pick in the majority of leagues, especially if you can stash him on injured reserve if he's not ready for Week 1.

Jake Tonges will replace Kittle for the remainder of the playoffs, and the 49ers play the Seahawks in the Divisional Round. Tonges started in place of Kittle in Week 17 against Chicago when he was out with an ankle injury, and Tonges had seven catches for 60 yards and a touchdown on nine targets against the Bears.

Tonges is playing on a one-year, $1,03 million contract for San Francisco in 2025, so the 49ers will have to re-sign him if they view him as a potential starter in 2026 while Kittle is out. We could also see the 49ers bring in another tight end via free agency or the NFL Draft, so keep an eye on what happens this offseason.

If Tonges stays in San Francisco in 2026 then his Fantasy stock is up due to Kittle's injury. Now, let's review some other players who saw their Fantasy stock rise or fall after what just happened in the wild-card round.

Stock Up

Colston Loveland

Loveland was a beast in Chicago's 31-27 victory against Green Bay with eight catches for 137 yards on 15 targets. He has now scored at least 21.4 PPR points in three games in a row, and he's poised for a breakout season in 2026. I had Loveland as my No. 4 tight end prior to Kittle's injury, and now the only tight ends I will draft ahead of Loveland in 2026 are Trey McBride and Brock Bowers. I would draft Loveland as early as Round 5 in all leagues.

Jalen Coker

Coker was a star for Carolina in the 34-31 loss against the Rams with nine catches for 134 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets. He closed the season on a high note with at least 14 PPR points in four of his final six games, including four touchdowns over that span. He's headed into his third season in 2026, and Coker should be a solid complement to Tetaiora McMillan for the Panthers. Coker should be an excellent mid- to late-round pick in all leagues.

Romeo Doubs

Doubs had a great game for the Packers in the 31-27 loss to the Bears with eight catches for 124 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets, and that performance should help him heading into free agency. We'll see where he plays in 2026, but he could be a solid No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues. In 2025, Doubs had nine games with at least five targets, and he averaged 16.2 PPR points over that span. With the right team, Doubs could be worth a mid-round pick in all leagues.

Jordan Love

Love was excellent in the loss against the Bears with 323 passing yards and four touchdowns, and he added 11 rushing yards. It was a solid performance following a two-game absence due to a concussion, and Love will be a great quarterback to wait for on Draft Day in 2026. He won't be drafted as a starter in the majority of leagues, but he scored at least 25.3 Fantasy points in three of his final five games and could easily emerge as a weekly starter in 2026 as the year goes on.

Khalil Shakir

Shakir was a star for Buffalo in the 27-24 victory against Jacksonville with 12 catches for 82 yards on 12 targets, and it was great to see him perform at this level after a disappointing finish in the regular season. Shakir scored 9.6 PPR points or less in four of his final five games, but he proved against the Jaguars that he's still one of Josh Allen's go-to guys. We'll see what the Bills do this offseason to enhance their receiving corps, but if no one of significance is added then Shakir will be a great mid-round pick in all leagues. And if someone of prominence is added then Shakir is still a solid player to draft with a late-round selection.

Parker Washington

Washington closed the season as Jacksonville's best receiver with seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets in the loss to Buffalo, and he finished the year with at least 19 PPR points in four games in a row. We'll see what the Jaguars' receiving corps looks like in 2026 when Travis Hunter (knee) is healthy, but Washington might be better than Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers and Hunter after the way this season ended. I'm going to love drafting Washington with a mid- to late-round pick in all leagues in 2026.

Trevor Lawrence

Lawrence had another solid Fantasy outing in the loss to Buffalo with 207 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, along with 31 rushing yards. He scored 25.4 Fantasy points, and he finished the season with at least 23.1 Fantasy points in eight games in a row. Per our Fantasy Football Today podcast host Adam Aizer, Josh Allen has never had a streak like that, and Patrick Mahomes hasn't accomplished that feat since 2021. I'm excited to draft Lawrence as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues in 2026 with a late-round pick.

Rhamondre Stevenson

I love TreVeyon Henderson's potential, and I'll likely draft him first of the New England running backs in 2026. But it's hard to ignore what Stevenson has done to close the season, including his performance in the 16-3 victory against the Chargers with 10 carries for 53 yards and three catches for 75 yards on four targets. He has scored at least 15.8 PPR points in four games in a row, and he'll be an excellent mid-round pick in the majority of leagues in 2026. Even if Henderson takes a huge step forward in his sophomore year, Stevenson will remain a significant part of the Patriots offense -- and might be a Fantasy starter as well.

Woody Marks

Marks had the first 100-yard game of his career in the 30-6 Houston victory at Pittsburgh. He finished with 19 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown and no catches on one target. It's been an up-and-down rookie season for Marks, who became the Texans top running back in Week 4 but only had six games with double digits in PPR in 14 games, including the playoffs. We'll see what Houston does with its backfield this offseason, but Marks will likely be drafted as a high-end flex with a mid-round pick if the Texans starter again in 2026.

