Fantasy Football Waiver Wire, Week 18: Stream Tyrod Taylor
Week 18 is a different beast with teams resting starters and the waiver wire entirely picked over outside of those scenarios. This will be a lightened version of my normal waiver wire column, but it should give you the inside track to some of the biggest—and often most obscure—names to know for the final run of waivers.
Quarterback
In his first start since Week 8, Taylor amassed 359 total yards and scored once en route to a QB1 finish. He has closed two of his three full games as a QB1. Taylor has also proven to be the best passer on the Giants’ roster this season, leading the team in Pro Football Focus passing grade, yards per attempt, EPA per play, and completion percent over expected. Taylor should get the start in Week 18 versus a Philly defense that has allowed the most fantasy points to quarterbacks in the entire league.
Sam Darnold, 49ers
The 49ers locked up the No. 1 seed with a win in Week 17, putting them in position to rest their starters in Week 18.
You can see my entire breakdown of every team’s Week 18 motivation here.
Darnold started to turn things around at the end of his Carolina tenure and now plays in the best scheme at elevating quarterbacks in the league. The only concern with Darnold is the possibility of him being pulled for Brandon Allen at some point.
The Ravens also have the No. 1 seed locked up. When they had the top spot locked up in 2018, we got a full game from backup RG3. Huntley is a solid dual threat with over 50 rushing yards in 3-of-8 career starts.
The AFC East is on the line as the Dolphins host the Bills to wrap up the NFL regular season, Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock! Click here to watch
Running back
D’Onta Foreman was a healthy scratch last week after missing Week 17 for personal reasons. In those two games, Johnson has 22 touches for 112 yards and a score. He will be a low-end RB3 to close out the year.
Check your waiver wire for Khalil Hebert before jumping to Johnson. Hebert is rostered in just over half of Yahoo leagues. He has 38 carries for 236 yards and two touchdowns over the last two weeks.
Jordan Mason, 49ers
Christian McCaffrey injured his calf in Week 17 and will not play in Week 18. Elijah Mitchell got all of the run behind him after he went down, but given Mitchell’s lengthy injury history, he could also get the week off. Both players are worth adding, but Mason is my bet to get the bulk of the touches to close out the regular season.
Melvin Gordon, Ravens
The Ravens have had little or nothing to play for twice in the final week of the past four seasons. A backup running back led the way in carries both times. Gus Edwards, the starter, may not play at all this week. Justice Hill was more involved in Week 17 as well, so I don't see him getting much run. That leaves only Melvin Gordon on the roster before practice squad call-ups.
Wide Receiver
Wan’Dale Robinson, Giants
Robinson leads the Giants with 31 targets since Week 12. He has two top-15 finishes over that span. His target share is up to 23 percent in his past five games and, most importantly, his aDOT has climbed by two yards to 6.9, giving him some semblance of a ceiling. Robinson will close the year as a WR3 versus a soft Philly defense.
Greg Dortch, Cardinals
Dortch has stepped up for an 18 percent target share and a 29 percent air yards share in Marquise Brown’s absence over the past two weeks. Brown is done for the year, paving the way for Dortch to post one more solid performance before the season ends. He has finished as a top-30 receiver in PPR scoring in each of the past two weeks.
Darius Slayton, Giants
Slayton is a bit riskier than Robinson, but both are solid adds for those in need of a WR3 or FLEX for the final week. Slayton has two catches over 50 yards this year and both have come from Taylor. Half of his 30-yard gains have come from Taylor even though the veteran pass only accounts for a quarter of his targets on the year. Slayton will be a boom/bust WR4 for Week 18.
Tight End
Per usual, Kraft is the top streaming option at tight end. With plenty of teams having nothing to play for and his team still in the hunt, Kraft will rise well into the TE1 ranks for Week 18. He has at least four catches and 48 yards in each of his past four games. His target share is up to 18 percent during that stretch.
Juwan Johnson, Saints
Johnson has 18 targets and a 26 percent target share over the past two weeks. He has run a route on 71 percent of his team's dropbacks in those two games and has finished as a top-five fantasy tight end in both weeks. The Saints are still in the running for the NFC South crown, so we will get their full complement of starters to close the season.
