More Week 18 NFL News: Lamar Jackson, Brock Purdy, Kyren Williams, Keenan Allen and More
Discussing more NFL news prior to week 18 games kicking off.
NFL organizations continued to release news regarding resting and injured players late into Wednesday, so let’s take a look at some of the big news.
Make sure to check out similar stories that we released Wednesday morning and Wednesday afternoon.
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Lamar Jackson to Rest
The MVP favorite will not be suiting up in week 18. The Baltimore Ravens will replace Lamar Jackson with Tyler Huntley, with Josh Johnson serving as the backup.
Jackson finishes his regular season with 3,678 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He attempted 148 runs, gaining 821 yards and scoring five additional times.
Huntley has started eight games in his career - four starts in each of the past two seasons. He’s completed 65.6% of his passes and thrown seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. Huntley and the Ravens will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 18, which sets up as a slightly below-average matchup for the QB. Huntley could be without several playmakers for much of the game, while the Steelers will be going all out in an effort to sneak into the playoffs.
Brock Purdy also Sitting
The San Francisco 49ers have decided to rest starting quarterback Brocky Purdy in week 18. Sam Darnold will start in his place.
Purdy ends his first full season as a starter with 4,280 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He added 144 yards and two touchdowns on 39 rushing attempts.
Darnold has appeared in nine games this season for San Fran - this will be his first start. He’s completed 60% of his passes this season, while throwing one touchdown and one interception. This sets up as a good matchup on paper for Darnold, as the Los Angeles Rams’ defense struggles to slow opposing quarterbacks - and likely will rest many starters for at least a decent portion of the game.
Nick Mullens to Start for Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings’ playoff chances are slim, but they’ve still decided to make another quarterback change. Nick Mullens will start again.
Mullens has started two of the four games he’s appeared in this season, completing 67.3% of his passes and throwing five touchdowns and six interceptions. He already faced the Detroit Lions a couple weeks ago, completing 22-of-36 passes for 411 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. It’s an average matchup on paper.
Several Rams Sitting Out
We already reported that quarterback Matthew Stafford will be resting in week 18, but Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay also said that running back Kyren Williams, wide receiver Cooper Kupp and tight end Tyler Higbee will also get week 18 off.
That takes away several playmakers for Carson Wentz, who is starting in the place of Stafford. He will still have Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell and Demarcus Robinson to throw the ball to. Ronnie Rivers is expected to lead the backfield, while Royce Freeman should also get a decent amount of work. Davis Allen and Brycen Hopkins are options at tight end.
The matchup for any Rams’ receivers is average, while it’s a bit tougher challenge for running backs and tight ends against the 49ers. With San Fran already playing without Purdy and Christian McCaffrey, it’s reasonable to expect several of their top defensive players to also get the game off, or barely play, so take those matchups with a grain of salt.
Keenan Allen Likely Out Again
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen has missed three straight games, and appears he will also miss the season finale with his heel injury.
If he is indeed out again, Allen will cap his season with 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns on 108 catches and 150 targets across 13 games played.
Joshua Palmer is still working his way back from a concussion, so his status will be worth watching as the game against the Kansas City Chiefs approaches. The matchup for the Chargers’ receivers isn’t a great one, but Kansas City could end up resting several guys on defense.
Palmer, Alex Erickson, Quentin Johnston, Jalen Guyton and Derius Davis are all wideout options on the active roster. Gerald Everett and Donald Parham are pass-catching options at the tight end position.
Be sure to keep checking back to FantasySP for the latest NFL news.
