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Mike Fanelli gives his fantasy football bold predictions for Week 18 of the NFL season, giving fantasy players something to think about when setting their lineups.
Week 18 is here, and I’m back with another edition of fantasy football bold predictions. This week’s list of bold predictions will include Justin Fields, James Conner, the San Francisco 49ers, Justin Jefferson, and Juwan Johnson.
Every week, I will provide some fun and bold fantasy football predictions. While these bold predictions aren’t the most likely outcomes, they are things I believe could happen this week.
Let’s look at my five bold predictions for Week 18 of the 2023 NFL season.
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Justin Fields…
Is the QB1 in an attempt to play spoiler against the Green Bay Packers
Fields has been outstanding since returning from a thumb injury. He is the QB4 over the past month, averaging 21 fantasy points per game. While the star quarterback struggled against an elite Cleveland Browns defense, Fields scored 24.5 or more fantasy points and a rushing touchdown in every contest since the Chicago Bears’ Week 13 bye. Furthermore, he was outstanding last week.
Despite facing an impressive Atlanta Falcons defense, Fields had his second-best performance this season. He completed 62.5% of his pass attempts for 268 yards and a touchdown. The former Ohio State star also had 11 rushing attempts for 45 yards and a touchdown, scoring 25.2 fantasy points in the win over the NFC South team. After having only one rushing touchdown over the first 12 weeks, Fields has a rushing score in back-to-back contests.
More importantly, the star quarterback faces a Green Bay defense that has struggled to slow down opposing passing attacks lately. Last week, they gave up only 8.2 fantasy points to Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens, as both quarterbacks only played a half. However, the Packers surrendered 51.2 fantasy points and six passing touchdowns to Baker Mayfield and Bryce Young over the previous two weeks, giving up at least 22.2 fantasy points in both games.
James Conner…
Has two touchdowns and is the overall RB1
The veteran running back is the RB25 for the year, averaging 13.3 half-point PPR fantasy points per game despite missing a month because of a knee injury. Conner struggled in his first three games back from the injury, totaling 7.3 or fewer fantasy points in every contest. He had only six receptions in those three games and zero rushing touchdowns. However, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star has been outstanding over the past five weeks.
Conner had over 100 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and 22.5 fantasy points in the Week 13 matchup against his former team. He has had at least 89 offensive yards in three of the past four contests. The veteran is the RB2 on a points-per-game basis over the past five weeks, averaging 21.4 fantasy points per contest, totaling 16.4 or more in every matchup. Conner has averaged only 0.7 fewer fantasy points per game than Christian McCaffrey since the Week 13 contest against the Steelers.
Meanwhile, the star running back has an outstanding fantasy matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. The NFC West division rivals have surrendered 23.8 fantasy points per game to running backs, the fourth-most in the NFL. Running backs have destroyed the Seahawks lately, totaling at least one rushing touchdown in eight of their past 10 matchups. Last week, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren had 197 rushing yards, three touchdowns, and 42 fantasy points against this awful run defense.
The San Francisco 49ers…
Have no startable players in Week 18
The problem with playing season-long fantasy football in Week 18 is that multiple teams won’t play key players because they have nothing to play for. Therefore, fantasy players can’t trust anyone on the 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, or Los Angeles Rams. Those five teams have nothing to play for in Week 18, meaning you won’t see their star players on the field for long, if at all.
Furthermore, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said Brock Purdy won’t play Sunday against the Rams. Christian McCaffrey won’t play because of a minor calf injury. While Deebo Samuel said he would play, the question is, for how long? Fantasy players should also expect Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle to see limited action if they play at all. However, the one guy fantasy players might want to play is Jordan Mason.
With McCaffrey not playing and Elijah Mitchell likely to have a limited role because of his injury history, Mason should see most of the rushing attempts on Sunday. Unfortunately, the matchup is awful for the running back. Los Angeles has surrendered only 14.2 fantasy points per game to running backs, the second-fewest in the NFL. Last week, they held Saquon Barkley to only 7.3 fantasy points and haven’t given up a rushing touchdown to a running back since Week 9.
Justin Jefferson…
Drops over 150 receiving yards and 20 half-point PPR fantasy points
Many might be afraid to draft with the 1.01 pick next year, as some believe the selection is cursed. Jefferson was the near-unanimous top pick in 2023. Despite never missing a game in his NFL career because of an injury, the superstar missed nearly half the season because of a hamstring injury. Thankfully, Jefferson has been outstanding in the seven contests he has finished this year, averaging 18.6 half-point PPR fantasy points per game.
Last week, the superstar had only 8.4 fantasy points in the loss to the Green Bay Packers. Hopefully, his poor performance didn’t cost fantasy players a championship. While he struggled last week, Jefferson is prime for a bounce-back performance in Week 18 for those still playing or anyone doing DFS or betting. The former LSU star had only two targets with Jaren Hall under center but eight with Nick Mullens against the Packers.
Thankfully, Mullens will start the season finale against the Detroit Lions. The NFC North champions have nothing to play for in Week 18 and could pull some starters in the second half. Meanwhile, they have surrendered 32.4 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, the fourth-most in the NFL. More importantly, Jefferson has had at least 140 receiving yards and 23 fantasy points in back-to-back games against the division rivals.
Juwan Johnson…
Has his third consecutive game as a top-five tight end
I called Johnson a sleeper entering the 2023 season. Unfortunately, he has been a bust, averaging only 6.2 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. While the former college wide receiver turned NFL tight end is only the TE26 for the year, Johnson has had some positive moments. In the five contests with more than four targets, the tight end has averaged 11 fantasy points per game, scoring 11.4 or more in 60% of the matchups.
Furthermore, Johnson has been on fire lately. He is the TE2 over the past three weeks, averaging 4.7 receptions on seven targets for 58.7 receiving yards and 14.2 fantasy points per game. The tight end has found the end zone in three consecutive weeks. Johnson was outstanding on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, posting a season-high eight receptions on 12 targets for 90 receiving yards and 19 fantasy points, making several impressive plays.
The New Orleans Saints face the Atlanta Falcons in a must-win game in Week 18. Atlanta has an outside chance of making the playoffs. More importantly, they’ve struggled to slow down tight ends, giving up the ninth-most fantasy points per game to the position (10.5). The Falcons have surrendered 100 receiving yards to tight ends in three of their past seven games, including to the Saints tight ends in Week 12.
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