Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins tallied 93 yards on 17 carries in Sunday night's loss vs. the Steelers. This season has been one of ups and downs for the 3rd-year back recovering from an ACL tear in 2021. After a slow start to the year and some missed time, Dobbins has rushed for 90+ yards in 3 of 4 games since returning in Week 14 vs. the Steelers in their 1st matchup. It's safe to say Dobbins is slowly regaining his pre-ACL form. He'll certainly be a name to watch in 2023 as he becomes even further removed from injury.
Ravens QB Tyler Huntley completed 14 of 21 passes for 130 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT in Sunday's loss vs. the Steelers. Huntley has now thrown for under 200 passing yards in every game since taking over for the injured QB Lamar Jackson (knee) as the starter in Week 14 with nary a multiple TD performance. Fantasy managers playing onto Week 18 should not consider Huntley a viable option vs. the Bengals. We've seen enough this season to suggest he is merely a stand-in game manager. There's certainly nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't add much fantasy value to lineups.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert threw for just 212 yards in Sunday's win over the Rams. It was a fairly efficient outing, though, with lower passing volume than usual. Herbert threw just 28 times, his fewest of the season and 14.3 fewer than his per-game average entering the week. Herbert completed 21 (75%) and averaged 7.5 yards per attempt. The 2 TDs marked a big improvement over the previous 4 games, though, doubling his TD total for that span. It was just Herbert's 7th multi-TD game of the year. He'll close out the regular season against a Denver defense that's been toughest in the league on QB scoring.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler ran for 122 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's win over the Rams. Ekeler carried just 10 times for the game, adding 4 catches for 39 yards. The team also mixed in RB Joshua Kelley for 9 carries and RB Larry Rountree for 10. Rountree's use came in the 2nd half, perhaps motivated by a knee issue that limited Ekeler to start the practice week. The Chargers finish the regular season at Denver. Ekeler went for limited yardage -- 83 total on 14 carries and 16 targets -- in the 1st meeting. That came back in Week 6, though, against a much different Broncos defense.
Rams RB Cam Akers ran for 123 yards on 19 carries in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. That marked his 2nd straight game of more than 100 yards rushing but just the 2nd time all season that a Rams RB has exceeded 65 rushing yards. Unfortunately, RB Malcolm Brown claimed the team's lone TD. Akers closes out the season with a Seattle defense that hit Week 17 as the 2nd-best scoring matchup for RBs by adjusted fantasy points allowed.
Packers RB Aaron Jones racked up 111 yards on 14 carries in Sunday's win over the Vikings, averaging 7.9 per rush. That marked a steep turn from most of his production since a Week 10 shin injury. Jones had been averaging just 4.0 per rush since then, compared with 5.6 per carry through Week 10. Jones added meager receiving production -- 2 catches, 2 yards on 3 targets -- and ceded rushing scores to RB AJ Dillon and QB Aaron Rodgers. Dillon checked in just 2 carries short of Jones (going 12-41-1 rushing). Week 18 will pit Jones and the offense against a Lions defense that has been up-and-down as a scoring matchup. He managed just 45 total yards on 9 carries and 2 catches in the 1st meeting.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook managed just 27 yards on 9 carries in Sunday's lopsided loss to the Packers. He added just 2 catches for 17 more yards. It was Cook's fewest rushes and rushing yards since Week 2. The whole offense gets a better matchup at Chicago in Week 18.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins threw for just 205 yards in Sunday's loss to the Packers, with 1 TD and 3 INTs. The lone TD went to WR Jalen Nailor from 47 yards out, helping him lead the team with 89 yards on 3 catches. TE T.J. Hockenson led the team with 12 targets, catching 7 for 59 yards. WR K.J. Osborn added a TD catch, but it came from QB Nick Mullens in garbage time. WR Justin Jefferson managed just 1 reception for 15 yards among 5 looks. Minnesota closes out the regular season with an upside matchup at Chicago.
Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers aggravated his shoulder injury in Sunday's win over the Dolphins. He told reporters afterward that he's "fine" and expects to be ready for next weekend's finale vs. the Bills. We'll track his status throughout the coming week.
Dolphins QB Teddy Bridgewater is believed to have a broken finger on his right hand, according to Pro Football Talk. PFT's Mike Florio said on the Sunday Night Football pregame show that QB Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) is not expected to be cleared for Week 18. That means it'll likely be Skylar Thompson under center in next Sunday's must-win game vs. the Jets.
