The Rams have clinched the NFC West but need to beat the Seahawks on Sunday to secure the No. 3 seed. A loss would likely send them to No. 4. But HC Sean McVay strongly suggested on Monday that he'll rest starters against Seattle. "Typically, we’ve erred on the side of leaning a little bit more towards getting some rest and rejuvenation for guys because of the toll that a season takes," HC Sean McVay said. “I would imagine, as we continue to finalize our plans, that’s probably the direction that we’ll go.” McVay also said that he's "excited about watching Blake Corum get a heavy workload" and that he's excited to see rookie RB Cody Schrader play. Although he'll likely be running behind a backup offensive line against a solid Seahawks defense, Corum is shaping up as an interesting Week 18 fantasy play.
The Browns are placing WR Cedric Tillman on IR for his concussion. Tillman suffered the injury back in Week 12. He actually returned to practice ahead of the Week 15 game against Kansas City but has never returned to game action. The IR placement makes it a six-game concussion absence -- a worrisome timeline for an injury that most commonly costs a player a single game. We'll see this offseason whether the concussion will impact Tillman beyond this season.
Chargers WR Josh Palmer suffered a heel injury in Saturday's win over the Patriots. HC Jim Harbaugh didn't have an update on the severity on Monday but said that IR isn't on the table. We'll look for more information on Palmer's injury but don't expect him to play in Sunday's finale vs. the Raiders. That could mean more snaps for guys like D.J. Chark and Derius Davis, although neither would be a bankable Week 18 fantasy start.
Panthers HC Dave Canales said Monday that RB Miles Sanders (ankle) has been cleared to play. He was actually cleared to play late last week, per Canales, but didn't have enough time to get prepped for the Buccaneers game. But it sounds like, barring a setback, Sanders will play in Sunday's finale vs. the Falcons. With RB Chuba Hubbard out with his calf injury, Sanders would be the favorite to lead Carolina's backfield in touches over RBs Raheem Blackshear and Mike Boone. Sanders has mustered just 3.7 yards per carry this season and wouldn't be an exciting fantasy option. But he could be a volume-based RB3 or Flex play.
49ers QB Brock Purdy injured his right elbow late in Monday night's loss to the Lions. HC Kyle Shanahan said afterward that the team believes it's a nerve issue but that Purdy is scheduled for more tests on Tuesday. Shanahan was non-committal on Purdy's availability for this weekend's finale vs. the Cardinals. Considering San Francisco has nothing to play for, there's a good chance it's QB Josh Dobbs at the controls on Sunday. In a good scheme with plenty of weapons and rushing ability, Dobbs would be in play as a QB2 and in DFS.
Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs ran 18 times for 117 yards and a TD. He also caught four passes for 46 yards. With David Montgomery still injured, Gibbs has taken over as the main RB and will look to run the Lions to victory next week against the Minnesota Vikings to secure the #1 seed.
Bills HC Sean McDermott said Monday that QB Josh Allen will start Sunday's game vs. the Patriots to keep his consecutive starts streak alive but that he won't play for long. Buffalo is locked into the AFC's No. 2 seed, so it'll be QB Mitchell Trubisky for the majority of Week 18. Don't expect the Bills' other key offensive weapons to play their usual amount either. We'll look for more information on Buffalo's exact plans, but this is probably an offense to avoid in season-long fantasy lineups.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Monday that RB Aaron Jones (quad) is "doing well" and "should play" vs. the Lions on Sunday night. Jones came out of the Week 17 win over the Packers with a quad contusion but figures to play through it in this weekend's game for the NFC North crown. We'll keep you updated on his status throughout the week.
WR Olamide Zaccheaus led Washington in targets for the second straight game in Sunday night's win over the Falcons. He delivered 8 receptions for 85 yards and a TD on those 9 targets, plus a carry for 8 yards. TE Zach Ertz followed at 7 targets (6-72-2 receiving). WR Terry McLaurin managed just 1 catch on his 7 targets.
