As the season comes to an end I can’t thank you all enough for sticking with me and reading these articles on a weekly basis. Hopefully you took home a championship this season, but if you’re still playing into Week 18 these are the remaining players I’d target. It’s a smaller pool, sure. But as I mentioned in the last article or two, you should probably have your roster mostly set in stone save for maybe a Flex RB/WR option. 

I will try to be in the NFL Seasonal chat tonight, but I will still be at work relatively late this evening. I’ll check Discord on my phone, but I don’t anticipate it being incredibly busy since most leagues have wrapped up. But I’ll occasionally check in tonight and see if any of you have questions. Check out the last batch of waiver wire targets for this season!

 

Quarterbacks

Trey Lance (SF; FAAB Bid: 5-8%) The volume wasn’t great, but he proved to be an efficient passer and he didn’t make too many mistakes. Granted, it came against the Houston Texans who don’t pose much of a threat. There is still the possibility Jimmy Garoppolo’s thumb could allow him to play in Week 18. But if Lance gets the nod then the matchup may dictate Lance taking control of the game and running more. I’d be nervous about him throwing it 30+ times against the Rams defense, but I’d be more intrigued by him showcasing what he can do with his legs.

Taysom Hill (NO; FAAB Bid: 5-7%) We haven’t really seen Hill pour it on opponents for fantasy purposes since the Jets a few weeks ago. And looking at rostership numbers, there aren’t too many reliable players available in less than 50% of leagues. Tua Tagovailoa draws the Patriots defense, but he’s had such a low floor since Week 10, Tyler Huntley is useless if Lamar Jackson starts, while Baker Mayfield and Big Ben both look pretty beat up. So the question of availability comes into play. Hill is fairly available and gets a good matchup against the Falcons who will look to play spoiler against their division rival after the Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention last week. This is a good matchup for Hill to try and showcase his rushing prowess while attempting to sneak the Saints into the playoffs. The Falcons have quietly been pretty decent against opposing quarterbacks lately. Josh Allen’s day was salvaged with two rushing touchdowns, but they did pick him off three times, and they’ve only allowed a total of nine passing touchdowns since Week 11.

 

Running Backs

Boston Scott (PHI; FAAB Bid: 25-35%) This is a situation worth monitoring. The Eagles placed an abundance of players on the COVID/Reserve list including Scott, Jordan Howard, Dallas Goedert, and Jason Kelce on offense. But with the new COVID protocols, there’s a good chance they all play come this weekend if they’re able to yield a negative COVID test. No reason to panic just yet, but Scott found the end zone twice on Sunday which gives him three scores over the last two weeks. With a semi-meaningful game on tap against the Cowboys this week, Scott could once again be leaned on heavily.

Ke’Shawn Vaughn (TB; FAAB Bid: 15%) Ronald Jones II has not looked great as the “featured” back for the Buccaneers. He has 94 rushing yards on 30 carries over the last two weeks. Sure, the volume has been there, but he hasn’t been efficient. Additionally, he’s dealing with an ankle injury. Vaughn has looked like the player the Bucs were hoping he’d be when they drafted him in 2020. He’s been given a larger role in the offense the last two weeks and could play a significant role on Sunday if Jones misses the game. It is worth noting that Vaughn is dealing with a rib injury himself, but as of Monday night, it feels more likely that Vaughn appears than Jones.

Dare Ogunbowale (JAC; FAAB Bid: 12%) If you were brave enough to start D.O. last week against New England you were rewarded with a late touchdown that salvaged the day. The double-digit touches are worthy of considering him as a Flex option in Week 18 against the Colts. Save for the disastrous game against the Bucs, the Colts have done well enough surrendering just 140 rushing yards to opposing running backs over their last three games. If he finds the end zone this week you take it and run. You just need to hope he can do that for the third straight week.

 

Wide Receivers

Braxton Berrios (NYJ; FAAB Bid: 10%) Berrios was an absolute gem last week. He was arguably the lone correct piece I had in my DFS lineup. He scored twice and had eight catches on 12 targets. He now has 29 targets in his last four games and this is that time of year where teams start to see what they have with some assets on their roster. Berrios has put on one hell of a display, but unfortunately the Jets get the Bills next week which is a tough draw. But there’s always that chance Buffalo rests players in the second half with the game in hand. Either way, if you’re playing Week 18 there’s a slim chance you’re playing Berrios over some other players that got you this far.

