We’re in an unusual position with this particular article in this particular week. Typically, we have to balance the size of a given slate with the ability to have solid reads on the games but, when that happens, it’s only a matter of trimming the list until we find the ones we like. In Week 18, we have to go in the opposite direction. Because of the amount of uncertainty that is inherent with the final week of the regular season — the unknown that comes from teams potentially resting players or leaning on backups for future evaluations — we have to lessen our options first and then evaluate the games. That’s also unique to this column, where we are specifically looking for only a few matchups that can provide an edge.
A Note from Mario: Now we’re rolling with our second consecutive 3-0 week for a beautiful 6-0 stretch! This continues a nice trend where the second half of the year has been quite good for these picks. I will continue to provide them as I see fit, but please do your research and play responsibly.
In the world of daily fantasy roster construction, ‘stacking’ players from the same team can often lead to big results. In this column of games to target in Week 18, Luke and Mario will give their thoughts on a few games that are worth watching for fantasy purposes, and whether they like the value or feel the game is getting too much attention.
Luke’s Top Games to Watch
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
In a week loaded with uncertainty, this game stood out to me above the rest as the easiest to fade. The first thing that made that an easy choice was the fact that neither team has its starting quarterback. Baker Mayfield is finally out with the shoulder injury that has hampered him for most of the season, and the Bengals have chosen to rest Joe Burrow given the fact that their playoff seeding is all but locked in at this point. Something about a quarterback duel between Case Keenum and Brandon Allen just does not get me excited whatsoever. The quarterback situation was one obvious issue, but I cannot trust anyone in this game. Are the Bengals going to let any of their top wide receivers play this full game, or are they going to take a cautious approach and sit them as well? Are the Browns really going to roll out Nick Chubb and given him 25 carries in a completely meaningless game? If I can’t trust the Browns running back usage and the Bengals wide receiver snaps, how can I have any interest in this game? The simple answer is that I can’t.
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
There are so many teams this week that