PFSN wants to help you become a smarter fan, whether you’re rooting for your team, playing fantasy football, or betting. Here are the most important stats, trends, notes, and insights for every NFL matchup in Week 18. We all know how time-consuming it can be to gather all the necessary information, which is why we’re doing the research for you.
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Carolina Panthers
Team: The Carolina Panthers win the NFC South with a win or tie OR a win by the Atlanta Falcons against the New Orleans Saints.
QB: Bryce Young posted a PFSN’s Quarterback Impact (QBi) score of 76.6 (C) in Week 16 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was his best QBi score and only win in five games against Tampa Bay.
Offense: Carolina has six wins by three points or fewer; it’s tied with five other teams, including this year’s Broncos, for the second most in a season. The 1998 Arizona Cardinals and 2003 Panthers had seven wins by three points or fewer.
Defense: The Panthers have allowed 364 points this season. Carolina gave up 534 points last season, which is the most in NFL history.
Fantasy: Tetairoa McMillan had two of the three worst games of his young career over the past three weeks. Sandwiched in between those was a 6-73-1 effort against a Bucs team that looks completely checked out.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Team: The Buccaneers win the NFC South with a win and a win by the Saints over the Falcons.
QB: Baker Mayfield has thrown ten interceptions on the season. The Buccaneers are 0-8 when he throws an interception, 7-1 when he doesn’t.
Offense: Emeka Egbuka, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin Jr. combined for 11 catches for 101 yards in the first meeting with the Panthers in Week 16.
Defense: The Buccaneers have lost four games in a row by a combined 11 points. Five of the team’s seven wins have been by three points or fewer, while six of the nine losses have been by six points or fewer.
Fantasy: Bucky Irving has absolutely no fantasy value in his current role. He hasn’t scored in three straight games and consistently comes off the field in the red zone and obvious passing situations. How is he supposed to score fantasy points? The answer is he can’t.
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Team: The Seattle Seahawks win the NFC West, NFC No. 1 seed, and home-field advantage with a win or tie.
QB: Sam Darnold had his lowest QBi score of the season (67.3, D+) against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1. He’s had three games with a D+ grade this season.
Offense: Jaxon Smith-Njigba has 30 catches for 353 yards with zero touchdowns in five games against the 49ers. He has 19 catches for 234 yards in the last two meetings.
Defense: Seattle has allowed an NFL-best 16.0 points per game during the current six-game winning streak.
Fantasy: Zach Charbonnet has now out-snapped Ken Walker in three consecutive games. He continues to see all of the goal line work. Charbonnet is significantly more valuable in fantasy, and probably real life, too.
San Francisco 49ers
Team: The 49ers win the NFC West, NFC No. 1 seed, and home-field advantage with a win.
QB: Brock Purdy has finished in the top eight of QBi four times in seven career games against the Seahawks.
Offense: Christian McCaffrey, who has 1,179 rush yards and is 110 receiving yards shy of 1,000. He is trying to become the first player to have 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season twice. Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk are the only other players to accomplish the feat.
Defense: The 49ers have 18 sacks on the season, which is last in the NFL. The New York Jets have the next fewest with 26.
Fantasy: Brock Purdy is averaging 32 fantasy points per game over his last three. He’s thrown for 11 touchdowns and rushed for two more over that span. He had 277 yards and two touchdowns against the Seahawks back in Week 1.
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Team: The Cleveland Browns have a 47.7% chance at a Top 5 draft pick, according to the PFSN Playoff Predictor.
QB: Shedeur Sanders QBi grade has been C- in four of seven games. He has a C and two Ds in the other three.
Offense: The Browns have a PFSN’s Offense Impact (OFFi) score of 52.8 (F), which is the second lowest by any team since 2000.
Defense: Myles Garrett has 22 sacks and remains half a sack behind Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt for the single-season record. Last game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Garrett didn’t record a sack, and it snapped a nine-game streak with at least half a sack.
