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Joe Nicely breaks down 10 Things You Should Know Ahead of Week 18 of the NFL season. Fantasy football updates, notes, and analysis for Week 18 - January 7, 2023.
Hello, RotoBallers! As we head into the final weekend of the NFL season, we have an interesting slate ahead of us for Week 18. While most fantasy leagues held their league championship games last week, there are still some fantasy managers battling it out. And hey...we're all just fans of the game, right?
The NFL – and fantasy football -– is a game of constantly moving parts, and just when you think you know everything, things can change.
In the interest of keeping fantasy GMs up to date and informed, I'll be putting some interesting nuggets in one convenient place. This info might be in the form of stats, trends, or injury news, but it's info that I believe can help fantasy managers win their matchups this week. Without further delay, here are 10 Things You Should Know Ahead of Week 18.
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#1. Damar Hamlin
When Buffalo Bills' safety Damar Hamlin went down on Monday Night Football, the entire football community was impacted and the whole sports world stopped in its tracks. Yes, many fantasy finals - as well as the NFL playoff picture - were thrown upside down. None of that mattered, as our thoughts turned to Hamlin and his well-being.
Thankfully, the millions of prayers for Damar appear to have been answered, as news came out this week that he is improving at a remarkable pace. Hamlin was able to talk with his Bills teammates via Facetime on Friday and it looks as though this tragic story will have a happy ending.
#2. Bills and Bengals
Due to Hamlin's medical emergency, the Monday Night game between the Bills and Bengals was halted with no clear plan as to when - or if - the game would be resumed. Late this week, the NFL announced that the game would be cancelled and not made up. The playoff implications are significant...and complicated.
#3. Saturday Night Special
We get Week 18 underway with a nice Saturday appetizer that includes the Chiefs vs. Raiders, followed by a win-and-in AFC South showdown between the Titans and Jaguars. It's a divisional clash between two teams that have been headed in opposite directions over the back half of the season.
Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence has made a quantum leap in his second NFL season and the top pick of the 2021 draft is beginning to look like the generational prospect that most considered him to be. Riding the Lawrence wave - as well as some timely defensive plays - the Jags have won four straight and can make the playoffs for the first time since 2017 with a win over the Titans on Saturday night.
For all the positive vibes in Duval, it has been nightmare time in Nashville. The Titans appeared to have the AFC South locked up months ago, yet now enter Saturday's make-or-break game on a six-game losing streak and without starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill. After resting Derrick Henry in a meaningless Week 17 loss, Tennessee gets the King back in this one and we can expect Henry to carry the load for a Tennessee offense that will have Josh Dobbs under center.
#4. Hurts To The Rescue?
Ironically, Jalen Hurts' strongest argument for the 2022 NFL MVP award might be his absence from the Philly lineup. The previously-bulletproof Eagles have dropped two in a row with Hurts on the sidelines which helped to highlight just how valuable he's been to this team in 2022.
As of this writing, it looks as though Hurts is trending in the right direction and will return under center for Philly's regular-season finale against the New York Giants. They suddenly need him, as the NFC's No. 1 seed is at stake. Look for the Eagles to secure the top spot against a Giants squad that's already locked into their playoff seed.
#5. The Wheels Come Off In South Beach
After a promising start to the Mike McDaniel era in South Beach, the Dolphins have floundered down the stretch and head into the regular-season finale on a five-game losing streak. There have been a lot of good things in Miami this season, they are just kinda hard to remember, as the latter portion of the year has been marked by lingering concussion issues with Tua Tagovailoa and ineffectiveness on the field.
With Tua out again and backup Teddy Bridgewater dealing with a dislocated finger on his throwing hand, Miami will turn to rookie QB Skylar Thompson against the New York Jets this week. The Dolphins' playoff hopes are on life support, as they need a win and lots of help to find the postseason promise land.
#6. Can Aaron Rodgers Do It Again?
We talked in this article last week about Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers' refusal to die this season. Sure enough, the Pack put a 41-17 beatdown on the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17, keeping their once-slim playoff hopes very much alive.
Rodgers has led the Packers to the NFL playoffs six different times when the team had a .500 or worse record in October or later. He has a chance to do it again when Green Bay takes on Dan Campbell's gritty Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football. The playoff scenario is pretty simple for this Packers squad that's posted four straight victories...win and you're in.
#7. Hanging Around
While many NFL teams have already secured their place in the postseason, a handful of squads enter Week 18 clinging to the slimmest of postseason hopes.
In the AFC, the New England Patriots have a win-and-in game against the Buffalo Bills or could backdoor a berth with a loss and tons of help. The Pittsburgh Steelers don't control their own destiny, as they need a win, as well as losses from the Pats and Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins themselves are in a similar boat, as they need a win and a Patriots loss.
The NFC picture is a bit cleaner, as two of the borderline teams - Green Bay and Detroit - play each other Sunday night. The Packers are in with a win, while the Lions need a victory over the Pack and a Seattle Seahawks loss. If Seattle takes care of business Sunday afternoon, they will be Lions fans, as they would need a Packers loss to get secure a playoff spot.
#8. Motivation in Minnesota?
The Minnesota Vikings locked up the NFC North division title and a playoff spot weeks ago but squandered a reasonable shot at the No. 2 by getting blown out in Green Bay last week.
Minnesota still technically has a chance to get the second spot with a win over the Chicago Bears this week and a San Francisco 49ers loss to the Arizona Cardinals. However, should the Vikes even want the No. 2 seed?
If they enter the postseason as the NFC's No. 3 seed the Vikings are guaranteed a home playoff game against the New York Giants, a team they handled 27-22 in the first week of December. But if they were to move up in seeding, they could potentially face a Green Bay squad that handed them a whipping at Lambeau last week.
Look for the Vikings to pull their key starters early in this Week 18 game with the lowly Bears.
#9. Somebody's Gotta Win The NFC South - Part IV: Judgement Day
In the brief lifespan of this article, the NFC South has quickly become our first running joke. The chaos has been absolutely beautiful, as we've continually monitored the standings of the NFL's worst division. Unfortunately, our fun is over, as the Tampa Bay Bucs put the rest of the division's dogs out of their misery last week. Tom Brady and company will once again head to the NFL playoffs.
#10. Goodbye, 2022 Regular Season, and Don't Let The Door Hit You on The Way Out
While Damar Hamlin's injury helped to put a lot of things in perspective for a lot of people, it is still ok to look back at the 2022 regular season and say..."Blah".
It's been a year marked by underwhelming fantasy production, a plethora of injuries to key players, low scoring, and a lot of just plain bad football. Perhaps the playoffs will play the part of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones by forcing us to look at the light and erasing a mediocre-at-best regular season from our collective memories.
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