NFL Fantasy Football Reactions: Week 18

Happy New Year to all. Many finished their fantasy seasons in Week 17, but this week had plenty of value. Whether your fantasy season was extended to Week 18, if you played DFS or gambled, or simply if you just wanted to enjoy football, hopefully, you enjoyed the games. We'll continue this article every week through the Super Bowl, so please check back each week. In today's article, I'll focus only on the games/teams with playoff implications. Let's look at today's NFL action. 

Reactions

• Just one year after being the worst team in the league, the Houston Texans made the playoffs. The duo of C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins were able to give the Texans just enough offense. Although Stroud had merely good numbers, Collins was fantastic. On the first drive of the game, he scored on a 75-yard reception. Aside from that catch, he added an additional 120 yards. The only other receiver with more than nine yards was Dalton Schultz. The tight end did most of his damage on a single fourth-quarter drive. Schultz ended the day with 42 yards. It will be exciting to see Houston next week in the playoffs.
•  The Colts had an opportunity to make the playoffs. All they needed to do was win their home game against the Texans. The coaching staff decided to go with a very run heavy approach. Indianapolis ran the ball on 37 of 61 plays. The only player to have more than 48 scrimmage yards was Jonathan Taylor. Including a 49-yard touchdown run, Taylor turned 30 carries into 188 yards. Ultimately, the game came down to a missed fourth-down conversion. Needing just one yard, the play call was a short pass to Tyler Goodson. it seemed odd to put the season in the hands of a backup running back. Unfortunately, the pass was a bit behind him. As a result, Goodson was unable to secure the ball, and the Colts will now spend the rest of January at home.
• The Steelers were fortunate to face a Baltimore team that had nothing to play for. Facing a number of backups, Pittsburgh was able to beat their rivals by a final count of 17-10. Najee Harris  put the team on his back by rushing for 112 yards and a TD. Otherwise, they had just one big play in the passing game. Of course, the passing game was never going to have much success in a contest that was played during a heavy rainstorm.  The big play came on a quick slant to Diontae Johnson. It helped that the safety misread the route. That led Johnson into open space for a 71-yard touchdown that put the game away in the fourth quarter.
• There are no style points for winning an NFL game. In a game in which no touchdowns were scored, the Buccaneers won the NFC South. Tampa Bay kicked three field goals and caught a couple breaks defensively. DJ Chark appeared to have a touchdown reception for Carolina, but he lost the handle on the football while crossing the goal line, leading to a touchback. Also, the Panthers missed a field goal. The only offensive player on Tampa Bay to do any damage was Rachaad White. The lead running back handled 23 touches resulting in 93 scrimmage yards. White's best work came on the last drive of the game when he helped drain the clock. Unless Tampa raises their level of play, the Bucs may struggle to advance in the playoffs.
• I can't imagine the level of frustration that fans of the Jaguars are feeling today. Even though they fell way behind on the scoreboard against the Titans, they blew an opportunity to come back. The biggest issue was when they had the ball at Tennessee's two-yard line late in the fourth quarter. Jacksonville likely could have ran the ball twice with a great chance of scoring. However, a poorly designed pass fell incomplete on third down. Then on fourth down, Trevor Lawrence tried to reach the ball over the goal line, but he probably failed to realize that he wasn't over seven-feet tall. As a result, the quarterback came up well short of scoring. Both Calvin Ridley and Evan Engram saw double-digit targets with each finding the end zone. This organization will be faced with plenty of questions during the offseason. Jacksonville was a team that many people thought would challenge for the top spot in the conference. Now, they'll be  spectators during playoff season.
• Tennessee was one of the worst teams in the league this season. That said, we definitely need to take a moment to honor Derrick Henry. In what was likely his last game for the Titans, he came up big. He was one of the primary reasons that Tennessee was able to knock the Jaguars from playoff contention. After not rushing for more than 122 yards in a game this season, the superstar rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown. He likely could have scored a second time, but the team opted to put Tyjae Spears in for a short score. If this was Henry's last game with the team, he'll have concluded a string of six straight seasons with at least 10 rushing touchdowns. Also, aside from the 2021 season, when he missed eight games, Henry recorded at least 1,160 rushing yards in each season since 2018. Hopefully, the powerful runner will be on a team that competes for a Super Bowl next year.
• After losing to Dallas last week, the Lions wanted to go into the playoffs on a high note while also hoping they could clinch the No. 2 seed in the conference. Although it was 'mission accomplished' in terms of getting the win, the collateral damage could be problematic. Detroit lost Sam LaPorta to a knee injury. Early reports seem to indicate the sensational rookie will miss time. Also, Amon-Ra St. Brown finished the game, but it appeared that he banged up his ribs in the fourth quarter. St. Brown was incredible. The star receiver was the only Detroit player to post more than 50 scrimmage yards. Helped by a 70-yard reception, the Lions' superstar recorded 144 yards and a touchdown.The pass defense for Detroit looks like it will be a big problem in the playoffs. This unit was shredded by Nick Mullens to the tune of 396 yards. However, the Detroit offense could be very fun to watch in the postseason.