Fantasy: Harold Fannin adjusted to catch a 28-yard TD on Sunday. He injured his groin on the play and did not return, but he’s done more than enough this season to earn our confidence for 2026. He’s a Tier 2 option at the position and should be drafted with confidence in the middle rounds.
Cincinnati Bengals
Team: The Cincinnati Bengals have a 54.1% chance at a Top 10 draft pick, according to the PFSN Playoff Predictor.
QB: Joe Burrow had a career-high QBi (88.2, B+) in Week 17 against the Cardinals. His previous high was 87.9 last season against the Baltimore Ravens. His score last week was the seventh-best score in the league this season.
Offense: Ja’Marr Chase averages 13.6 yards per reception with 9.7 air yards per target when Joe Burrow is the quarterback. His yards per reception drop to 11.5, and air yards per target drop to 8.2 when Burrow is out.
Defense: The Bengals have the 14th-worst PFSN’s Defense Impact (DEFi) (62.7, D-) since 2019.
Fantasy: It was a perfect Bengals game on Sunday against the Cardinals, and that’s what we should be expecting more of in 2026. Ja’Marr Chase scored twice and is worthy of consideration with the first overall pick, while Chase Brown, Tee Higgins, and Joe Burrow are all lineup locks.
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Team: The Indianapolis Colts started 8-2 against opponents who entered Week 18 with a combined 69-91 record. Two of the wins were against the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Colts are on a six-game losing streak against opponents with a combined 66-30 record. The Kansas City Chiefs (6-10) are the only team with a losing record that the Colts have faced during the losing streak.
QB: Riley Leonard is expected to make his first career start. He had a QBi of 73.8 (C) in Week 14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Offense: Jonathan Taylor had 1,018 rush yards and 15 touchdowns in eight wins. He has 541 rush yards and three touchdowns in eight losses.
Defense: The Colts allowed 20.6 points per game with 14 turnovers during the team’s 8-2 start. In the last six games, they’ve allowed 28.0 points per game with seven turnovers.
Fantasy: Jonathan Taylor averaged 23.9 PPG with Daniel Jones under center. Since Jones went down, Taylor has still been solid, but the elite ceiling is gone, as he is only averaging 15.0 PPG. The Colts are going to start Riley Leonard, and the Houston Texans need to try to keep their faint division hopes alive.
Houston Texans
Team: The Houston Texans win the AFC South with a win and a Jaguars loss to the Tennessee Titans.
QB: C.J. Stroud has the 19th-best QBi in the NFL this season. He was 33rd last season and fifth in his rookie season.
Offense: Houston posted the 7th-best weekly OFFi in the league in its first win of the current eight-game winning streak. The weekly rank has been 14th or lower in the other seven games.
Defense: The Texans lead the NFL with a DEFi of 90.6 (A-). It’s the 15th-best score in the league since 2000.
Fantasy: Woody Marks returned from a one-game absence and saw a 68% snap share. His production was lacking because he didn’t score, but he saw 19 carries and two targets. The Colts just held Travis Etienne out of the end zone, but they did let him accumulate 92 yards on 19 touches.
Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
Team: The Titans have a 28.7% chance at a Top 3 draft pick, according to the PFSN Playoff Predictor.
QB: Cam Ward started his rookie season off with a D+ or lower grade in six of his first seven games. He’s recorded a C- or better in seven of his last nine games.
Offense: Tennessee has averaged 26.8 points per game the last four weeks after scoring 14.2 points per game in the first 12 games.
Defense: The Titans have the 3rd-lowest OFFi score in the league this season and the 17th-lowest since 2000.
Fantasy: Tony Pollard is averaging 19.5 carries per game over his last four. He needs 66 yards to cash a $250k bonus and two touchdowns to cash another $250k. Unfortunately, the Jaguars have something to play for and allow the third fewest fantasy points per game to running backs.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Team: The Jaguars win the AFC South with a win or tie OR a Texans loss to the Colts. Jacksonville clinches the AFC No. 1 seed and home-field advantage with a win and losses by the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots.
