From the Dogs of War army list:
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER
The number of characters is the total number of characters allowed in the army including Lords.
The number of Core units is the minimum you must take. The Special and Rare numbers are maximums.
So, at least regarding the Wizard Lords as rare, they would count against your character limits. I do not think this applies to named unit champions. Long Drong's Slayer Pirates, for instance, make no mention that Long Drong counts against your character limit, and I do not see a generic rule to apply here.