Cardinals RB James Conner suffered a shin injury in the 2nd half of Sunday's game vs. the Falcons. He never returned – although he did remain on the sideline and was allowed to speak to the media afterward. That suggests the injury isn’t serious, but Conner said he wasn’t sure if he’ll be able to play vs. the 49ers next weekend. Stay tuned to Shark Bites for updates on his status for that one.
Jets TE Tyler Conklin caught all 6 of his targets for 80 yards in Sunday's lopsided loss to the Seahawks. He tallied 35 more yards than any other Jet and doubled his nearest teammate in catches. TE C.J. Uzomah beat Conklin by 1 target but caught just 3 for 24 yards. WR Garrett Wilson led the team with 11 targets but managed only 3 receptions for 18 yards. The Jets -- now eliminated from the playoffs -- visit Miami for the regular-season finale. That has been a positive scoring matchup for TEs; neutral for WRs.
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III rushed 23 times for 133 yards in Sunday's win over the Jets. A 60-yard scamper played a big part in his 5.8-yard average, as Walker managed just 3.3 per tote on his other 22 attempts. But volume has often been on the rookie's side. This was his 2nd straight game with more than 20 carries and 5th since Week 6, when Walker took over for an injured Rashaad Penny. Walker and the Seahawks still need to win and get help to reach the playoffs. He'll face a Rams defense in Week 18 that has been tougher against the run than the pass overall. Those Rams allowed a big rushing day to Austin Ekeler in Week 17, though.
Panthers WR D.J. Moore caught 6 balls for 117 yards and a TD in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers. Carolina pumped its passing volume way up, attempting 37 throws after topping out at 24 attempts across QB Sam Darnold's 1st 4 starts this season. Moore still accounted for 27% of targets, 26% of receptions and 34.3% of receiving yards. He'll be a fairly easy play against the Saints for leagues that play through Week 18.
Panthers QB Sam Darnold threw for 341 yards and 3 TDs in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers. He hit WR D.J. Moore, WR Shi Smith and TE Tommy Tremble for TDs. The game included a season-high 37 passing attempts for Darnold, who hadn't exceeded 24 attempts in his previous 4 starts this season. He and the Panthers close out against the Saints in Week 18.
Buccaneers QB Tom Brady threw for 432 yards and 3 TDs in Sunday's win over the Panthers, clinching the NFC South title. Brady found WR Mike Evans for all 3 scores, from 30, 57 and 63 yards out. Evans accounted for 48% of Brady's passing yardage, as the QB posted his biggest total since Week 3 of 2021. With the division locked up, we wouldn't be surprised to see Tampa Bay rest some starters in Week 18. But we'll assess situations like that throughout the league in finalizing our Week 18 fantasy football rankings.
Ravens DL Calais Campbell (knee) is inactive for tonight's game against the Steelers. The knee was deemed unready after he tested it in pregame warmups.
Before Sunday, Buccaneers WR Mike Evans hadn't scored a TD since Week 4. Turns out he was just saving them all up for championship week of the fantasy football playoffs. Evans racked up 10 catches for 207 yards and all 3 of Tampa Bay's TDs in the playoff-clinching win over the Panthers. Evans scored from 30, 57 and 63 yards out while setting season highs in all 3 of the aforementioned offensive categories. His performance overshadowed WR Chris Godwin's highly efficient performance: 9-120 on 9 targets. The Buccaneers close out the regular season at Atlanta but might not have much to play for in that one. We'll assess their situation in finalizing our Week 18 fantasy football rankings.
Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers caught 6 balls for 48 yards and a TD on 9 targets in Sunday's win over the Dolphins. He came down hard on his TD catch, though, and told reporters after the game that he aggravated the shoulder injury initially suffered on Thanksgiving night at Minnesota. We'll see about Meyers' outlook for Week 18. The fact that New England clinched a playoff berth with this one could affect his availability.
Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson got just 8 carries in Sunday's win over the Dolphins, trailing RB Damien Harris by 1 in the latter's return from injury. Stevenson managed 42 yards (a solid 5.3 per carry) and caught 2 of 9 targets for 9 yards. That makes 2 straight games of less than 50 total yards but his 1st time all season with a single-digit touch total in a game he didn't leave early. Stevenson will be tougher to like against the Bills in Week 18, for those playing through the end of the regular season. Harris went 9-32 rushing against the Dolphins, with 3 catches for 18 yards among 3 targets.
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