QB: Trevor Lawrence ranked 12th (77.0, C) on the Week 17 QBi leaderboard, snapping a three-week streak of top-six finishes.
Offense: Jakobi Meyers’ first game with the Jaguars was in Week 10. Jacksonville is 7-1 since the trade and has scored 32.1 points per game, third in the NFL in that span.
Defense: The Jaguars have allowed 15.6 points per game during the current seven-game win streak. They are tied with the Eagles for the fewest points allowed since Week 11.
Fantasy: Trevor Lawrence didn’t throw a touchdown last week, but he rushed for two. He has now accounted for multiple touchdowns in seven consecutive games. The Titans have become quite the pass funnel over the second half of the season.
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
New Orleans Saints
Team: The New Orleans Saints are on a four-game winning streak. They have had two separate four-game losing streaks this season.
QB: Tyler Shough had his third QBi grade of B- in the last four games.
Offense: The Saints have ranked in the top nine of OFFi in three of the last four weeks.
Defense: Chase Young has a PFSN’s EDGE Impact (EDGEi) score of 82.2 (B-) this season, which is his best since 2021.
Fantasy: Tyler Shough cleared 300 yards through the air for a second straight week and funneled 40.7% of his targets to Chris Olave. He’s old by NFL rookie standards, but the team has empowered him to grow, and his skill set is interesting as a streamer at the very least moving forward.
Atlanta Falcons
Team: A win would give the Falcons their first four-game winning streak since the end of the 2019 season.
QB: Kirk Cousins’ 73.4 (C) QBi is his lowest since the 2018 season.
Offense: Bijan Robinson had 229 yards from scrimmage against the Rams in Week 17. Robinson’s performance made him the Falcons’ single-season leader in yards from scrimmage (2,255). On Monday night, Robinson vaulted over two seasons from Williams Andrews and one from Jamal Anderson. All were accomplished in 16 games.
Defense: Xavier Watts has the highest PFSN’s Safety Impact (SAFi) ranking for a rookie and tenth overall this season.
Fantasy: Drake London was targeted only twice on his 19 routes in a game that Bijan Robinson dominated last week. Don’t sweat it. The flow of the game played into the dud, but London was on the field for 98.1% of the snaps and profiles as a WR1 heading into 2026.
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Dallas Cowboys
Team: If the Dallas Cowboys lose or tie, they will finish with losing seasons in back-to-back years for the first time since 2001 and 2002.
QB: Dak Prescott has 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His 3.0 TD/INT ratio is the fourth best in his career, behind only his rookie season in 2016, and the 2021 and 2023 seasons. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2016 and finished second in MVP voting in 2023.
Offense: George Pickens had five games with 130 or more receiving yards. He had three such games in three seasons with the Steelers.
Defense: The Cowboys’ DEFi season score of 61.6 (D-) is the lowest in the NFL and 11th lowest since 2019.
Fantasy: After Javonte Williams left with an injury, Malik Davis handled nearly every carry. The New York Giants allow the fifth most fantasy points per game to running backs.
New York Giants
Team: The Giants have a 23.2% chance at the first overall draft pick, according to the PFSN Playoff Predictor.
QB: Jaxon Dart has had a QBi of C or better in seven of his 11 qualified games. He’s ranked 24th on the season.
Offense: Wan’Dale Robinson has set career highs with 1,014 receiving yards and four touchdowns. His 92 catches are one shy of his career high.
Defense: The Giants allowed an opponent to score 28 or more points seven times this season. New York has a season DEFi of 68.7, which is the franchise’s fifth-worst since 2000.
Fantasy: One week after the worst game of his young career, Jaxson Dart rebounded to post 25.1 fantasy points. So much for the thought that he would run less. Dart carried the ball nine times for 48 yards and two touchdowns. No team allows more fantasy points per game to QBs than the Cowboys.