• Earlier in the season, the Vikings looked like they could make some noise in the playoff race. Unfortunately, their quarterback issues caught up with them. Even though Nick Mullens put up big yardage totals for the second time in three weeks, his propensity to throw interceptions kept the team from having any chance to win. As usual, Justin Jefferson was unstoppable. The mega-star caught 12 of 14 targets for 192 yards and a touchdown. Although Jefferson missed a major chunk of the season with a hamstring injury, it'll be difficult to move him outside the top-three picks in 2024 fantasy drafts. 
• New Orleans had scenarios in which a win would give them the potential to make the playoffs as either a division winner or a wild card. The one thing that was in their control was winning at home against the Falcons. Although the Saints trailed 14-7 at the end of the first quarter, the contest took a drastic turn. New Orleans scored 48 points in a blowout victory. Oddly enough, two of the top offensive performers were Kendre Miller and A.T. Perry. Miller rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown while Perry found the end zone twice. Of course, Derek Carr did his share by throwing four touchdown passes on just 28 attempts.  New Orleans had been a weird team for fantasy all season. They were nearly impossible to predict on a weekly basis.  As long as they continue to ride with Carr at quarterback, we'll probably continue to see major inconsistency from this unit next year as well.
• What a disappointing season it was for those who invested in the Atlanta offense. As usual, both Drake London and Kyle Pitts did very little in another game played outside of their home stadium. Also, the rushing attack barely cracked three yards per carry. The only bright spot was Bijan Robinson, who caught a 71-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. The rookie is clearly a special talent. Fantasy managers will be very interested to see how the Falcons' management handles the coaching situation in 2024. Whichever direction they go will likely have some impact as to exactly where Robinson is drafted in fantasy leagues. It's also possible that London and Pitts could be stars in an improved situation.
• Even though they went into this game with a chance to move into the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a win and a Dallas loss, the Eagles had a tough afternoon. Top running back, D'Andre Swift, was inactive due to illness. Also, DeVonta Smith sat this one out with an ankle injury. If that wasn't bad enough, A.J. Brown injured his knee in the first half. The injury looked horrible at first, but he was at least able to limp to the locker room. In addition, Philadelphia fell behind the Giants by 24 points. At that point they had enough, and they removed Jalen Hurts from the game. The Eagles will have a favorable first-round playoff matchup against the Buccaneers, but with the way they have been playing, it would take a leap of faith to predict that they'll make it to the NFC Championship game.
• Fans of the Cowboys had to have a bit of concern. Playing on the road at Washington, they fell behind 10-7 early in the second quarter. Fortunately, Dallas was able to turn things around. Tony Pollard came through with a rushing touchdown before CeeDee Lamb made an athletic play to give the team a double-digit halftime lead. That was enough to set the Cowboys up for a blowout victory that secured them the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. The good news for Dallas is that they would be at home for the first two rounds of the playoffs if they win in the wild-card round. Obviously, they've been a much better team at home this season. They'll look to ride that home-field edge in the playoffs. Also, if the 49ers somehow lost their first playoff game, Dallas would host the NFC championship game if they survive the first two rounds.
• Playing at home, the Packers simply had to beat the division-rival Bears to clinch a playoff spot. In the first half, Green Bay made a couple of critical errors that cost them points. As a result, they went into halftime with a one-point lead. After the intermission, Green Bay looked sharp on offense. They quickly extended the lead to eight points after Dontayvion Wicks scored his second TD of the afternoon. That score propelled them to victory. For the third game in a row, Aaron Jones was dominant as a runner. However, the best news of the day for Green Bay was that their defense came up with a sorely needed big game against Chicago. Being a young team, it'll be difficult for this squad to go on the road and make a deep run in the playoffs. Also, it's difficult to imagine their defense will hold up against the better offenses in the league. That said, I wouldn't count them out, as they have an explosive offense. Overall, there should be a lot of excitement about the future for Jordan Love and the entire Green Bay offense.
• In a season filled with inconsistency, the Seahawks continued to be unpredictable. Coming into their contest at Arizona, they needed a win, coupled with a Green Bay loss to make the playoffs. Aside from Kenneth Walker, who rushed for 78 yards, the offense was stuck in neutral. Of course, once they knew they were eliminated, they moved the ball the length of the field to score a go-ahead touchdown and two-point conversion. That scoring drive ended with less than two minutes in the game and concluded with a TD pass to Tyler Lockett. In the offseason, Seattle will need to address their defense and offensive line. Also, they'll need to decide if they can be a factor in the NFC with Geno Smith at QB.

Injuries

The following players injured and were unable to return to action:

• A.J. Brown injured his knee.
• Sam LaPorta suffered a knee injury.
• Garrett Wilson was evaluated for concussion.
• Courtland Sutton sustained an ankle injury.
• Cole Kmet injured his forearm.
• Joshua Palmer suffered a knee injury.