New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins (abdomen), who was listed as questionable going into Sunday's AFC Championship in Denver versus the Broncos, is officially active. The Patriots activated Hollins from Injured Reserve on Saturday, paving the way for him to make his first appearance since injuring his abdomen in the Week 16 win over the Baltimore Ravens. The 32-year-old will provide quarterback Drake Maye as an extra deep threat on the outside, although fantasy managers should view him as a boom/bust sleeper for playoff lineups. During the regular season in his first year with the Pats, eight-year pro caught 46 of 65 targets for 550 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie Efton Chism III is a healthy scratch with Hollins returning. Rookie Kyle Williams and DeMario Douglas could have fewer opportunities on the field with Hollins coming back as well.

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Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin (hamstring) is officially inactive for the AFC Championship game on Sunday against the visiting New England Patriots, according to Mike Klis of 9 News. Franklin injured his hamstring early in the Divisional Round win against the Buffalo Bills and never returned. He was limited in practice all week, but the Broncos weren't comfortable making him active. Although Franklin saw his role decline late in the year, it's a notable loss for a Denver offense that is forced to start backup quarterback Jarrett Stidman against New England with Bo Nix (ankle) out for the rest of the season. The second-year wideout from Oregon was the Broncos' second leading receiver during the regular season with 65 catches, 709 yards, and six touchdowns on 104 targets. Marvin Mims Jr., rookie Pat Bryant, and Lil'Jordan Humphrey will need to step up behind Courtland Sutton against a solid Patriots defense on Sunday.

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ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Seattle Seahawks running backs George Holani and Cam Akers are expected to be used in backup roles in Sunday's NFC Championship game against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams, with some work expected for each player. Zach Charbonnet (knee) suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers, so Kenneth Walker III will become Seattle's workhorse RB. Holani was just activated from Injured Reserve this week and last played in Week 12, so he most likely won't have a big change-of-pace role this weekend behind Walker. In 11 games during the regular season, Holani had only 22 rushing attempts for 73 yards and one touchdown. Akers didn't join the Seahawks until midseason, and he's still looking for his first carry with the team. Neither Holani nor Akers should be in fantasy playoff lineups.

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Buffalo Bills CB Tre'Davious White was fined $14,222 by the National Football League for his outburst at an official who had flagged him for pass interference during overtime of the AFC Divisional Round game against the Denver Broncos. He was charged with unsportsmanlike conduct for removing his helmet to yell at the official and was penalized on the play, which moved the football half the distance to the goal and made it easier for the Broncos to kick a game-winning field goal.

From TheHuddle

Denver Broncos tight end Evan Engram has continued to occupy a smaller role throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. As a result, he's difficult to trust ahead of Sunday's AFC Championship game. Engram finished the regular season with a modest 50 catches, 461 yards, and one touchdown, ranking as the TE29 in full-PPR leagues despite playing 16 games. He added just one reception for seven yards in the Broncos' playoff win last weekend. Moving forward, we expect Engram to remain in a similarly small and discouraging role against the New England Patriots, who allowed the 15th-most fantasy points to tight ends during the regular season. Denver prefers targeting its very talented receiver room, and we could also see the Broncos run the ball more with Bo Nix (ankle) out. The quarterback change is perhaps the biggest question mark surrounding Engram's outlook. Although he underperformed while catching passes from Nix, we can't exactly project how he'll play with Jarrett Stidham, who hasn't thrown a pass all year. As a result, we're continuing to temper our expectations. Engram is the overall TE6 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football rankings for this weekend.

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Seattle Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo (knee) has been activated from injured reserve, but it's unlikely that he'll have a major role in his return to action against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. In his last five regular-season games before getting hurt, the rookie had caught just two passes for 10 yards, and he played fewer than half of the offensive snaps on all five occasions. Seattle remains encouraged about his long-term value, especially after spending a second-round pick on him, but we don't expect him to be a major threat in the NFC Championship game. Instead, we expect to see a consistently heavier dose of AJ Barner. Barner had 12 targets and two touchdowns over his final three regular-season games, and in his last outing against the Rams, he exploded for 10 catches and 70 yards. DFS players can avoid Arroyo this week, and bettors can expect him to remain in a minimal role.

