NFL Wild Card Weekend Reactions: Biggest Fantasy Football Surprises and Top-5 Lessons Learned
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With Wild Card action in the books, it's time to take a look back at the six games that happened over the weekend.
Before we head into the Divisional Round, we're going to spend the next few minutes covering the biggest fantasy football surprises in each game. And then we're going to pull out the top-5 lessons learned to help inform our decision-making for the rest of the playoffs.
Let's dig in!
Biggest Fantasy Football Surprises
Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers
Leading MVP candidate Matthew Stafford's 304-yard, three-touchdown performance wasn't a huge surprise. And neither was Puka Nacua's 10-catch, 111-yard effort (with one touchdown).
But Jalen Coker's nine-catch, 134-yard, one-touchdown monster of a game was a huge shocker and helped quite a few fantasy football owners in their playoff pools. While there isn't much we can do with that since the Panthers have been eliminated, Coker will be a popular preseason sleeper in 2026 fantasy football drafts.
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
The biggest surprise in this game was the Packers' complete meltdown, as they gave up a 21-3 halftime lead. However, let's focus on the fantasy football aspects. Caleb Williams wasn't exactly efficient as he completed just three of his passes in the 31-27 comeback win, but he threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns, so he was still able to produce. Outside of Williams, Colston Loveland had a big coming-out party and put up eight catches for 137 yards that should make him a popular fantasy pick next weekend.
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars
Josh Allen did Josh Allen things in the Bills' back-and-forth upset of the Jaguars in Jacksonville, but Khalil Shakir was the big breakout star for Buffalo in their 27-24 win. The Bills don't have much in terms of pass catchers at this point, so Shakir's 12 catches for 82 yards were much-needed as he was the only Buffalo player with more than five targets.
San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles
The 49ers' 23-19 upset of the Eagles wasn't a huge surprise if you had watched both teams all season, but George Kittle's torn Achilles was a big shock (and blow) to the 49ers' offense. However, San Francisco got a surprising six-catch, 111-yard, one touchdown effort out of DeMarcus Robinson and will need more of that from him as they head to Seattle for the Divisional Round.
Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots
The biggest surprise of the Patriots' 16-3 win over the Chargers was less about a player and more about the fact that this was their first win of the season in which they scored less than 23 points. If New England can win with MVP candidate Drake Maye struggling as he did on Sunday night, the rest of the league should be worried.
Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers were fortunate to sneak into the playoffs at 9-8, but were unable to carry any of that fortune into their 30-6 loss to the Texans on Monday night. The Texans were dealt a big blow as Nico Collins left the game with a concussion, but Christian Kirk emerged as the surprise star of the night with eight catches for 144 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Top-5 Lessons Learned
1. The Buffalo Bills are arguably the class of the AFC
While they're still the six seed in the AFC and won't host any home games in the playoffs, no one is going to want to play the Bills and reigning MVP Josh Allen after their road win against the Jaguars. While the Bills lack playmakers on offense, Allen willed them to victory on Sunday as he tries to make a Super Bowl push with no Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, or Joe Burrow in the playoffs.
2. Injuries aren't going to slow down the 49ers
The 49ers have arguably been the most injury-bitten team in the NFL this season, and Sunday was no different as they lost George Kittle to an Achilles tear. While the 49ers face a tough challenge as they head to Seattle to take on the top-seeded Seahawks, they've proven they can overcome any injuries that have been thrown their way this season.
3. The Patriots can win in multiple ways
While the Patriots mostly put up a 14-3 regular season record on the back of Drake Maye and their offense, their defense was the star of the show on Sunday night. While we'll likely see a better version of Maye in the Divisional Round, the Texans' defense will present a massive challenge so the Patriots will likely need their defense to step up again.
4. The Rams aren't the juggernaut that they seem
Matt Stafford may still win the MVP award this season, but the Rams' 34-31 nail-biter over the 9-8 Panthers showed some cracks in the team that many think will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. If the Rams want to get past the Bears in the Divisional Round, they'll need to play much better football than they did against Carolina.
5. The Bears have the "It"
The first half of the Bears' win over the Packers was some of the worst football they've played all season, but they were able to flip the script at halftime and put together an impeccable second half. If Ben Johnson's team can play that type of football for 60 minutes in the Divisional Round, they'll be playing for a spot in the Super Bowl in two weeks.
Once a top-ranked fantasy gamer on ESPN, Nick Raducanu has been playing fantasy sports for over 25 years. His written fantasy coverage includes stops at Rotoworld, Rotowire, and The New York Times.