Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Jayden Higgins

Wednesday, January 7, 3:00 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey finished 2025 as the RB1 in almost all fantasy formats, and he carries the same projection into most fantasy playoff leagues. San Francisco opens the playoffs against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles and a defensive front that scarcely resembles the one that gave Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs fits in Super Bowl LIX. The Eagles were the 10th most generous fantasy defense to opposing running backs, and McCaffrey comes into the matchup having finished as the RB12 or better in 14 of 17 starts in Full-PPR formats. He is RotoBaller's RB1 for Wild Card Weekend and, given San Francisco's status as 4.5-point road underdogs, an obvious must-start in formats that allow players to be started only once.

Tuesday, January 6, 12:55 AM

Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins scored in back-to-back weeks to close out his rookie campaign. The 34th overall pick in the 2025 draft has had an impressive season, recording 41 catches (68 targets) for 525 yards and six touchdowns in 17 games. Higgins should continue to operate as Houston's WR2 heading into the Wild-Card round versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers have allowed the seventh-most touchdowns and eighth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this year. While Higgins has seen his role increase as the season has progressed, the rookie is still tough to trust as anything more than a touchdown-dependent option heading into the playoffs, as he has recorded two catches or fewer in four straight games.