Quarterback
Drew Lock, Giants
Lock was “in his bag” in Week 17. He threw for 309 yards and four scores on just 23 attempts. He also punched in a rushing touchdown.
Will we get this version of Lock next week? Of course not. But the good news is that Lock will likely face the Eagles’ B Team. Every team’s motivation or lack thereof can be found in my Week 18 Motivation article. Philly is locked into the No. 2 seed and is all but guaranteed to rest their starters.
Bryce Young, Panthers
Mason Rudolph originally held this spot. Head coach Brian Callahan has since said both he and Will Levis will play this week. So it’s Young SZN for those desperate enough to turn to the wire in Week 18. Young is averaging a pedestrian 222 yards and 1.3 touchdowns per game since the Panthers’ Week 11 bye. That’s usable but not great. The rushing production has been what puts him over the edge. Young is posting 26 rushing yards per game since the bye with a rushing touchdown in half of his appearances.
Others receiving votes: Joe Flacco and Mac Jones
Running Back
Trey Benson, Cardinals
Benson got in three limited practices last week but did not play because of an ankle injury. James Conner tried to play through his knee injury but did not make it far. I doubt we’ll see him suit up for a meaningless Week 18 contest. The Cardinals may want to get a look at Benson, however. He would be in line to see the bulk of the carries if he can practice in full this week. Michael Carter, who ran 13 times for 70 yards last week, would draw the start if Benson can’t go.
Jaleel McLaughlin, Broncos
McLaughlin returned from his quad injury in Week 17 to lead the Broncos in carries. He out-rushed Audric Estime 10-9 and was electric on a per-carry basis, racking up 69 yards. Javonte Williams did not see a rush attempt. McLaughlin is barely the 1A in this backfield by committee, but he is in a great spot for Week 18. The Broncos are 9.5-point favorites over the Chiefs, who are all but guaranteed to rest their starters.
Ameer Abdullah, Raiders
Alexander Mattison was fully supplanted by Abdullah in Week 17. Abdullah saw 20 carries to Mattison’s 10 and caught three passes to Mattison’s one. He ran over half of the routes and split the inside-the-five carries evenly with Mattison. However, Abdullah left Week 17 late with a foot injury. If he’s good to go for Week 18, Abdullah is a great add off the wire. If not, Mattison takes his spot as a strong RB2 play.
Note: The others receiving votes section has a few deep reserves who may get the start with their team resting the first-team offense.
Others receiving votes: Will Shipley, Dameon Pierce, and Carson Steele
Wide Receiver
Olamide Zaccheaus, Commanders
With Dyami Brown banged up and Noah Brown done for the year, Zaccheaus is the No. 2 receiver for one of the most electric quarterbacks in the league. Zaccheaus upped his route rate to 81 percent in Week 17 and earned an elite 27 percent target share. It was his second week in a row with a target share north of 20 percent. He has 13 receptions for 155 yards and three scores over his past two games.
Marvin Mims, Broncos
Denver gave us the full Mims experience in Week 17 and it was glorious.
Bo Nix's 51-yard TD pass to Marvin Mims traveled 67.0 yards in the air, the longest completion by air distance of the season and the second-longest in the NGS era (since 2016), behind only P.J. Walker to D.J. Moore in Week 8, 2022 (67.6 yards).
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 29, 2024
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Mims parlayed his 27 percent target share into eight catches for 102 yards and two scores. He only ran 47 percent of the routes, so fantasy managers should proceed with caution heading into Week 18. Mims is still a boom/bust deep threat, but the ceiling is now attainable.
Alec Pierce, Colts
Joe Flacco made Pierce a focal point of the passing attack versus the Giants, peppering him with nine targets. He caught six of them for 122 yards and a touchdown. Pierce saw 26 percent of the first-read targets and earned a whopping 187 air yards. It was his third game with more than 120 air yards in his past four appearances. Two of Pierce’s three 100-yard games this year have come with Joe Flacco under center. If Anthony Richardson returns in Week 18, Pierce will be a far less appealing fantasy option but could still come down with a big catch or two.
Same deal for the others receiving votes group of receivers. These are true dart-throws who could dominate the targets in a meaningless game or score zero fantasy points. This is what Week 18 is all about.
Others receiving votes: Nikko Remigio, Tyrell Shavers, and Ainias Smith
Tight End
Chig Okonkwo, Titans
Okonko’s elite December continued in Week 17 with a 23 percent target share on 87 percent of the routes. All three of his highest target share games have come in the past three weeks. He is also coming off back-to-back games with a season-high in routes. Okonkwo has at least 10 fantasy points in each of his past three appearances and should be good for one more TE1 outing in Week 18.
Juwan Johnson, Saints
Down horrific at wide receiver…and running back…and tight end, the Saints made their entire offense out of Juwan on Sunday. Johnson earned a 29 percent target share and caught six passes for 66 yards. He gets a Bucs defense this week that has allowed the 10th-most receptions and the fourth-most yards to opposing tight ends.
Others receiving votes: Tyler Conklin and Jordan Akins
