Week 18 NFL News: Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Flacco, Christian Kirk and More
Wednesday news from around the NFL as week 18 games approach.
Week 18 of the NFL season is about as chaotic a week as you could possibly imagine. Fantasy football leagues that are still playing not only have to worry about their championship lineups, but also a multitude of injuries that have accumulated. There’s also a number of players that rest this week, and news in that department has been all over social media over the past couple hours.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest news that relates to fantasy football.
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Patrick Mahomes Won’t Play
With the Kansas City Chiefs locked into the No. 3 seed, quarterback Patrick Mahomes won’t be playing in week 18 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
That means Blaine Gabbert will get the starting nod. It’s a really favorable matchup for Gabbert, which makes him a halfway decent starting option for week 18, especially with some of the other quarterbacks that will be out.
Gabbert has played in just one game this season, playing late in a rout of the Chicago Bears early in the season. Gabbert was 3-of-5 passing for 31 yards, but his incompletions were both interceptions. It’d definitely be a risk to start him in week 18, but there might not be a better option out there.
Joe Flacco also Sitting
The Cleveland Browns are locked into a playoff spot, so they are giving Joe Flacco the week off. Jeff Driskel will start in his place against the Cincinnati Bengals.
On paper, it’s a pretty solid matchup for Driskel, but if Flacco is sitting, you can expect several of the team’s regulars to also be out, or only on the field for a couple of drives.
Driskel has not played this season. He’s 1-9 as a starting quarterback over his time in the NFL. He’s started games for the Bengals, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans.
Matthew Stafford also to Rest
The Los Angeles Rams are locked into a playoff spot, but their seed could still move. The team still decided to rest Matthew Stafford, which will allow Carson Wentz to start.
Wentz hasn’t thrown a pass this season, but obviously is no stranger to starting. His matchup with the San Francisco 49ers is tough, but the Niners might also rest several top defenders with the No. 1 seed locked up.
Bills, Commanders, Giants Announce Starters
The Buffalo Bills appear like they’ll have Josh Allen starting behind center in a huge Sunday night showdown with the Dolphins. He’s dealing with a sore neck.
He’s topped 200 passing yards in all but four games this season, and only has one game without a touchdown pass (last week). Allen has rushed for a touchdown in all but four games, so he’s been one of the league’s top fantasy options all year.
His matchup with the Dolphins is a pretty average one, but you need to be starting him over some of the other starting options around the league. Miami’s defense just got torched by the Baltimore Ravens, and Allen had 320 yards, four touchdowns and no picks the last time the teams met. He also rushed for a score in that contest. Don’t overthink this - start Allen.
The Washington Commanders will be starting Sam Howell again in week 18.
Howell was supposed to be benched last week, but ended up playing after Jacoby Brissett was injured in practice. Howell will now prepare for his 17th start of the season.
The youngster has struggled over the past month or so. He’s failed to top 200 passing yards or a touchdown in any of the past four games, and he’s thrown six picks over that span.
His matchup with the Dallas Cowboys is a bit of a tougher one. He completed 28-of-44 passes for 300 yards, but no touchdowns and one interception the last time the teams squared off. Howell did score once on the ground.
The New York Giants will start Tyrod Taylor once again in week 18.
Taylor’s matchup with the Eagles is a very favorable one on paper. He completed 7-of-16 passes for 133 yards, one touchdown and one interception when the teams met a couple weeks ago. Taylor came on for Tommy DeVito in that contest.
Two Wideouts Practicing
Two big-time wideouts are getting close to returning to the field.
Miami Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle participated in a team walkthrough on Wednesday, which could mean he’s back for his team’s pivotal week 18 clash with the Bills.
Waddle is out with an ankle injury he suffered a couple weeks ago. Waddle tallied 46 receiving yards on four grabs and five targets the last time the teams played. It’s a tough matchup on paper for Dolphins’ wideouts, so getting the dynamic Waddle back would be huge for their offense.
Jacksonville Jaguars’ Christian Kirk is somehow back at practice. He suffered a core muscle injury just four weeks ago.
Jacksonville’s offense has sputtered without Kirk in the lineup, although that’s also lined up with quarterback Trevor Lawrence being injured. Getting Kirk back - with Lawrence trending toward playing - would be huge for the Jaguars in a massive week 18 clash with the Tennessee Titans.
It’s a very favorable matchup for Kirk if he can be out there. He tallied just 48 receiving yards on three grabs and six targets the last time the teams played, although he could have had much better numbers if Jacksonville didn’t rout Tennessee.
Keep checking back to FantasySP for the latest NFL news.
