We're Here to Help You in Fantasy Football For Wacky Week 18
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by New Era, we have tools to help in Week 18, likely playoff teams' motivations are identified, and more.
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by New Era:
Many fantasy football leagues don’t use Week 18 due to the myriad of questions surrounding what teams will do. If you are playing in a Week 18 championship, we have you covered.
The first thing you need to do is figure out which teams are motivated to play for something, whether it’s vying for a playoff berth or aiming to improve seeding. Denver, Miami and Cincinnati are fighting for the final postseason berth in the AFC. The Detroit-Minnesota game is for the top seed in the NFC, while Tampa Bay and Atlanta are battling for the division title.
There are contract incentives for many players, which are covered here. There are also many players expected to see expanded roles and become fantasy relevant, such as Blake Corum, Khalil Herbert, and Michael Carter. More will emerge as plans for teams are revealed the closer we get to game time.
Don’t panic with all the chaos. Stay up to date with all the latest news and check out the Fantasy Life Weekly Rankings and the Start/Sit Tool throughout the week.
NOT SURE WHO TO START? CHECK OUT OUR PROJECTIONS
What else is in today’s newsletter?
- NFL Playoff Preview: One weakness for every likely playoff team
- Watercooler: What teams are motivated to win?
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Weaknesses for Every Potential NFL Playoff Team
By Ian Hartitz
We are one slate of football away from the playoffs. Positivity should be in the air for all 14 qualifiers; each team achieved plenty of success this season and has a chance to cement their legacy with a Super Bowl run.
Let's embrace the potential humiliating misery that lurks in the shadows of every playoff game by breaking down one of every remaining team's biggest weaknesses!
Selected teams are by most-likely scenarios entering Week 18. Everyone except the Broncos (83% odds of making it) and Buccaneers (89%) are confirmed. I agree it would be cool if the Bengals happen to make it. If they do, just know I apologize, and we would have covered their largely atrocious defense as a whole here. Cool? Cool.
Kansas City Chiefs
Biggest weakness: Explosive plays in the run game
This season the Chiefs have a league-low four RB rushes of 15-plus yards. Four! Saquon Barkley has five in the last two weeks!
Kareem Hunt has gotten a lot of flack for this problem, and deservedly so: Hunt has an NFL-high 200 carries without a rush longer than 20 yards and ranks 48th in explosive-run rate (1.5%) among 51 qualified RBs.
Still, Isiah Pacheco hasn't exactly helped matters. He has just one run of 15-plus yards all year and has been even worse than Hunt when it comes to explosive-run rate (49th, 1.2%).
The offensive line ranks ninth in yards before contact per carry and seventh in PFF run blocking grade. Kudos to both RBs for helping this rushing attack rank fourth in success rate (51.3%), but a big play here and there on the ground certainly wouldn't hurt matters.
Philadelphia Eagles
Biggest weakness: Taking sacks
Notice I did not say pass blocking, as Jalen Hurts is the bigger problem here. Overall, Hurts has taken 38 sacks this season–10th most in the NFL—due in large part to his league-high 3.22 second average time to throw. PFF has charged 18.8% of Hurts' pressured dropbacks to him (9th highest), and his average time to sack rate (3.94 seconds) is the fourth longest mark in the league.
The below chart reflects the reality that while the Eagles have surrendered the league's highest pressure rate, they have actually been a top-5 team in terms of average time to pressure.
Hurts' tendency to hold the ball also gives his receivers more time to get open, and his scrambling success continues to be a big part of the offense. This "weakness" hasn't stopped the Eagles from looking like the class of the NFC for the better part of the last two months; it'd just be a lot cooler if the team's franchise QB avoids these negative plays a bit more often down the stretch.
THE REST OF THE PLAYOFF TEAMS’ WEAKNESSES
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The latest analysis and insights from our merry band of football nerds:
🔮 Ian and Dwain show what teams and players have plenty to play for in Week 18. Watch. Listen.
👀 Freedman has a new mock NFL Draft … Who could Cleveland draft at No. 1?
🪓 Remember that Guilloteenies and the CHOPionship keep the fantasy fun going in the NFL playoffs.
💪 Who has been getting extra work lately? The Utilization Report game logs can be customized to capture ranges of the season.
🤔 What’s the motivation? LaMarca breaks down who is making an extra push in Week 18.
Happy Friday! Let’s kick off by giving you the answer to yesterday’s question—Before Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who were the last teammates to score three touchdowns in a game in the same season.
A: Brian Westbrook and Terrell Owens scored the TD hat trick for the Eagles in 2006.
Now … let’s get into today’s Fantasy Life Trivia question!
Q: Tyrone Tracy eclipsed 1,000 scrimmage yards on Sunday, becoming the second Giants’ rookie to clear that barrier this season (Malik Nabers). The last time a team had 1,000+ yards from two rookies, it was with the Saints. Who were they?
Ricky Williams & Eddie Kennison
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