Malik Willis Plus More Key Inactive Fantasy Football Players in Wild Card Weekend
The Playoffs have arrived and Wild Card Weekend will be kicking off very shortly as the Panthers play host to the Rams. When playing DFS and Playoff Fantasy Football, we must stay sharp. Any key injuries will surely affect the slate and you must be locked in at all times. What I will do here is keep you updated. These are the key inactive players in Wild Card Weekend.
Los Angeles Rams
Jordan Whittington - He is the WR3 in this offense. However, the position has a big drop-off after Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Whittington's absence means little-to-nothing.
Carolina Panthers
Ja'Tavion Sanders - There Panthers have not has a sure-thing TE1 all season long. However, if they did, Sanders would be it. He was averaging (2.8) Targets per Game and that shifts to Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans as Sanders is on the IR.
Green Bay Packers
Malik Willis - The Packers lose their elite backup in this game. If Love goes down, the Packers will be is huge trouble.
Dontayvion Wicks - He is the WR3/4, depending on who you ask. Wicks has been averaging (3.1) Targets per Game. This will not really affect the Packers offense as Jayden Reed will pick up the slack.
Savion Williams - He has been a gadget player that surely reduces the trick-play, end-around arsenal of Matt LaFleur. However, this matters little.
Chicago Bears
No key inactive skill-position players.
Buffalo Bills
Joshua Palmer - He has missed his fair share of games this season, (5) in total. When active, Palmer has (3.0) Targets per Game. They now look to Keon Coleman and Gabe Davis, but with low-confidence. I would not start either of them in DFS.
Jacksonville Jaguars
No key inactive skill-position players.
San Francisco 49ers
#49ers Ricky Pearsall is not practicing but he can be seen here running off to the side 👀
— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) January 8, 2026
via @nwagoner pic.twitter.com/rK991njKFV
Ricky Pearsall - He is not listed out, but Pearsall has not practiced all week. Even if he plays, he will likely be limited given his PCL injury.
Philadelphia Eagles
No key inactive skill-position players.
Los Angeles Chargers
KeAndre Lambert-Smith - The Chargers have used Lambert-Smith has a low-usage, high-impact player of recent. He has at least (1) Target in each of his last six active games. He will be out, but it will not affect the offense in any notable fashion.
New England Patriots
Mack Hollins - He was placed on the IR after Week 17. Hollins had been averaging (4.3) Targets per Game. His workload will shift to Kyle Williams, above all. I would consider Williams as a very deep-sleeper option in DFS.
Houston Texans
Jawhar Jordan - An ankle injury has Jordan sidelined this week. He had been averaging (11.3) Attempts per Game over his last four games. In this time, Jordan had (4.5) Yards per Attempt, well-above the Texans (3.9) Yards per Attempt Team Average. Woody Makrs and Nick Chubb will own the work, but the impact is not drastic as Jordan had only played (4) Games in total.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Darnell Washington - The Steelers have embraced Washington as a massive-bodied Tight End, especially in the Red Zone. Nonetheless, they trust Pat Freiermuth to pickup the slack. It should matter little to this offensive outlook.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.