In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Mike's Hard Lemonade:
If you enjoy going to a buffet, Week 18 is for you. While there are a lot of teams resting players, it means plenty of opportunities opening up for other players. Finding streamers in many weeks can be difficult, but this week has plenty of options. You can also use our Start/Sit tool to assist in tough decisions.
QUARTERBACK
Michael Penix (Atlanta Falcons)
The Falcons have to win in order to have a chance at winning the NFC South. The Buccaneers clinch the division with a win over the Saints and both games are at the same time. The Panthers allow the fifth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks and Baker Mayfield had 359 passing yards with 5 touchdowns against them last week. Penix has passed for at least 200 yards in his first two starts and led the Falcons to a game-tying drive on the road last week with a touchdown to Kyle Pitts.
RUNNING BACK
Blake Corum (Los Angeles Rams)
The Rams will rest their starters after clinching the NFC West. Kyren Williams will be out and coach Sean McVay has said he’s excited to see Corum get a heavy workload. The Seahawks have been eliminated from the playoffs and don’t have much to play for. Seattle allows the ninth-most rushing yards per game to running backs and allows the sixth-most yards per carry.
WIDE RECEIVER
Marvin Mims Jr. (Denver Broncos)
Mims hasn’t been a full-time player, but the snaps have increased each week and he’s getting the ball often when he’s on the field. He has played 47% of the snaps in each of the last two games. He has at least 62 receiving yards in three of the last four games and had a season-high 8 targets last week, catching all 8 for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Broncos need to win to clinch a playoff spot.
TIGHT END
Chig Okonkwo (Tennessee Titans)
Okonkwo is finishing the season strong, with 28 targets in the last three games. He had 27 targets in the first nine games of the season. Okonkwo has 13.9, 17.1, and 10.9 points in PPR formats over the last three games. In Week 12 against the Texans, Okonkwo had a 70-yard touchdown.
If you need more streamers to consider, check to see how our expert rankers view fringe options this week.
CONSULT OUR START/SIT TOOL FOR WEEK 18
What else is in today’s newsletter?
- The Biggest Busts From 2024
- Watercooler: Bengals-Steelers with playoff implications on the line.
Quench Your Hard-Earned Thirst With Mike’s Hard Lemonade 🍋
Are you in a league with a Week 18 Championship game? If you are, and you’ve made it this far you are probably facing some really hard lineup decisions. Deciding which backups to start in the most important game of the season will work up a hard-earned thirst. Mike’s Hard Lemonade is the reward for that hard-earned thirst. So start that backup QB or 3rd-string RB, sit back and enjoy an ice cold Mike’s Hard Lemonade on your way to fantasy glory! Find Mike’s Hard Lemonade near you at www.MikesHard.com.
Fantasy Football Busts: The Worst Picks Of 2024
By Sam Wallace
Quarterback
C.J. Stroud failed to deliver for fantasy football managers.
As a rookie, No.2 overall pick C.J. Stroud put up the following numbers in 15 games:
- 4,108 passing yards
- 23 passing TDs
- 3 rushing TDs
- 5 INTs
- 18.7 PPG
- QB11
Heading into Year 2, he was drafted as the QB5 and has absolutely busted for fantasy managers who selected him that high. Through 16 games, he has just 3,600 passing yards, 19 TDs, and a whopping 12 INTs. He's also averaging 14.1 points per game.
No matter how you look at it, that's pretty brutal.
To be fair, there was ample evidence to suggest that Stroud would pick up right where he left off. A pass-catching room of Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Stefon Diggs, and Dalton Schultz (with Joe Mixon coming out of the backfield) was about as good as you could ask for.
However, it just hasn't panned out. Various injuries to Collins, Dell, and Diggs have limited this offense, which ranks 18th in the league, at just under 22 points per game.
Stroud's lackluster season provides more ammo for the "Late-Round QB" camp. While players like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have performed at a high level all season, you could have very easily drafted someone like Jared Goff over Stroud many rounds later.
Running Back
Travis Etienne falls flat.
Third-year RB Travis Etienne had a preseason ADP of RB10 and it was easy for fantasy managers to talk themselves into the talented, pass-catching tailback.
As a sophomore, he finished as the RB3 in PPR formats thanks to hitting the following thresholds:
- 265+ rushing attempts
- 1,000+ rushing yards
- 11 rushing TDs
- 70+ targets
- 55+ receptions
- 475+ receiving yards
That's an ideal profile for a high-scoring, workhorse RB1. Little did we know just how disappointing Etienne would be this season.
In related news, maybe we were all just a year early on Tank Bigsby.
Etienne (14 games) and Bigsby (15 games) have played essentially the whole season together but it's been Bigsby who has garnered a larger share of the rushing attack.
Even though Etienne has played more snaps and has been more involved in every element of the passing game and high-leverage situations like LDD & 2Min Snaps, Bigsby holds an edge in rushing attempts by a mark of 154-137. Bigsby also has 6 rushing TDs to Etienne's 2.
Even Trevor Lawrence (3) has more rushing TDs than Etienne.
Speaking of Lawrence, he continues to do everything he can to not take that next step forward and join the elite company of QBs in the league. Scoring opportunities have been hard to come by as the offense ranks 25th in scoring at just 18 points per game.
I'm not entirely sure how we could have projected Bigsby to take on that significant of a role, considering the masses kept Etienne's ADP at low-end RB1 range instead of pushing it even higher. Even so, getting burned never feels good and fantasy managers will certainly be wary of the Jaguars backfield in 2025.
AROUND THE WATERCOOLER
The latest analysis and insights from our merry band of football nerds:
🏈 Who’s even playing in Week 18? Ian and Dwain run through the injuries and players sitting out the final week of the season.
🔮 Are the Bengals ready to roar in the Steel City? Freedman previews the AFC North battle royale.
📝 Not sure who to start in your championship matchup? We’ve got rankings being updated all the way to kickoff.
❤️ Matthew is showing plenty of love for a certain Falcon this week.
👀 Want to play DFS in wild and crazy Week 18? Here are our projections.