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers
Team: The Green Bay Packers are locked into the seventh seed in the NFC.
QB: Malik Willis had a QBi score of 89.0 (B+) last week against the Ravens. It was the fourth-best score of the season in the NFL.
Offense: In the last nine games, Green Bay averaged 21.7 points per game. The Packers had 27.6 points per game in the first seven games.
Defense: The Packers have a DEFi grade of C on the season. Green Bay has not had a defense above C+ since 2010.
Fantasy: Christian Watson has 80+ receiving yards AND a touchdown catch in three of his past five games. His age-27 season is in front of him, and at 17.0 yards per catch through four seasons, it’s fair to consider him a potential gamebreaker next season as long as he can stay on the field.
Minnesota Vikings
Team: The Minnesota Vikings had a turnover differential of -2 or worse in eight games this season. They are 1-7 in those games.
QB: Max Brosmer had a QBi score of 60.9 (D-) in his two qualified games this season.
Offense: Minnesota has scored under 24 points 11 times this season. In the other season, they missed the playoffs under Kevin O’Connell; Minnesota scored under 24 points in ten games.
Defense: Minnesota forced six takeaways in Week 17 against the Detroit Lions. It was the most by a Vikings team since 2019, when they had seven against the Chargers.
Fantasy: It’s been a down year for Jordan Addison after a strong first two seasons, but his 65-yard TD run on Christmas Day was a reminder of how special he can be with the ball in his hands. There is real buy-the-dip potential in August should his ADP fall as a result of the receiving stat line.
Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos
Los Angeles Chargers
Team: The Chargers have a 44.5% chance to be the AFC sixth seed and 40.3% chance to be the seventh seed, according to the PFSN Playoff Predictor.
QB: Justin Herbert finishes the season with a 79.2 (C+) QBi score. It’s his third-best QBi in his career.
Offense: Ladd McConkey was averaging 8.2 targets per game, with 5.2 catches and 58.2 receiving yards, for the first eight games. His averages have dropped over the last eight games: 4.6 targets, 2.7 receptions for 37.9 yards.
Defense: The Texans scored 20 points against the Chargers in Week 17. It was the most points given up by Los Angeles since Week 11, when the Jaguars scored 35 points.
Fantasy: Justin Herbert has plenty of talent as a passer, especially given the talent at his disposal, but nine games with a run of 15+ yards? He may not be a Tier 1 QB in 2026, but for our purposes, he may not be far from it.
Denver Broncos
Team: The Broncos clinch the AFC No. 1 seed and home-field advantage with a win OR losses by the Patriots and Jaguars.
QB: Bo Nix has been sacked 42 times in 33 games over the last two seasons. It’s the second-fewest behind Jordan Love. The Broncos have been ranked fourth in PFSN’s Offensive Line Impact (OLi) in each of the two seasons.
Offense: R.J. Harvey has averaged 90.0 scrimmage yards per game the last four weeks, which is the tenth most among running backs in that span.
Defense: In 2023, the Broncos finished in DEFi in Vance Joseph’s first season as defensive coordinator. In his second season, Denver had the best DEFi in the NFL and ranked second this season.
Fantasy: In a game without Pat Bryant (concussion), Troy Franklin finished fifth on the team in receiving yards against the Chiefs. Courtland Sutton is the alpha receiver in this offense, and it’s becoming clear that Bryant, not Franklin, should be viewed as the interesting WR2 in this offense for 2026.
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots
Miami Dolphins
Team: The Miami Dolphins have a 52.6% chance at a Top 10 draft pick, according to the PFSN Playoff Predictor.
QB: Quinn Ewers posted a QBi score of 76.9 (C). 13th best in the league, in Week 17 against the Buccaneers. It’s the second straight week he’s posted a C.
Offense: Miami has averaged 20.7 points per game the last two seasons. In Mike McDaniel’s first two seasons, the Dolphins averaged 26.3 points per game.
