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General manager Dan Morgan announced Tuesday that Carolina plans to exercise the 2027 team option on Young's contract this offseason, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Young's fifth-year option is projected to come in at around $26.5 million and will be fully guaranteed. While the Panthers' willingness to pick up the option represents some level of commitment to the 24-year-old signal-caller heading into his fourth NFL season, Young may need to make more dramatic strides in 2026 in order to land a long-term extension with Carolina. Young showed some modest improvement in Year 3, leading an 8-9 Panthers squad to its first NFC South title in a decade while directing six game-winning drives and completing 304 of 478 pass attempts for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions to go with 216 yards and two scores on 54 games over 16 starts during the regular season. Though his 63.6 percent completion rate was a career-best mark, his 6.3 yards per attempt matched his average from his 2024 season. Young might have instilled some additional confidence in his prospects heading into 2026 with a respectable showing against the heavily favored Rams in the wild-card round this past weekend, when he led two fourth-quarter touchdown drives and accounted for 288 yards (264 passing, 24 rushing) in a 34-31 loss.

Wester finished the season with 246 kick return yards and 198 punt return yards. He did not draw a target on 58 offensive snaps.

The rookie was used almost exclusively on special teams. He never played more than nine snaps on offense in any game. Wester established himself as an effective punt returner and finished in the top 20 in punt return yards with 198. While his fantasy output was disappointing, it's too early to give up on Wester being a factor in that regard. Baltimore had a veteran-laden group of pass-catchers in 2025, but it's far from a guarantee that the depth chart will look the same next season. DeAndre Hopkins and Tylan Wallace are expected to hit free agency, and the offense itself will look different under a new coaching staff. Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman are established starters, and Devontez Walker has shown some flashes. That said, Wester has a chance to make a climb up the depth chart depending on how Baltimore approaches the offseason.

Chubb rushed 10 times for 48 yards and was not targeted as a receiver in Monday's 30-6 wild-card win over the Steelers.

Chubb took a back seat to rookie starter Woody Marks (19-112-1) as he had been doing in the second half of the regular season. It was the veteran backup's first game with double-digit carries since Week 9 of the regular season. Six of his 10 carries against Pittsburgh came in garbage time late in the fourth quarter, so DFS players should not expect this kind of workload from Chubb against the Patriots in the divisional round.

Higgins had three receptions (on four targets) for 39 yards in Monday's 30-6 wild-card win over Pittsburgh.

Higgins finished second in receiving yardage for Houston after teammate Nico Collins suffered a concussion early in the second half and did not return. It was Texans slot receiver Christian Kirk (8-144-1) who benefited the most from Collins' late exit in the dominating wild-card round victory over the Steelers. That said, if Collins is unable to clear the league's concussion protocol ahead of Sunday's road playoff tilt against the Patriots, then Higgins would likely absorb some of his star teammate's targets in the divisional-round matchup.

Stroud completed 21 of 32 pass attempts for 250 yards, one touchdown and one interception while recording a pair of lost fumbles in Monday's 30-6 wild-card win over the Steelers.

Stroud struggled with ball security against Pittsburgh after losing possession of two of his four fumbles in the first half of Houston's wild-card matchup. The Ohio State product tacked on an interception in the third quarter and another fumble that he recovered on the fourth quarter, but the Steelers were only able to generate three points off of the signal-caller's three turnovers Monday. Stroud would settle down behind a dominant performance from his defense (including two defensive TDs) and comfortably guide the Texans to victory in the second half. The 23-year-old will have to clean up those mistakes in the divisional round in order to put his team in position to advance past the Patriots on Sunday.

Austin brought in three of six targets for eight yards and returned one punt for 14 yards in the Steelers' 30-6 wild-card loss to the Texans on Monday night.

Austin's receiving line underscores how suffocating the Texans defense was overall, on a night when Aaron Rodgers was sacked four times and threw for only 146 yards. Austin recorded 31 receptions for 372 yards and three touchdowns on 55 targets across 14 regular-season games in 2025, adding 15 punt returns for 101 yards. The 2022 fourth-round pick is slated to hit unrestricted free agency at the start of the new league year, and given his unremarkable body of work over his first four seasons, it's likely the Steelers allow him to explore the open market.

Metcalf (suspension) brought in two of five targets for 42 yards in the Steelers' 30-6 wild-card loss to the Texans on Monday night.

Metcalf returned from a two-game ban to close out the regular season and contributed 25- and 17-yard gains on his pair of grabs. His yardage total was a team-high figure, and he tied for second in targets as well. Ultimately, the Texans defense put the clamps on the Steelers offense as a whole, leading to a quiet finish to Metcalf's debut campaign in Pittsburgh. The veteran wideout posted a 59-850-6 line on 99 targets while adding two rushes for 12 yards across 15 regular-season games while working with Aaron Rodgers for the first time. Metcalf is in line to reprise his role as Pittsburgh's No. 1 receiver in 2026, but he may be working with a new quarterback for the second straight season.

Marks took 19 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown while failing to catch his only target in Monday's 30-6 playoff win over Pittsburgh.

Marks saved his best performance of the season for the first playoff appearance of his professional career while helping make easy work of the Steelers on Monday Night Football. He did exit the contest briefly in the first half to be evaluated for a concussion before promptly returning without issue. The upstart rookie also registered the first 100-plus yard rushing game of his career after spending most of the regular season splitting backfield work with veteran Nick Chubb. The latter remained involved with 10 carries for 48 yards, but a significant portion of the backup's work came in garbage time. Marks will face a stiff test on the road against the Patriots on Sunday, but the rookie provides the highest upside out of the Texans backfield for the divisional round.

Gainwell rushed six times for 20 yards and brought in four of six targets for 26 yards in the Steelers' 30-6 wild-card loss to the Texans on Monday night. He also returned four kickoffs for 100 yards.

Gainwell filled a complementary role on the ground, logging half the amount of carries as Jaylen Warren. The versatile Gainwell also had a key role in the passing game, recording a team-high reception tally while also tying for the lead in targets. He made his presence felt on kickoff returns as well, following up what was a successful Steelers debut campaign. The veteran rushed for a career-best 537 yards and career-high-tying five touchdowns at 4.7 yards per carry, adding a career-best 73-486-3 line on 85 targets, 633 kickoff-return yards and two fumbles (one lost) across 17 games. While Gainwell played 2025 on a one-year deal, his success could lead to the Steelers making an effort to retain him before he hits unrestricted free agency.

Warren rushed 12 times for 43 yards and brought in his only target for four yards in the Steelers' 30-6 wild-card loss to the Texans on Monday night.

Warren doubled up backfield mate Kenneth Gainwell in carries while outgaining him by 23 rushing yards. Despite a modest night against the elite Texans defense, the versatile Warren finished the 2025 regular season having posted career highs in rush attempts (211), rushing yards (958) and rushing touchdowns (six) while adding a 40-333-2 line on 45 targets, 205 kickoff-return yards and one fumble that stayed with Pittsburgh across 16 games. Warren is under contract through the 2027 season and should once again play a prominent role in the ground attack next season.