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Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (ankle) is expected to be sidelined for 12 weeks as he recovers from surgery on his broken ankle, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Nix suffered the injury during last week's Divisional Round win overthe Buffalo Bills and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs. The second-year signal-caller finished the regular season with a 63.4% completion rate, 3,931 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He also rushed for 356 yards and an additional five scores. Nix didn't take a very big leap during his second season in the league, but that was partly because he already had such an impressive rookie year. While he won't be available for the AFC Championship against the Patriots or the Super Bowl, should Denver qualify, Nix will be healthy and ready for training camp. In the meantime, Jarett Stidham will step up as the Broncos' starter.

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Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed was largely responsible for putting last week's Divisional Round rubber match with the 49ers out of hand from the jump, returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown in a game that was never close. The play marked Shaheed's third special teams score since being acquired from the New Orleans Saints via a mid-season trade, but his impact has been felt less on offense. After playing his first half of the season in New Orleans on a 17-game pace of 83 receptions for 943 yards and four touchdowns, that pace has fallen drastically to 26 catches for 320 yards and zero receiving touchdowns since his trade to Seattle. Over the past four games, he's caught two passes for ten yards. Even against a Los Angeles defense that has been beatable through the air, Shaheed carries very little value outside of fantasy playoff leagues that reward return yards and touchdowns.

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Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin should continue to be the primary change-of-pace back behind rookie RJ Harvey, with J.K. Dobbins remaining on Injured Reserve after a week of limited practices. In Denver's Divisional Round win over a Bills team that came into the playoffs with one of the worst run defenses in the league, McLaughlin was able to turn four carries into 21 yards. In the Conference Championship, he'll face a Patriots defense that has been dominant against the run since Milton Williams' return from an ankle injury that cost him five games. Through two playoff games, New England has allowed a total of 74 yards on designed runs, so if McLaughlin is to find any success on Sunday, it may need to come through screens and checkdowns, though that is a role that's been owned by Harvey for most of the year. McLaughlin is RotoBaller's RB7 for the week, but there is a world where he is entirely phased out of the game script.

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Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. is coming off his best performance of the season, after leading the team with eight receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown in last Sunday's overtime win over the Bills. If the Broncos and backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham are to have any success moving the ball against an attacking Patriots defense, Mims may once again be tasked with carrying a heavy workload. Patriots cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III match up well on paper against the bigger bodies of Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant, so it could fall on the smaller, quicker Mims to provide an intermediate outlet for Stidham if New England continues to send extra bodies in the pass rush. Mims is RotoBaller's WR8 for the Conference Championship Round of playoff fantasy leagues, but he could be more valuable in Full-PPR formats.

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Los Angeles Rams veteran tight end Tyler Higbee has seen his usage and productivity decline in each of his three games since returning from an ankle injury in Week 18. In his first game back after missing nearly two months of action, he led the team in receiving yards and scored his third touchdown of the season, but in the team's two playoff games since, he's seen a total of four targets, and he was on the field for only eight offensive snaps in the Rams' Divisional Round win over Chicago. With rookie Terrance Ferguson returning for that game after missing two weeks of his own with a hamstring injury, Higbee was relegated to the third tight end in passing sets, behind Ferguson and Colby Parkinson, and was taken off the field for Davis Allen in more obvious running situations. Higbee is RotoBaller's TE3 for the week, but it should come as no surprise if he continues to run behind Parkinson and Ferguson on Sunday.

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Los Angeles Rams rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson recorded a touchdown in each of his final two regular-season games. After missing two weeks with a hamstring injury, he returned for last week's Divisional Round win over the Bears and was targeted five times. Unfortunately, he was able to collect only one of those looks, finishing his first career playoff game with a single catch for 19 yards. With Los Angeles using a heavy deployment of jumbo packages down the stretch, Ferguson should see the field plenty against a Seahawks defense that has excelled against fantasy running backs and wide receivers while finishing in the middle of the pack against tight ends. Colby Parkinson is likely the safest bet out of the Rams' crowded tight end room, given his steady usage near the goal line, but Ferguson may be the most talented of the bunch, and he is RotoBaller's TE5 for Conference Championship Weekend.