Defense: The Dolphins have lost four games by at least 21 points. It’s tied for second most in franchise history with the 2007 team that went 1-15. The 1967 team, Miami’s second year in the league, lost by 21 points seven times.
Fantasy: De’Von Achane is the only running back in the NFL to not have a single bust game all season. His lowest output came in Week 7 when he still posted a respectable 12.8 fantasy points. Last week’s 14.2 points marked just the second time he failed to reach the RB1 threshold of 16.0 points all season.
New England Patriots
Team: The Patriots clinch the AFC No. 1 seed and home-field advantage with a win and a loss by the Broncos.
QB: Drake Maye’s 71.7 completion percentage is the highest by any quarterback in their second season. His 4,203 passing yards are the tenth most, and his 30 touchdowns are the 14th most by a player in their second season.
Offense: Drake Maye recorded a QBi of 97.8 (A+) against the Jets in Week 17. It’s the second-highest QBi since 2000 (including playoffs). Peyton Manning has the highest (99.8, A+) in a 2007 game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Defense: The Patriots’ turnover margin on the season is +1. It’s the tenth lowest out of 66 teams with at least 13 wins since 2000.
Fantasy: Rhamondre Stevenson is still the more valuable fantasy back on the Patriots. He played 48% of the snaps last week and saw 13 opportunities, most notably, five targets. TreVeyon Henderson did not see a single target and only managed 19 carries because he remained in the game after the Patriots pulled starters in the third quarter.
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills
New York Jets
Team: The Jets have a 69.1% chance at a Top 3 pick, according to the PFSN Playoff Predictor.
QB: Brady Cook’s QBi (66.8, D) was ranked 28th or lower for the week in all four of his qualified games.
Offense: The Jets have scored 11 points or fewer in seven of 16 games this season.
Defense: The Jets have zero interceptions this season. No team has finished a season without one since 1940, when interceptions became an official stat. The 2018 San Francisco 49ers had 2 interceptions, the lowest since 1940.
Fantasy: The Jets had 77 yards in the first half against the Patriots on Sunday, and Breece Hall had 48 of them. It’s been an awful season for New York, but their lead back has cleared 1,300 yards from scrimmage. He may play elsewhere in 2026: don’t lose track of just how much talent there is in this profile.
Buffalo Bills
Team: The Buffalo Bills are likely playing their final game at Highmark Stadium after 53 years. Buffalo will start the playoffs on the road and is likely to be the AFC seventh seed (49.1%), according to the PFSN Playoff Predictor.
QB: In the first 14 games, Josh Allen was averaging seven rushes for 38.2 yards per game. He was on pace to get close to his average in Week 16 with four rushes for 17 yards in the first half. Allen injured his foot in the final minute of the first half and has had ten rushes for 27 yards in the last game and a half.
Offense: The Bills lead the NFL with 257 points scored after halftime. Their +121 point differential in the second half leads the league, with the Los Angeles Rams having the second-best at +85 points.
Defense: The Bills have allowed 221 points in the first half, which is the seventh most in the league. Their -32 first-half point differential is 23rd in the league.
Fantasy: Josh Allen added two more rushing TDs to his total on Sunday afternoon and has seen 37.3% of his fantasy points come on the ground this season, his highest rate since his rookie season.
Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Commanders
Team: The Washington Commanders have a 38.2% chance at a Top 5 pick, according to the PFSN Playoff Predictor.
QB: Jayden Daniels had the fifth-best QBi (86.9, B) last season. During this shortened season, which was affected by injury, he had the 29th-best QBi (71.8, C-).
Offense: The Commanders have scored 332 points this season, following up on their 485-point performance in 2024.
Defense: The Commanders allowed 388.8 total yards per game this season, which was next to last in the NFL.
Fantasy: With Chris Rodriguez out, Jacory Croskey-Merritt started playing 64% of the snaps, his second-highest of the season. He’s scored a touchdown in three straight and has four over that span. The Philadelphia Eagles allow the 10th-most fantasy points per game to running backs, and conventional wisdom suggests the Commanders would want to give JCM an extended look in Week 18 to see if he’s the answer for 2026.