Zay Jones (LV; FAAB Bid: 10%) Jones, much like Berrios, has been on a nice little run since the start of December. Over his last four games in particular, Jones has 34 targets with 25 catches. Has he found the end zone? Nope, not since Week 1. But there’s clearly volume available for him. DeSean Jackson isn’t doing much and Bryan Edwards hasn’t been very involved. It’s largely been the Hunter Renfrow and Zay Jones show while Darren Waller has been out, and it’s helped the Raiders to a three-game winning streak and they’ll now play the Chargers for a playoff spot Sunday night. I’d be shocked if the Raiders didn’t find a way to target Jones seven-to-nine times in a must win game.

Laquon Treadwell (JAC; FAAB Bid: 7-8%) It feels weird to associate Treadwell with the label of “decent floor.” But that’s where we’re at and that’s not a bad thing. Since Week 12, Treadwell has six straight games with at least 50 receiving yards and he has at least four catches in each of those games as well. He hasn’t scored this year, but in deeper PPR leagues, there are worse options out there. The Jags will finish the season against the Colts and while Indy hasn’t been terrible against opposing wide receivers, they aren’t world beaters by any means.

Cyril Grayson (TB; FAAB Bid: 3-4%) I’m not incredibly crazy about actually playing Grayson, but he has back-to-back games of 80+ receiving yards and with Chris Godwin on the shelf and Antonio Brown done in Tampa Bay, you have to imagine he could see a larger role in the offense. It looks as if Tom Brady does trust him but it’s been such a small sample size and truly any receiver on the depth chart could emerge, but Grayson seems like a solid candidate for involvement in Week 18.

 

Tight Ends

Hunter Henry (NE; FAAB Bid: 7%) If he’s out there, I’ll go back to the well predicting he finds the end zone next week. The Pats dropped 50 points on Jacksonville last week. If I had known that going into the game, as well as the target trend he’s seen lately, then I would’ve felt good about him scoring. New England will visit Miami this week to potentially improve their own playoff seeding. Miami doesn’t have anything to play for. Their playoff hopes are done and they can’t play spoiler here except for keeping New England from winning the division. If Henry’s out there, he could prove to be a reliable streamer at the position this week.

Cole Kmet (CHI; FAAB Bid: 5-6%) Kmet is a tough player to sell. He plays enough snaps and has the pedigree to be great in the NFL, but he just can’t get in the end zone. It’s been almost 13 months since Kmet scored a touchdown. However, he’s still involved with the offense with at least five targets in six straight games. The quality of quarterback that he’s at the mercy of isn’t elite, but beggars can’t be choosers. The Packers have locked up a first-round Bye so maybe they’ll be resting some starters on defense that could allow for Kmet to close out the season on a high note.

 

Defense/Special Teams

Tennessee Titans – If you’re targeting a streamer at any position this week, you want to give attention to teams/players with something to play for. If the Titans beat Houston this week they clinch the top seed in the AFC and get the coveted first-round Bye. This game opened with an over/under at 44.0 points and it’s slowly being bet down to 43 and the Titans are favored by ten points. Houston could try to put up a fight on offense, but this should ultimately be a game Tennessee secures easily.

Kansas City Chiefs – There’s obviously risk here after the Chiefs defense was picked apart by Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase last week. However, I still buy into this defense against Denver this week. It’s seemingly a must-win for the Chiefs if they want the first-round Bye in the AFC. Back in Week 13 against the Broncos, the Chiefs posted 13 fantasy points and they opened as three-point favorites for Week 18, but that’s since been bet up to them being ten-point favorites. Teddy Bridgewater has not been very good of late so the Chiefs D/ST should offer a relatively good floor for anyone playing in Week 18.

Washington Football Team – There’s a good opportunity here for Washington to close out the season on a high note against the Giants. Opposing D/ST’s have been pouring it on the G-Men the last few weeks. With the revolving door at quarterback for Joe Judge and Co. here are the last seven fantasy performances for D/ST’s against New York: 13, 6, 10, 6, 13, 18, and 21. The Bears absolutely embarrassed them last week and that’s a team that only had three turnovers in their previous six games entering Week 17. Both Washington and New York are limping to the finish line this year, but Vegas has Washington favored by a touchdown currently and the over/under is sitting at 38.5 points.