Fantasy Stars Who Will Struggle in Week 18: Jake Browning, Breece Hall, Terry McLaurin and Evan Engram

We have reached Week 18: Many fantasy leagues finished play last week, but for those holding on, we are here to get you through the final slate, which is surely your league championship. 

More importantly, you might be trying to avoid a last-place punishment. Avoiding embarrassment can be sweeter than obtaining glory.

Last week was a good showing for this column, with four of the five players listed failing to thrive:

• Tua Tagovailoa was part of Miami’s downfall against the conference-best Ravens, but he benefitted from throwing 38 times. It was an inefficient day that saw Tua finish outside the top 15 fantasy QBs.
• James Cook turned 17 touches into 44 yards, which included his one catch going for minus-four yards. Cook has had some big performances, but the Patriots have a really good defense despite their record.
• One of the top pass defenses in the league, Kansas City essentially shut down Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase had three catches for 41 yards, and Higgins had just one for 19. 
• I’m happy that Sam LaPorta defied my expectations and had a good seven-catch, 84-yard performance. He has been the best rookie tight end in recent memory.

One more time, let’s identify one high-performing player at each position who will struggle in Week 18. I am going to ignore guys who are likely to sit out most or all of their game due to the team already clinching playoff position.

 

Quarterback

Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals vs Cleveland Browns

This is tough: I’m not suggesting Browning is a star, but options are scarce for this pick, and he is a player owners could be counting on given his play since taking over for Joe Burrow.

Browning played a creampuff schedule from Weeks 12-16, seeing Pittsburgh twice, Jacksonville, Indianapolis and Minnesota. He was an effective fantasy quarterback, finishing among the top 10 QBs in three of those five weeks.

Against the Chiefs last week, Browning had just 197 pass yards and a touchdown, but 32 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground saved his fantasy week. The tough Kansas City defense gave Browning fits in the passing game.

That’s likely to be the case again against the Browns, who have allowed the least passing yards per game and second least per attempt on the season. Cleveland is among the best defenses in the league and often limits opponents.

The only question here is who will sit for the Browns, who have locked up the No. 5 seed. If Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward are out, that changes the equation. Cincinnati is out of the playoff picture and could choose to rest Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, both battling injuries.

There are a lot of unknowns here, and that’s scary for Browning. I’d bet you can find a better option, including whoever starts for Cleveland against the Bengals.

 

Running Back

Breece Hall, New York Jets @ New England Patriots

It’s been an up-and-down season for Hall, but it’s more down than you probably realize given a few big performances: He has only scored a touchdown in seven of his 16 games and has had at least 60 rushing yards just four times.

He was the RB MVP of Week 16 with 191 yards and two touchdowns and backed that up with a 126-yard, one-touchdown performance last week. Hall is on a hot streak, for those who like the term.

New England is a stout defense, though, and especially tough against the run. The Pats have allowed the least rushing yards per attempt and second-least per game. I mentioned above how they shut down Buffalo’s Cook last week.

When these teams matched up in Week 3, Hall had just 27 yards on 13 touches and fumbled once. He may find a little more space in this one, but I see another quiet game for the young back to close out the season.

 

Wide Receiver

Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders vs Dallas Cowboys

I didn’t realize how tough this was really going to be with so many guys expected to sit out. Some of the best defenses are tied up in matchups like the Patriots vs the Jets, where no one will thrive (including anyone who watches the game).

McLaurin has probably been the best player on a disappointing Washington offense that fell off down the stretch as the competition toughened. He leads the team in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns (tied with three other players).

McLaurin is 54 yards away from 1,000, an achievement on any team but especially with this unit. Washington doesn’t have much else to play for, though, while Dallas can lock up the NFC East crown and the No. 2 seed in the conference.

The Cowboys have given up the fifth-least passing yards per game and 11th-least per attempt. Both DraftKings and FanDuel rank them as the sixth best team against fantasy wide receivers.

This is a tough matchup and a team just playing out the string. I wouldn’t be surprised if Washington forced the ball to McLaurin to get him 1,000 yards, which could up his PPR value, but I don’t see much more than those 54 yards coming.

 

Tight End

Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans

I’ve chosen Engram multiple times for this place, but I take no joy in it. He is one of my favorite tight ends in real life and fantasy, having totaled 104 receptions and 884 yards through Week 17. Calvin Ridley leads the team with 910 yards, but his 70 catches (second on the team) are dwarfed by the tight end.

Failing to find the end zone has been Engram’s only downfall, with just three touchdowns on the season. Sixteen tight ends have surpassed his touchdown total (including Taysom Hill’s rushing TDs). The end to the season isn’t going to be kind to Engram, either.

Tennessee is the best fantasy defense against tight ends in the entire league by the measures of both DraftKings and FanDuel. The team is close to league average in terms of passing yards per game and per attempt allowed, but they shut down the tight end position.

In the first matchup between these teams, Engram recorded four catches for 29 yards. That left him outside the top 15 in PPR scoring and outside the top 20 in standard. A repeat of that performance is likely, and standard owners, in particular, should look elsewhere this week.