Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud shook off an awful first-half interception to finish 22 of 33 passing for 282 yards and a touchdown in helping his team defeat the Los Angeles Chargers 32-12 in the Wild Card Round. The sophomore quarterback also ran for 42 yards, which included a 27-yard scramble in the second quarter, his longest run of the season. Despite three offensive turnovers, Houston's offense was able to do more than enough in the second half to earn a postseason victory for the second straight year. Stroud completed passes to eight different receivers, but connected with Nico Collins seven times for 122 yards and a touchdown against L.A. The victory sealed Houston's place in the next round, where they will play an opponent to be decided on Sunday.

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Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III was the second option in the Houston passing offense on Saturday, catching four passes for 28 yards in a 32-12 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Alabama product was targeted eight times, which tied receiver Nico Collins for the most on the team, but brought in only half of them. With Stefon Diggs (knee) and Tank Dell (knee) both out for the season, Houston has yearned for another receiver to get in the mix behind Collins, and Metchie seemed to be the preferred next man up on Saturday. The victory assured Houston will have at least one more game with a Divisional Round date to be decided.

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Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins put together a massive performance on Saturday in a Wild Card win against the Los Angeles Chargers, catching seven of his eight targets for 122 yards and a touchdown. The Texans overcame some early sloppiness to secure their second postseason victory in as many seasons, with the star receiver leading his team in all relevant receiving categories. The Michigan product scored the game's first touchdown, hauling in a 13-yard touchdown from quarterback C.J. Stroud, and Houston never trailed again. The victory secured Houston's place in the Divisional Round, where Collins and the Texans will take on an opponent to be determined Sunday.

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Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee sustained a catastrophic knee injury last year in the Wild Card round against the Lions, but the veteran has worked his way back and is ready to contribute to the passing game as the Rams return to the same round on Monday Night Football against the Vikings. Higbee missed the first 14 games of the season but played in each of the last three. In his return, he scored a memorable touchdown to seal the team's Week 15 win against the Jets. That was his only catch of the week, and he added just one more catch in Week 16 in a limited role once again. While the rest of the Rams' starters rested in Week 18, Higbee continued his comeback by playing 27 snaps (41%) against the Seahawks. He hauled in five of his seven targets for 46 yards and a touchdown from Jimmy Garoppolo, but he'll be back to working with Matthew Stafford this week. He's a nice sleeper option this week since he has such a good rapport with Stafford, and the Vikings have been a neutral matchup for tight ends this season, ranking 13th against the position.

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Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon overcame a rare fumble by helping his team secure victory with a 100-yard rushing effort and a game-clinching touchdown in the Texans' 32-12 win against the Los Angeles Chargers in a Wild Card playoff game. In total, the first-year Texan finished with 106 rushing yards on 25 carries and caught one of two targets for 13 yards. The veteran back's best work came after fumbling earlier in the game, breaking a streak of more than 1,000 touches without losing a fumble. Mixon rushed for 58 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown that iced the game, on Houston's final scoring drive. He and the Texans will advance to play a to-be-determined opponent in the Divisional Round.

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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Jordan Whittington showcased some big-play potential last week in the regular season finale, and the Rams may need to be more aggressive in this week's matchup against the Vikings on Monday Night Football of the Wild Card Round. The sixth-round pick from Texas was involved early in the season when Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp were injured. He had a combined 13 catches for 151 receiving yards in Week 4 and Week 5 but then sustained a shoulder injury that kept him limited for several weeks. Whittington stepped back in last week while the starters rested and caught three of his four targets for a team-high 86 receiving yards while also adding 12 rushing yards on two carries. Whittington does bring some sizzle and upside to the Rams' passing game, but his role is uncertain since the Rams rotate receivers behind the tandem of Nacua and Kupp. He's a dart throw play with upside for DFS contests on Monday.