Texans HC Demeco Ryans was vague when asked whether he'll play starters in Sunday's finale vs. the Titans. Houston is locked into the AFC's No. 4 seed. "Everybody has to be ready to go," Ryans said of Week 18. "Everybody will be out there playing and we'll see how the game goes. But, for us right now, we gotta go play better." The Texans could certainly use some positive momentum heading into the playoffs coming off two straight losses, including a 31-2 shellacking at the hands of the Ravens on Christmas. So it'd make sense for the regulars to play at least a few series. But we'd be surprised if guys like QB C.J. Stroud, RB Joe Mixon, and WR Nico Collins played the entire game.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (ribs) will be available for the start of the playoffs, HC Andy Reid said Monday. Pacheco was knocked out of Wednesday's win over the Steelers and is highly unlikely to play in this weekend's meaningless finale vs. the Broncos. The Chiefs then get a first-round bye before their playoff opener. Pacheco has remained in a committee alongside RB Kareem Hunt since returning from his leg injury, so neither guy is particularly attractive in playoff fantasy contests.
Titans HC Brian Callahan said Monday that QBs Will Levis and Mason Rudolph will both play in this weekend's finale vs. the Texans. It's unclear exactly how snaps will be divvied, but it's obviously a situation to avoid in all fantasy lineups. The Titans currently hold the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and figure to be in the QB market.
Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. posted modest numbers in Sunday night's loss to the Commanders. He finished with 223 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT on 19-of-35 passing. That's 54.3% completions and 6.4 yards per attempt against a Washington defense that entered the game ranked just 20th in pass DVOA. But Penix did pilot a scoring drive late in the fourth quarter to tie the game and then helped set up what would have been the game-winning FG attempt at the end of regulation (which fell short).
Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks led the team in targets (8), receptions (4), and receiving yards (52) with WR CeeDee Lamb out for Sunday's loss to the Eagles. All three marks also set season highs for Cooks. TE Jake Ferguson (5), WR Jalen Tolbert (4), and WR/RB Kavontae Turpin (4) trailed him in targets.
Eagles RB Saquon Barkley delivered 167 yards on 31 carries in Sunday's beatdown of the Cowboys, getting him to 2,005 rushing yards for the season. That puts Barkley just 101 yards short of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season NFL record. The question now, of course, is whether Philly will Barkley enough Week 18 carries to go after that record -- or any carries at all. The Eagles have already locked up the NFC's No. 2 seed and thus have nothing (team wise) to play for in the regular-season finale.
Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. posted two of his three largest yardage totals for the season in his two meetings with the Rams. He also delivered his best and sixth-best fantasy scores in those contests -- despite not scoring a TD in Saturday's loss. That contest found him catching six of 10 targets for 96 yards. That tied his season high for receptions and marked just his third week of double-digit targets. Overall, Harrison has basically doubled his production vs. the Rams compared with the rest of his games.
The mere 1 reception for 29 yards that Rams WR Cooper Kupp logged in Saturday's win over the Cardinals marked his third straight game and fourth among the past five with 3 catches or fewer and less than 30 yards. Week 12 marked the last time this season that Kupp exceeded 8 targets. Through that week, he ranked 17th among WRs in route share (adjusted for games missed), 45th in air yards share, and third in target share. Since Week 13, Kupp has ranked just 60th in route share, 48th in target share, and 42nd in air yards share. Puka Nacua, meanwhile, leads all WRs in target share since Week 13 after ranking just 23rd through Week 12.
Packers QB Jordan Love completed 19 of 30 passes for 185 yards and 1 TD in Sunday's loss at Minnesota. Love's 30 attempts marked his highest figure since Week 9.
Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel said after Sunday's win over the Browns that it's too early to know whether QB Tua Tagovailoa (hip) will be able to play vs. the Jets next weekend. McDaniel added that Tagovailoa was not medically cleared to play today. The Dolphins will get the AFC's No. 7 seed if they beat the Jets and the Broncos lose to the Chiefs. QB Tyler Huntley played a clean game in Cleveland, completing 22 of 26 passes for 225 yards, one TD, and 0 INTs and running seven times for 52 yards and a score.
Vikings RB Aaron Jones suffered a quad contusion in today’s win over the Packers, HC Kevin O’Connell said afterward. That doesn’t sound like an injury that’ll keep Jones out of next week’s game vs. the Lions, which is for the NFC North crown. We’ll keep you posted on Jones’ status throughout the coming week. His absence would leave Cam Akers as Minnesota’s lead back.
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