Philadelphia Eagles
Team: The Eagles are likely to be the NFC third seed (69.1%), according to the PFSN Playoff Predictor.
QB: Jalen Hurts has a QBi score of 78.2 (C+), which is 14th in the league. He has finished in the top four the last three seasons with a B or B+ grade.
Offense: The Eagles need 38 points to reach 400 on the season for the fifth straight season.
Defense: The Eagles have the seventh-best season DEFi in the NFL. This would be the third time in four seasons they finished in the top seven.
Fantasy: Jalen Hurts did not complete a single pass in the second half last week. The Eagles have a 64% positive game script pass rate when leading in the second half (by at least two scores). The Commanders allow the fourth most fantasy points per game to running backs. Expect another low-volume day from Hurts.
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Team: A win would give the Lions their fourth straight winning season. Detroit hasn’t had four straight winning seasons since 1951-1954.
QB: Jared Goff’s 33 pass touchdowns are four shy of his career high set last season.
Offense: Jahmyr Gibbs averaged 118.2 scrimmage yards per game over the first 13 games. During the team’s current three-game losing streak, Gibbs has averaged 63.3 scrimmage yards per game.
Defense: The Lions have three takeaways in eight losses and 15 in eight wins.
Fantasy: Jameson Williams has plenty of tools, but this season has to be viewed as a disappointing one. His slot usage has fallen from 30% last season to 17.9% and he’s been targeted on just 8.9% of his red zone routes (2024: 13.3%).
Chicago Bears
Team: The Chicago Bears are likely to be the NFC second seed (69.1%), according to the PFSN Playoff Predictor.
QB: Caleb Williams posted a QBi of 80.2 (B-) against the 49ers last week. It’s his second-best game of the season.
Offense: Luther Burden III has a PFSN’s Wide Receiver Impact (WRi) score of 84.0 (B) is eighth in the NFL.
Defense: The Bears allowed a season high with 52 points and 511 yards allowed to the Lions in Week 2.
Fantasy: Luther Burden III has seen his yardage total increase in three straight games and has a 27+ yard catch in each of his past three. He averaged under 12 yards per catch during his college career, but his splash play ability has been on full display at the pro level: this looks like a weekly starter in 2026.
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams
Arizona Cardinals
Team: The Cardinals have a 34.6% chance at a Top 3 draft pick, according to the PFSN Playoff Predictor.
QB: Jacoby Brissett‘s 21 touchdown passes are tied for the ninth most by a Cardinals quarterback since the franchise moved to Arizona in 1988.
Offense: Marvin Harrison Jr. has 1,493 career receiving yards, which is third among wide receivers drafted in 2024. Malik Nabers, who missed most of the season with an injury, is 18 yards behind Harrison. The Cardinals’ wide receiver is tied for the second-most touchdowns and has the fourth-most catches compared to others in the talented 2024 class.
Defense: The Cardinals have allowed 451 points this season and are four points shy of the most in a season in franchise history, set in 2023.
Fantasy: Trey McBride caught 10 passes in Cincinnati, giving him the single-season record for the tight end position. He’s my top-ranked TE for 2026, and if the Raiders don’t make improvements to their offense as a whole, he might be alone in that top tier when we release our early rankings this summer.
Los Angeles Rams
Team: The Los Angeles Rams are likely to be the NFC sixth seed (62.2), according to the PFSN Playoff Predictor.
QB: Matthew Stafford has thrown multiple interceptions 12 times with the Rams, dating back to 2021. Los Angeles is 4-8 in those games.
Offense: Puka Nacua had five catches for 47 yards in Week 17, which is the fewest yards he’s had in a game with at least five catches.
Defense: Over the last three games, the Rams have allowed 99 points, which is 30.3% of the 326 points they’ve allowed over 16 games.