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The Houston Texans D/ST came up huge on Saturday in their Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Chargers by recording four sacks, picking off quarterback Justin Herbert four times, returning one of the interceptions for a touchdown, and blocking a PAT for two points in a 32-12 victory. Herbert threw only three interceptions the entire regular season, but an overthrown ball near the end of the third quarter ended up in the hands of Texans defensive back Eric Murray, who coasted 38 yards for a touchdown. The next drive, a catchable ball bounced through the hands of Chargers tight end Will Dissly and to Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who nearly took another to the house. Later in the game, Houston blocked a Chargers extra point and returned it for two points that padded the lead, and formally clinched the game with a fourth interception. With the win, the Texans advanced to play a to-be-determined opponent in the Divisional Round.

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Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman (elbow) has been officially ruled out of the team's Wild Card playoff game against the Houston Texans due to the injury sustained while tackling Houston running back Joe Mixon. The veteran linebacker has missed most of the past seven weeks due to injury, and ultimately wasn't able to complete the playoff game either. Unfortunately for the Chargers, their issues have been team-wide, as three interceptions and a blocked PAT having led to Houston scoring nine non-offensive points.

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Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Cam Hart (shoulder) is questionable to return to the team's Wild Card game against the Houston Texans, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic. Hart went down after a collision and immediately went to the locker room upon sustaining the injury. The fifth-round rookie from Notre Dame has carved out a role on the Chargers with Asante Samuel Jr. (shoulder) on injured reserve, but the team might have to go even further into its depth chart if Hart misses time.

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Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill (concussion) is officially active ahead of Saturday's Wild-Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hill will be back in the mix after missing the last two games due to a concussion. He has cleared the league's concussion protocol and should have his normal workload during Saturday's game. Normally, Hill doesn't see many carries with Derrick Henry getting a majority of the carries in the backfield. However, Hill does have four receptions or more in three of his last five games. He should be able to get involved as a pass-catcher, but it probably won't be enough to warrant using him in DFS contests.

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The New England Patriots are reportedly nearing a deal to make Mike Vrabel the next head coach. The two sides have been negotiating a deal and barring anything foreseen, Vrabel will be in New England next season. Vrabel was the favorite to land in New England after the team moved on from Jerod Mayo after one season. The 49-year-old coach spent six seasons as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. He was let go by the organization after posting a 6-11 season in 2023. Vrabel won over 50 games with the Titans and two playoff contests. Vrabel knows New England well after playing with the team from 2001-2008. He's one of the more experienced candidates and appears to be a good fit for this organization.

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Los Angeles Rams running back Ronnie Rivers will likely step in as the primary backup to Kyren Williams for the Rams' Wild Card matchup against the Vikings on Monday Night Football. Rookie Blake Corum (arm) suffered a season-ending forearm injury in Week 18 after playing a minimal role most of the season. Rivers had 10 carries early in the season but had not gotten a touch since Week 4 before taking a team-high 12 carries for 48 yards in the regular season finale against the Seahawks. He added four catches for 34 more yards out of the backfield. Rivers will likely get a few snaps, so he does bring a little upside, but his role will likely be too small barring injury to count on the third-year running back for fantasy.

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Denver Broncos running back Tyler Badie (back) has been activated from the injured reserve on Saturday. Badie has been out since he suffered a back injury in October. The good news is that Badie was able to practice in full this week. He's currently listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's Wild-Card matchup against the Buffalo Bills. If active, Badie would unlikely have much of a role in the crowded Broncos backfield. Jaleel McLaughlin has been getting most of the carries with Javonte Williams and Audric Estime getting mixed in as well. Badie might be able to help out on special teams, but he isn't someone worth looking at in DFS contests.

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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua has been outstanding this season and has managed to put up consistent numbers despite the offense bogging down the past few weeks. He'll likely be busy again on Monday Night Football as the Rams open their playoffs with a home game against the Vikings. The Vikings allowed the most fantasy points per game in the NFL this season to wide receivers, who scored 18 touchdowns and averaged over 180 receiving yards per week. Nacua will look to attack that matchup after racking up 990 receiving yards on 79 catches in just 11 games. He had at least seven catches in seven of his last eight games while averaging 104.8 yards per contest. Earlier in the season, he lit up the Vikings for seven catches on 106 yards and two touchdowns in Week 8. Nacua is a great play with both a high floor and a high ceiling in this matchup since he should have plenty of volume and space to work against Minnesota.

