NFL Player News

Hack made it 21 days in the Bay Area. With his release, the Jets miss out on their conditional seventh-round pick. Hackenberg was severely over-drafted in 2016, creating unfair expectations in New York. The reality is, he’s not an NFL quarterback. Although he’s still only 23, Hackenberg could be at the end of the line.

Unlike his team, Etienne got to end a rebound season on a high note with over 100 yards from scrimmage and a score. He finished the regular season with 260 carries for 1,107 yards and seven scores. Etienne also juiced the fantasy numbers with six touchdowns through the air. He was the focal point of first-year head Liam Coen’s ground game and a crucial piece of the passing attack. Etienne is an unrestricted free agent, but it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the Jags make it a point to keep him in town. The 2025 season was Jacksonville’s best by regular season wins since 1999. GM James Gladstone will likely do his best to keep the core players on offense around for years to come. Etienne will slot in as a low-end RB1 for fantasy purposes if he sticks with the Jags.

Half of Thomas Jr.'s receptions in this game and his touchdown came while Parker Washington, who led the team in all receiving categories, was on the sidelines for a concussion evaluation. Per usual, BTJ didn’t do much target-earning. That was one of his many issues in a frustrating 2025 season. Thomas Jr. went from 1,282 yards and 10 scores as a rookie to 707 yards and just two touchdowns, though he did add a rushing touchdown to the ledger. He also missed three games because of injuries, which was a constant concern. Even when Thomas Jr. was on the field, he seemed afraid of contact, often easing up on tough grabs, resulting in several drops and a poor contested catch rate. With Travis Hunter missing half of his rookie season, things could get even worse for BTJ next year. He finished 2025 as a fantasy WR4, even on a points-per-game basis. Fantasy managers will likely gamble on a rebound and take him as a high-risk WR3.

With Parker Washington erupting for over 100 yards plus a score and Brian Thomas Jr. getting a touchdown of his own, there simply wans’t room in the struggling Jags’ passing game for Meyers to do much. Acquired midseason by Jacksonville, Meyers was brought in to backfill Travis Hunter’s role as a short and intermediate target for Trevor Lawrence. Meyers caught at least four passes in all but one of his nine regular season games with the Jags. The only miss was in his Jacksonville debut. He ended the year with 75 catches for 835 yards and three scores. He posted slightly better per-game numbers during his regular season appearances with the Jags. Meyers is the stable option in the Jaguars’ receiver room, but he might also have the lowest ceiling heading into 2026. Fantasy managers will likely treat him as a WR4 in early drafts.

The same is reportedly true of the Falcons. Evero has been on something of a three-year journey in Carolina, overseeing a strong unit in 2023, a disastrous one in 2024, and respectable one in 2025. We would consider him a long shot for either opening, but he’s clearly a name getting around in league circles. He also interviewed for openings following 2023. Evero turned 45 earlier this month.

Washington had been pulling away as the Jags’ No. 1 receiver leading into the postseason. He may now carry that status into 2026 after more than doubling up the team’s No. 2 wideout by targets in this game. That was despite missing some time for a concussion evaluation. Including the postseason, Washington topped 100 yards in three of his final four games. He was barely involved in the offense early in the season, but injuries to several key players, namely Travis Hunter, elevated him to a starting role. Washington never looked back and finished the season with 847 yards and five touchdowns on 58 grabs. With Hunter, Brian Thomas Jr., and Jakobi Meyers all under contract for multiple years, it’s unclear how things will shake out for the receiver room in 2026. This will be one of the most debated situations for 2026 fantasy drafts.

Facing a stout Jacksonville run defense, the Bills chipped away at the Jags with check-downs and screens to Shakir. His 12 catches in this game are three more than his previous career-high. No one on the team other than Shakir logged more than five targets. All in, Shakir earned a 34 percent target share. With Josh Palmer on IR and Gabe Davis now banged up, expect to see plenty more of Shakir in the Divisional Round. He will be a strong play on full PPR sites.

After transforming into one of the league’s best quarterbacks over the second half of the regular season, Lawrence turned back into a pumpkin on the biggest stage. Though he did score three times, his two interceptions were both on him. The second pick was a throw into tight coverage on the Jags’ final drive that was tipped and made its way into the hands of Bills safety Cole Bishop, ending the game. It’s a nightmare ending to an otherwise triumphant season for the franchise. Lawrence’s 18 passing scores over his final seven regular season games propelled him to 29 on the year. He also punched in nine touchdowns on the ground with 359 rushing yards. He finished the year as the QB4. Lawrence finally found himself in an elite offensive system in 2025 and blossomed over the final two months. The next step will be sustaining that level of success for an entire season. Fantasy managers will be taking him in the middle of the QB1 ranks when early drafts roll around.

The passing game wans’t always lively for the Bills, but, per usual, Allen came up big when it mattered most. His longest completion of the day by air distance was a 36-yard strike off his back foot to Brandin Cooks. The absurd toss late in the fourth quarter eventually set up his second rushing touchdown of the day. Allen took a beating in this game. He was checked for a concussion early, hit his throwing hand on a lineman’s helmet shortly after that, and even had his leg rolled up at one point as well. He will likely show up on the injury report ahead of the Divisional Round, but that won’t stop him from being the best fantasy option for next week’s slate of games.

LaFleur was fired by the Jets in the midst of a dreadful 2022 season. He landed on his feet in LA and immediately oversaw a top-10 scoring offense. Things went even better in 2025. The Rams led the league in scoring this year and Matthew Stafford will likely win his first career MVP. LaFleur is well-connected with a strong resume behind him and hasn’t gotten his shot at a head coaching gig yet. In a relatively weak hiring cycle, this could be his year.

Hafley is up to five head coaching interviews now. The Falcons, Cardinals, and Titans have also requested interviews with him. Hafley has held his current position in Green Bay for two seasons. The Packers ranked 11th in points allowed this year and sixth in 2024. He was Boston College’s head coach before joining the Packers.