Fantasy: Puca Nacua made good on a goal line screen, a skill set that was nice to see with Davante Adams sidelined. Matthew Stafford’s status will factor into the ranking of him next year, but a wide range of talent will keep him as a WR1, no matter the QB situation.
Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders
Kansas City Chiefs
Team: Andy Reid has had four losing seasons in his 27 years as a head coach. The most losses he’s had with the Chiefs were seven before this season.
QB: Chris Oladokun has registered a D grade in QBi in his two games this season.
Offense: This is the third straight year the Chiefs will have a C+ or lower in OFFi. Kansas City was ranked in the top five in OFFi from 2017 to 2022.
Defense: The Chiefs ranked 11th in DEFi on the season, which is the team’s second-best ranking since 2017.
Fantasy: Brashard Smith scored against the Broncos last week, his first NFL touchdown. The seventh-round rookie has hardly been used this season, but his savvy as a pass catcher should be viewed as interesting for dynasty managers (and as a cheap investment option when redraft managers shift their focus to 2026).
Las Vegas Raiders
Team: A loss by the Las Vegas Raiders will guarantee the team gets the first overall draft pick.
QB: Geno Smith had his lowest QBi season (68.5, D+) of his career in six qualified seasons.
Offense: The Raiders’ 227 points scored are the third lowest in a season of at least 16 games in franchise history.
Defense: If he plays every snap in Week 18, Devin White will become just the third LB since 2019 to log at least 1,000 snaps AND play 100% of his team’s defensive plays in a single season. White would join Bobby Okereke (Giants in 2023) and Zaire Franklin (Colts in 2024).
Fantasy: 85.1% of Ashton Jeanty’s rushing yards this season have come after contact. If this offense can add a little stability around him, he could still get to the levels we expected this season, and potentially at a minor discount in 2026 drafts.
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
- The Steelers win the AFC North with a win or a tie; the Ravens clinch the division with a win. The AFC North champion will be the fourth seed.
Baltimore Ravens
Team: John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin have coached against each other 39 times, including playoffs, since 2008, when Harbaugh became the Ravens’ head coach. The Steelers have won 22 of those games, but the teams have been nearly even overall. The Ravens hold the edge in point differential (+33), turnover differential (+1), and have had possession for 43 more seconds.
QB: Lamar Jackson had a QBi score of 76.5 (C) against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Week 14 loss. The only time Jackson scored over a C+ against the Steelers was in last season’s Wild Card game when he scored an 86.7 (B).
Offense: Tyler Huntley’s QBi of 84.0 (B) against the Packers in Week 17 was fifth best in the NFL for the week.
Defense: The Ravens have allowed 30+ points in five games, the second most in franchise history behind the six allowed in 1996 and 2021.
Fantasy: Derrick Henry handled a career high 36 carries last week as the Ravens did their best to hide Tyler Huntley. The Steelers are a pass funnel defense, but if Lamar Jackson can’t go, expect another heavy workload for the King.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Team: Coming into this season, one team has swept the regular season series eight times in 18 years.
QB: Aaron Rodgers registered a QBi of 66.8 (D) against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17. It was his second-lowest score of the season.
Offense: Pittsburgh scored 27 points against Baltimore in the first meeting this season. In the previous nine meetings, including playoffs, the Steelers averaged 16.6 points per game against the Ravens.
Defense: The Steelers are 3-11 and allowed 24.4 points per game when T.J. Watt doesn’t play, dating back to his rookie season in 2017. Pittsburgh is 86-46-2 and allowed 20.3 points per game when he plays. Pittsburgh has won two of the three games Watt has missed this season.
Fantasy: With no DK Metcalf, Aaron Rodgers keyed in on his old friend, Marquez Valdes-Scantling. It went about as well as throwing to MVS has gone for the past eight years. He saw a team-high nine targets and caught just three of them. No Steelers WR can be started, even with Metcalf suspended for another game.