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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp is a proven playoff performer, and the Rams will need him to have a vintage performance on Monday Night Football against the Vikings. Kupp struggled down the stretch for the Rams, with no catches in Week 14 and just one catch in Week 16. He hasn't found the end zone since Week 13 and only averaged 1.3 catches for 17.7 yards in his three games since then. The 31-year-old rested last week with the division title secure, and he'll look to return with a big game this week in a favorable matchup against the Vikings, who allowed more fantasy points to wide receivers than any team in the NFL this season. Kupp had five catches for 51 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings during the regular season and has averaged 7.1 catches for 93.1 yards per game in his postseason career while scoring seven touchdowns in seven games. He is an interesting sleeper play this week after his recent struggles but he's also high-risk since his workload has been so minimal in a struggling passing game.

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Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman (elbow) is currently listed as questionable to return to Saturday's Wild-Card game against the Houston Texans. Perryman suffered a left elbow injury while making a tackle on Joe Mixon in the first quarter. The training staff evaluated Perryman on the sideline before he headed to the locker room. Troy Dye will be asked to fill in at linebacker until Perryman is able to return. Dye has been playing a bigger role lately with Perryman missing a few contests prior to Saturday's contest.

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Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams was the focus of the Rams' offense over his last five games of the season, and he'll return to action on Monday against the Vikings after getting a week off in Week 18 to rest for the postseason. Williams scored six rushing touchdowns in his last six games, averaging 91.5 rushing yards on 20.8 carries per game. The Rams relied on him to control the clock and their defense to make big stops as they won five in a row and secured the division crown. Williams will have to carry a heavy workload again on Monday, especially with his backup Blake Corum (arm) done for the year. He'll face a very tough Vikings' run defense that allowed the second-fewest rushing yards and fourth-fewest yards-per-carry in the NFL this season. Running backs did score six touchdowns against them in the last two weeks, though, so there is some hope that Williams can overcome the matchup. He has a high floor based on his volume, but the matchup lowers his ceiling despite his very successful season.

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Minnesota Vikings placekicker Will Reichard is a solid option this Monday night when he lines up with the Los Angeles Rams on the road. It's been a tale of two halves for the 24-year-old in his debut campaign. Reichard was excellent early in the year -; missing nary a kick in his first seven appearances. However, he hasn't been as fortunate since. The rookie missed his first two field goals in Week 9 and was placed on injured reserve afterward with a quad injury. Despite only a minimum IR stay, his kicking troubles have continued -; missing at least one attempt in three of the ensuing five contests. Still, he's yet to miss an extra-point try in 2024 and has an excellent opportunity to hang some more points on the board against a Rams defensive unit that allowed the seventh-most total yards per game in the NFL (352.8).

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford will look to get back on track on Monday Night Football against the Vikings in the Rams home Wild Card matchup. Stafford's Rams went on a late-season surge to the playoffs, but the veteran signal-caller's numbers trended in the wrong direction. He only threw for more than 200 yards once in his last five games and only threw one touchdown over his last three contests. The Rams relied heavily on their defense and Kyren Williams during their five-game winning streak to overcome Stafford's struggles. If the Rams want to advance, they'll need him to get back to the form he showed earlier in the season, including in his previous matchup against the Vikings. In Week 8 on Thursday Night Football, Stafford threw four touchdown passes and racked up 279 passing yards in the Rams' 30-20 victory. Stafford took last week off to rest for the playoffs, where he'll try to guide the Rams to more postseason success. His recent struggles make him hard to trust for fantasy lineups this Monday.

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Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson is a strong play on the road this Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams. The 27-year-old is coming off his worst outing since returning from injured reserve in early November -; totaling two receptions and nine yards on eight targets in Minnesota's loss to the Lions. His output undoubtedly left fantasy managers wanting. However, the poor performance was not wholly his fault, as quarterback Sam Darnold struggled against a Detroit D that was always there to make a play. Hockenson will look to bounce back in the Wild Card round and stands a decent chance to do so against a Rams squad that allowed the third-most fantasy points to the position in 2024 (15.8). His success will hinge on Darnold's ability to rebound after a poor performance of his own, though he's already shown he can do that this season. The Iowa product is RotoBaller's PPR TE2 for this week's slate.

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