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Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and the Pittsburgh Steelers are agreeing on a five-year deal to be the next head coach of the organization. Financial terms of the deal are undisclosed.

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Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris are considered as the three leading candidates for the organization's head-coaching vacancy, according to sources.

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The Seattle Seahawks elevated running backs Cam Akers and Velus Jones Jr. from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster ahead of Sunday's NFC Championship contest against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams, according to Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. Zach Charbonnet (knee) suffered a season-ending torn ACL in last weekend's Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers, so both Akers and Jones will give Seattle more RB depth this weekend behind starter Kenneth Walker III. The Seahawks also activated George Holani from Injured Reserve this week, and he will be active as more backfield depth against the Rams. Akers, 26, previously played for L.A. and has more experience than both Jones and Holani. However, he's appeared in only six games this year with the Rams and Vikings and has only five carries for 19 yards. Walker is likely to see the lion's share of touches for the Seahawks on Sunday, leaving few opportunities for Akers, Jones, and Holani.

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The New England Patriots activated wide receiver Mack Hollins (abdomen) from Injured Reserve on Saturday ahead of Sunday's AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Despite the fact that Hollins was activated, he's still questionable to play against the Broncos. The 32-year-old veteran was put on IR in late December and he hasn't played since Dec. 21. If Hollins returns this weekend, it would give quarterback Drake Maye another deep threat on the outside, although his snap count would most likely be limited. During the regular season, Hollins had 46 receptions on 65 targets for 550 yards and only two touchdowns. Fantasy managers should probably look elsewhere for a WR sleeper for Sunday's games against a Broncos defense that allowed a league-low six touchdowns to receivers in 2025.

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New England Patriots WR Mack Hollins (abdomen) was activated from the Reserve/Injured list on Saturday, Jan. 24, ahead of the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos.

From TheHuddle

Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum handled only six touches in the team's Divisional Round win over the Bears, and in Sunday's Conference Championship, he faces a Seahawks defense that ranked as the most formidable against fantasy running backs in the regular season. In their Divisional Round thrashing of the 49ers, Seattle held MVP finalist Christian McCaffrey to 35 rushing yards and 39 receiving yards on 17 total opportunities. Should Corum find himself drastically out-touched by Kyren Williams as he was against Chicago, he'll need elite efficiency to see any relevance in playoff fantasy leagues -- a tall order, given Seattle's track record. Corum is RotoBaller's RB6 for the week.

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Throughout his NFL career, Denver Broncos quarterback Jarett Stidham has played at a representative level from a clean pocket, while struggling mightily under pressure, with his completion rate dropping roughly 30% in such situations. Against a mostly healthy Patriots defense that has allowed 74 total yards to running backs through their first two playoff games, Denver may be forced into enough third-and-long looks to keep their offense out of rhythm. New England has employed an aggressive, blitz-heavy approach to great success against Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud. With Denver's running game struggling as a whole since losing J.K. Dobbins in Week 10, Stidham may find himself battling against the chains for much of Sunday. He is RotoBaller's QB4 for Conference Championship Weekend.

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Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson has seen the team's third-highest target share through two playoff games, trailing only All-Pro receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. His 90 receiving yards through those two contests also rank third, but with rookie Terrance Ferguson returning for the Rams' Divisional Round victory over the Bears, and Los Angeles regularly employing two or even three tight end sets, Parkinson's fantasy ceiling is capped and largely touchdown-dependent. Given his season-long usage in the red zone, he still profiles as the safest option in a crowded tight end room, and with few elite options remaining in the playoffs, he is RotoBaller's TE2 in fantasy playoff leagues. That said, he should not be relied on for a week-winning performance against a stingy Seattle defense.

From RotoBaller