The 2026 fantasy football season feels very far away right now. And it is. However, when we begin our preparation for drafts, we will almost exclusively be looking at regular-season performance.
Those are the stats and metrics by which we evaluate players. Although we only have eight teams still playing, there are still things we can learn and hope to remember when the time comes to prepare for next season.
Here are the players I am keeping a close eye on in the Conference Championship games of the NFL playoffs.
Pat Bryant 2026 Fantasy Outlook: Broncos WR2 Role
For the second consecutive week, Pat Bryant finds his name here.
If Bryant ever matters in fantasy, he will already be an outlier. With just 378 receiving yards as a rookie, he falls well short of the 525-yard threshold that spells doom for 94% of wide receivers (since 2011). But outliers do exist.
Over the latter portion of the season, Bryant overtook Troy Franklin as the Broncos’ WR2 and primary slot receiver. He played 65% of the snaps over the team’s final two games of the season. He even hit 70% in Week 13.
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We didn’t get a full look at Bryant last week, as he left the game in the first quarter with a concussion. However, things were trending really well before that.
Bryant was targeted and caught Bo Nix’s first 3 passes of the game. There was a very clear intent to get him the ball early and often.
If Bryant can get cleared, he could serve as Jarrett Stidham’s safety valve in a game where the Broncos will have to throw to move the ball. In an effort to avoid Christian Gonzalez, Denver would be best served utilizing the middle of the field and getting the ball out quickly. Seeing Bryant as the go-to guy would go a long way toward optimism for the 2026 season.
Kenneth Walker III Fantasy Value: Seahawks Lead Back
I will be the first to admit I’ve been very critical of Kenneth Walker III. All season, he’s looked like the inferior running back to Zach Charbonnet, largely due to his refusal to accept modest gains and always trying to hit the home run.
Last week, Charbonnet tore his ACL in the first half. This forced Seattle away from their usual timeshare and thrust Walker into a three-down well. Walker delivered. The veteran back ripped off 116 yards and three touchdowns in what can easily be considered the best performance of his career.
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With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, the Seahawks aren’t going to slide someone into Charbonnet’s role. This will be the Walker show.
Walker is a free agent in March and was widely expected to leave. The combination of Charbonnet missing most, if not all, of the 2026 season, plus at least one more quality outing from Walker could be a large factor in where he plays and what his role is for next season. I will be watching closely.
TreVeyon Henderson 2026 Fantasy: Patriots Backfield Battle
It’s only January. We are months away from agonizing over backfield roles and fantasy values for the 2026 season. Yet, I can already see the Patriots running backs as a hotbed topic.
TreVeyon Henderson’s rookie year has been truly unique. A couple of explosive preseason plays spiked his fantasy value. Then, he was buried behind both Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson early in the season.
Injuries to Gibson and then to Stevenson opened the door for the rookie to establish himself as the lead back. Henderson delivered with two massive games in Weeks 10 and 11 while Stevenson was out. Yet, those performances did nothing to earn him the lead back role.
Once Stevenson returned, it was business as usual with Henderson relegated to a 35–40% snap share role.
Henderson averaged an impressive 5.1 yards per carry in the regular season. While his postseason usage has been limited, there’s no denying Stevenson has been the better player. Henderson has 21 carries for 52 yards and 2 catches for 7 yards in the Patriots’ 2 playoff games.
It’s going to be a fascinating debate over whether a natural year-two ascent is in the cards for Henderson, or if Stevenson is simply not going anywhere. I’d like to see Henderson rip off a couple of big runs this Sunday. Show us something.