Stock Down

Rome Odunze

I'm hopeful that Oduze does better in the Divisional Round against the Rams than he did in the Wild-Card Round against the Packers when he had two catches for 44 yards on six targets. Granted, he was coming back from a five-game absence due to a foot injury, but while he was gone we watched Loveland, Luther Burden III and even D.J. Moore surpass Odunze as go-to targets for Caleb Williams. And, as of now, I would draft Loveland and Burden ahead of Odunze in 2026. He'll still be valued as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues, but Odunze has now scored 8.3 PPR points or less in seven of his past nine games, including the playoffs.

Rico Dowdle

Dowdle had a rough game against the Rams with five carries for 9 yards and one catch for 6 yards on two targets. He heads into free agency having scored 9.9 PPR points or less in five of his past six games, and we'll see where he ends up in 2026. Most likely, Dowdle will be a complementary back with the chance to compete for a starting job, and he'll only be worth drafting with a mid-round pick at best. If he returns to the Panthers, Dowdle will compete with Chuba Hubbard and potentially Jonathon Brooks (knee) for playing time. Dowdle had three games in 2025 with at least 28.1 PPR points, but his disappointing finish will be hard for Fantasy managers to forget.

Josh Jacobs

Jacobs struggled in the loss to the Bears with 19 carries for 55 yards and one catch for 1 yard on three targets. He closed the season with 6.8 PPR points or less in three games in a row, and we'll see how Fantasy managers view Jacobs heading into 2026. It's doubtful the Packers bring in significant competition for Jacobs, who had a solid campaign in 2025 at 15.8 PPR points per game. But he turns 28 in February and battled a knee injury toward the end of the season. I still consider Jacobs a low-end No. 1 running back in all leagues, and he's worth drafting in Round 3.

Brian Thomas Jr.

Thomas was a bust in the regular season, and he did little to improve his stock in the playoff loss against Buffalo with two catches for 21 yards and a touchdown on two targets. While the touchdown was nice, it did little to help Fantasy managers forget that he averaged 10.1 PPR points per game in 2025 after a superb rookie season in 2024 when he averaged 16.7 PPR points per game. We'll see what happens with the Jaguars this offseason, but Thomas will be tough to trust as a Fantasy starter, especially if Jacksonville has Washington, Meyers and Hunter all competing for targets. At best, Thomas will be worth drafting in Round 5 in the majority of leagues.

Jalen Hurts

Hurts had a rough playoff game against the 49ers with 168 passing yards and a touchdown, and he added 14 rushing yards. He ended the season having scored 14.1 Fantasy points or less in three of his final five games, and I'm curious how Fantasy managers will view Hurts in 2026. Hopefully, the Eagles will move on from Kevin Patullo as the offensive coordinator, and it would be great if Hurts got back to running the ball after he had just 105 carries for 421 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025. Those were all his lowest totals since his rookie season in 2020. I still plan to draft Hurts as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues, but I doubt he'll be ranked as a top-five quarterback heading into 2026.

A.J. Brown

Brown had three catches for 25 yards on seven targets in the loss to San Francisco, and now we go into this offseason of uncertainty for where he will play in 2026. This was the worst season Brown had since coming to Philadelphia in 2022 at 14.7 PPR points, but he also had some positive moments. He scored at least 16 PPR points in four of his final six games in the regular season and averaged 19.8 PPR points per game over that span. We'll see if he leaves the Eagles, and if he returns, what happens with the offense if Patullo is gone. There's a lot to be determined with Brown over the next few months, but for now plan to draft him in Round 3 in all leagues.

TreVeyon Henderson

Henderson had a down game in the playoff victory against the Chargers with nine carries for 27 yards and one catch for 9 yards on one target. He's now scored 8.2 PPR points or less in three of his past four games, including the playoffs, and he has been outplayed by Stevenson down the stretch. We'll see how the season ends for Henderson, but Stevenson will clearly remain a factor for the Patriots in 2026, which will cap the upside for Henderson in his sophomore campaign. As of now, the earliest I would draft Henderson in 2026 is Round 4.

DK Metcalf

Metcalf had two catches for 42 yards on five targets in the playoff loss to Houston, and he closed the season with 9.9 PPR points or less in six of his past nine games, including one receiving touchdown over that span. And now we have a lot of uncertainty for Metcalf and the Steelers this offseason with a new coach and likely new quarterback coming to Pittsburgh in 2026. Metcalf still has the potential to be a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues, but the earliest you should draft him is Round 5.

Ladd McConkey

McConkey had three catches for 32 yards on four targets in the playoff loss at New England, and that was the end to a disappointing sophomore season for McConkey in 2025. He scored 6.2 PPR points or less in five of his final seven games, and he only averaged 11.3 PPR points per game for the season, which was a steep decline from his rookie campaign when he was at 15.1. McConkey has plenty of bounce-back potential in 2026, which will be his third season in the NFL, and hopefully the Chargers offensive line will be healthy to help the entire passing attack. I plan to draft McConkey as early as Round 3 in all leagues.