In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Bleacher Nation Fantasy:
There is a lot going on in Week 18.
In fact, it might be the most chaotic week of the year.
Whether you are fighting for a championship in a Byzantine league that goes until the bitter end, playing DFS cash games with me, or firing off some prop bets, we got covered.
Here’s everything you need to know …
What happened last night? The Ravens clinched the 3-seed and Lamar Jackson padded his resume with a victory over the Browns (who woke up today and canned OC Ken Dorsey).
The Bengals handled the Steelers last night, which means they can sneak into the playoffs if Denver blows their game vs. the K.C. JV team (unlikely) and Miami (who will not have Tua today) loses to the Jets.
Week 18 Resources. Want to know team-level motivations for every game? LaMarca has you covered. Need help on one last start/sit decision? Consult our up-to-date rankings. How about contract incentives for key players today? Here you go.
The Toilet Bowl. Over in The Betting Life newsletter, John broke down the race for the No. 1 seed. The Patriots, Titans, and Browns have lots at stake today.
The SNF hammer. The biggest game of the week is the NFC North clash tonight between the Lions and Vikings for the No. 1 seed. Here’s a full preview from Freedman and betting picks from Ulrich.
Read on for my cash game picks …
What else is in today’s newsletter?
- Week 18: The best plays for Cash Games
- Watercooler: The top 10 TEs for 2024
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Bijan Robinson and More Cash Game Locks
- By Peter Overzet
Once a year I turn in my GPP bro card to become The Cash Game King.
For one beautiful week, I disavow the disgusting, vile concept of tournaments to play God's game—DFS cash games.
Forget leverage and ownership and ill-fated galaxy brain ideas. Week 18 is all about playing the best plays and jamming as much projectable volume into your lineup as possible.
And for the first time ever, I will be allowing readers to take a peek at my current shell.
This is an unprecedented act from the Cash Game King, who typically keeps his shell close to the vest in the lead-up to lock.
But truthfully? I need new ways to challenge myself. Every year I wipe the floor with the poor souls who dare to challenge me to a H2H on DraftKings (username: revertzeetop), so this year I want to make things harder on myself.
So without further adieu, here is the first look at my Week 18 cash game shell …
Disclaimer: the picks below are subject to change. These picks only represent my shell at a fixed point in time, which happens to be 72 hours before lock. A shell is a shell for a reason. It doesn't have the crustacean in it. Do your own research before submitting a H2H lineup against me. This is not financial advice. In fact, the actual financial advice is not to play me in DFS cash, where I win at a 99.99% clip.
🏆 Bijan or bust
RB Bijan Robinson ($8500)
With so much value on this slate, we are going to need to spend up somewhere and there isn't a better player to pony up for this week than Bijan.
For starters, the Falcons have to win to make the playoffs, so there are zero concerns about his playing time this week.
Since Week 12, Bijan has the best Utilization Score among all RBs along with Chase Brown:
And now he gets a Panthers defense that gives up the single biggest fantasy boost (+8.2) to opposing RBs of any team in the league.
This Bijan play is so obvious that I made it my first-ever post on Bluesky earlier this week.
If you don't show up with Bijan in cash this week, you played bad—plain and simple.
MORE WEEK 18 DFS PLAYS FROM THE CASH GAME KING
The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds:
👑 Game of the Year on tap? The battle for the NFC North crown is here.
💪 Top 10 fantasy TEs for 2024. A rookie to rule them all.
🤑 The Bengals were a fun fantasy team. They led the league in multiple categories.
🚑️ Injuries. Good to go: Tony Pollard, Austin Ekeler, and Miles Sanders. One WR is doubtful, though.
🎚️ Stop the slide. The Steelers enter the playoffs on a low note.
📊 Projections for every player in Week 18 … another tool to help with lineup decisions.
