First, I’d like to congratulate those who started Drew Lock in their fantasy championship this past week and brought the hardware home. We, of course, couldn’t start anywhere else. In all seriousness, kudos to those who won their fantasy title and those who came in 2nd and even won the 3rd place game. You can rest knowing your 2024 fantasy football season was one to remember fondly. Now, for those whose league champion is yet to be crowned or just want to take a dive into which streaming-level quarterbacks have good matchups in Week 18 for DFS purposes, let’s get to it.
As many of you know, Week 18 is unique in that some teams may be resting starters, some have everything to play for, while others know their vacation to Cabo is just a few days away. I tried to find a good mix of signal-callers with everything on the line, along with those who may benefit from a good matchup against a team resting some or most of its starters. As always, we keep these names for those who are rostered in under 70% of Yahoo leagues. One thing to note for Week 18 is even if your season-long fantasy league is over or these quarterbacks aren’t available in your league, they still can be utilized in DFS environments.
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (67% rostered):
Yes, he’s on the higher end of roster ownership, but Bo Nix has the perfect blend of everything on the line against a Chiefs team that reportedly will be resting most of its starters, according to CBS Sports. The Broncos are in a win-and-in scenario against the already 1-seeded Chiefs, so we throw out the defensive metrics for Kansas City and look for Nix and the Broncos to put it all out there for their post-season dreams to come to fruition. The 2024 first-round pick is coming off a three-touchdown performance against a woeful Bengals defense, and there’s no reason to think Nix can’t take similar advantage against a potential junior varsity version of the Chiefs defense. Look for him to get it done on the ground as well in a game where their playoff lives hang in the balance. Nix has run for at least 25 yards in nine games this season, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see that number be much higher in Week 18 when they’re desperate for a win.
If you’re one of the unluckiest fantasy managers in America whose league plays in Week 18 and you may lose Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes to rest, maybe you happened to pick up Nix mid-season to cover a bye week or because you had some foresight. Here’s a perfect example where that insurance policy of snagging Nix weeks ago may lead to a fantasy crown.
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons (14% rostered):
The quarterback taken four picks ahead of Nix in this past year’s draft also has plenty to play for in Week 18 and is much more widely available to be streamed. The Falcons can clinch the NFC South with a win over the 4-12 Panthers, along with a miraculous Saints victory over the Bucs. While it’s not the same type of win and in a situation that Bo Nix and the Broncos have, everything is still on the line for the Falcons in a good matchup at home. The Panthers give up the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks and the eighth-most over the past four weeks, so the short and longer sample sizes are both advantageous for Penix. He doesn’t offer the same mobility as Nix, but you can argue the weapons around him are better, with Drake London and Bijan Robinson headlining his supporting cast. Baker Mayfield and the Bucs offense walked all over the Panthers with ease. It’s hard to expect the same type of fantasy output from Penix that Mayfield put together, but clearly, the situation of desperately needing a win and the matchup make Penix one of the more attractive streaming options in Week 18.
Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers (44% rostered):
The next two come with a bit of a caveat. The Steelers host the Bengals on Saturday night following the Browns-Ravens at 4:30 pm ET. If the Ravens were to somehow fall to the Browns, the Steelers would clinch the AFC North with a victory. With a likely Ravens win before the Steelers taking the field, does Mike Tomlin rest his starters? How much does he value getting the 5 seed and traveling to Houston in the wild card round instead of Baltimore if they were to fall to the 6 seed? It’s hard to quantify that this early in the week, but what we can quantify is the matchup. The Bengals bleed out fantasy points to quarterbacks, giving up the fifth-most to quarterbacks across the 2024 season. The only reason they’ve not given up more in recent weeks is soft matchups in Weeks 15 and 16 against Tennessee and Cleveland. The Steelers’ offense has been stagnant over the past few weeks, but in the event the AFC North is on the line, or Mike Tomlin does heavily value the 5 seed in the AFC playoffs, Wilson’s plus matchup at home should be mentioned here. The 36-year-old has also been getting more involved on the ground as of late, with him picking up 27 and 55 rushing yards, respectively, over the past two weeks.
Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (60% rostered):
The first overall pick in the 2024 draft had a rough outing in Week 17 at home against the Seahawks. I’m sure you’re thinking, why would he be included on this list after such a disappointing showing just a week ago? The Bears travel to Lambeau in Week 18, which would normally be thought of as a difficult spot for a rookie quarterback. It still might be, but the caveat here is whether or not the Packers rest some or most of their starters. They’re locked into either the 6 or 7 seed, so the question becomes how much does Matt LaFleur value avoiding the Eagles in the wildcard round and playing for the 6 seed? As of this writing, the Packers are 9.5 point favorites, meaning the Sportsbooks believe Green Bay will play their starters, but in the event this changes, Caleb would become a potential solid streaming option against a Packers defense playing backups. Let’s not forget he’s just two weeks removed from putting up almost 23 fantasy points against the Lions. There’s an argument to be made that he’d like to end his rookie year off on a somewhat positive note after such a poor effort last week. That could mean more activity on the ground as well, where Caleb has nine games of at least 30 rushing yards in his rookie campaign.
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by William Purnell / Icon Sportswire