The final week of the NFL season can be tough for Fantasy players when it comes to working around players being limited or held out of games with the postseason on the horizon. COVID-19 protocols make lineup decisions even tougher. But for some Fantasy football leagues, Week 18 is championship week, so Fantasy players will have to dig deep to put together the best lineups. Playoff-bound NFL teams are most cautious with their quarterbacks ahead of a Super Bowl push, but knowing which have the most to play for this weekend could also help shape your Week 18 Fantasy football start-sit decisions.
Two games featuring marquee Fantasy quarterbacks will be played on Saturday. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs take on Denver in a 4:30 p.m. ET matchup, while Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys face off against Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday night. All three players’ teams are playoff-bound, so how valuable is each when it comes to the Week 18 Fantasy football rankings? Before locking in any Week 18 Fantasy football lineups, be sure to check out the Week 18 Fantasy football rankings from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
When it comes to ranking players, SportsLine’s model beat human experts in Fantasy football for the past several seasons especially when there were big differences in ranking. Over the course of a season, that could literally be the difference between winning your league or going home empty-handed.
Last week, the model was extremely high on Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny, ranking him as a top-15 player at his position. The result: Michel rushed 25 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns while adding two receptions for 15 yards. Anybody who had him in their lineup was well on their way to a huge week.
Now, the model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, has revealed its Week 18 Fantasy football rankings. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top Week 18 Fantasy football picks
One player the model is high on this week: New Orleans Saints QB Taysom Hill. The Saints are on the playoff bubble, so Hill needs to produce for his team and for Fantasy owners looking to take home a title in Week 18. Hill hasn’t turned the ball over in the last two weeks, but he’s also been the 25th-ranked Fantasy QB during that stretch.
New Orleans faces a divisional foe that hasn’t been entirely eliminated from playoff contention in the Atlanta Falcons, but he has a great chance to produce at a much higher level in Week 18. The Falcons have seen opposing quarterbacks run against them more than any other team (86 attempts) and have given up the third-most rushing yards to the position, with 413. Hill wasn’t a factor in the Saints’ Week 9 meeting with Atlanta, but is poised to deliver a top performance against them in the final Fantasy football week of the season on Sunday.
And a massive shocker: Washington Football Team wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who has 2,997 receiving yards the last three seasons despite terrible quarterback play, stumbles big-time and doesn’t even crack the top 50 at his position. McLaurin is 40 yards shy of his second consecutive 1,000-yard season but his overall productivity has been down the last six weeks or so.
McLaurin only has 19 catches for 225 yards during that span and he has been held without a touchdown during that six-game stretch. McLaurin has been held to less than 60 yards receiving in seven of his last nine games and with Washington eliminated from the playoffs, expect the franchise to be careful with its No. 1 receiver.
How to set Week 18 Fantasy football rankings
The model is also calling for an under-the-radar quarterback to finish in the top 10 of its Fantasy football rankings. This pick could be the difference between winning big and going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 18 Fantasy football rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that has out-performed experts big-time.
