San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (illness, chest) has been removed from the injury report and will try to duplicate his Week 17 breakout in a Week 18 matchup in Arizona against the Cardinals. The 2024 first-round selection was projected in most places as a WR6 or WR7 last week against Detroit but exploded with eight receptions of 10 targets for 141 yards and a touchdown. He added two carries for six yards and even threw one incomplete pass. Pearsall's potential ascendency could face a roadblock on Sunday, as he'll be catching his passes from backup Joshua Dobbs after Brock Purdy (right elbow) was ruled out. On the other hand, Deebo Samuel Sr. (rib, wrist) is also out, perhaps clearing the way for more targets. Consensus rankings have Pearsall just a few slots behind wideout Jauan Jennings given the three-straight zeroes that Pearsall produced following the last time he surged with 15.3 half-PPR points in Week 10. Arizona is the NFL's 10th-toughest matchup for fantasy wideouts. Consider Pearsall a boom/bust WR3 for the final game of his rookie campaign.

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Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has been a force to be reckoned with over the last two weeks, rushing 61 times for 343 yards and five touchdowns. Not only that, he's seen 21 or more carries six of the last seven weeks and gets no competition for work. Anthony Richardson (back) had been stealing some goal line opportunities, but the QB has been ruled out, paving the way for Taylor to take on all he can handle with Joe Flacco under center. With the Colts eliminated from the playoffs, it's uncertain if they'll work in some other backs to close out the year, but if not, the matchup is extremely favorable, going up against the Jaguars who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing RBs. The former second-round draft pick projects as a mid-range RB1 for the final week of the season.

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Buffalo Bills wide receiver Mack Hollins could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Buffalo's secured second seed in the AFC postseason. Head coach Sean McDermott noted the starters and backups will both play on Sunday against the New England Patriots. While Hollins plays a significant amount of the offensive snaps, he's not as integral to the offense as other receivers like Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman. Hollins could lead a group of practice squad players, and/or Curtis Samuel (ribs) if he's active, for backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky. The Bills (other than running back Ray Davis) are difficult to trust given uncertain playing time and opportunities in the regular season finale.

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Remember the 23-touch coming-out party for Ray Davis in Week 6? A similar opportunity could await the rookie in Week 18. The Bills can't move out of the second seed in the AFC, meaning starters won't play their full allotment of snaps. Head coach Sean McDermott confirmed earlier in the week that both starters and reserves will play. Davis should be in line for at least 12 touches against a bottom-10 run defense in the New England Patriots. Third-down back Ty Johnson should also be heavily involved in the gameplan. Davis can be counted on as an RB2 for fantasy football lineups.

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What do you get when a team has clinched their playoff seeding entering the final week of the regular season? A blend of starters and backups playing on the football field. Head coach Sean McDermott promised that earlier in the week. That could mean an early exit for Buffalo's most utilized wide receiver, Khalil Shakir. The slot receiver has caught 76 passes for 821 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games. He, alongside Keon Coleman and Amari Cooper (back), can't be depended upon against the Patriots due to uncertain playing time and Mitchell Trubisky playing most of the quarterback snaps.

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Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is a low-end starting quarterback in Week 18 when the Cardinals host the San Francisco 49ers. Murray and the Cardinals will look to end their season on a high note after watching their playoff hopes dwindle post-bye week. Murray had a solid performance last week, topping 300 yards despite throwing two interceptions. A strong showing in this matchup will help build momentum for the Cardinals heading into next season. With nothing to play for in terms of playoff implications, we can expect the Cardinals to play more freely and open up the playbook to put an exclamation point on their season. Murray should still be viewed as a starter in Week 18.

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The Buffalo Bills have secured the No. 2 spot in the AFC playoffs, meaning Week 18 will be treated like a preseason game. Head coach Sean McDermott noted earlier in the week that the team plans on using starters and reserves on Sunday against New England. Quarterback Josh Allen will get the start to extend his consecutive starts streak, which dates back to 2018. Fantasy managers should only expect to see Allen for a series before Mitchell Trubisky takes over. The 2017 second overall pick has played 54 snaps across eight blowout games this season. Fantasy managers still playing in Week 18 should look elsewhere for a starting quarterback. Trubisky ranks as a low-end QB2.

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The New England Patriots defense/special teams has not been a reliable fantasy option this season, and they remain off the fantasy radar in most leagues ahead of Week 18 against the Buffalo Bills. While the Bills are expected to play their reserves, including quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Mike White, we can't trust the Patriots D/ST amidst one of their worst seasons in recent memory. New England ranks 29th among defensive units in fantasy points this year, so even if they do play most of their snaps against Buffalo's backups, they're not guaranteed to pad their stats. Plus, there remains a significant possibility that the Patriots play a portion of their backups, too, as they hope to gain film on some of their reserves and potentially remain in position for the draft's No. 1 pick. All in all, there are too many uncertain factors at play, leaving New England as an unfavorable fantasy option for Week 18.

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Buffalo Bills running back James Cook averages a shade over 15 touches per game this season but that number could plummet in Week 18. The Bills have clinched the No. 2 spot in the AFC playoffs. Head coach Sean McDermott said the team plans on using starters and reserves on Sunday against New England. That means more opportunities for backup running backs Ray Davis and Ty Johnson. Cook can't be trusted in any fantasy football or DFS lineups without the proper volume. His day could be finished after a handful of snaps.

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New England Patriots kicker Joey Slye remains off the fantasy radar heading into Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Buffalo Bills. Slye has demonstrated impressive power as the Patriots' kicker this season, but his accuracy issues have been well-documented. Furthermore, as the Patriots' offense continues to struggle, scoring opportunities have been hard to come by for the 28-year-old. He has not attempted a single field goal over the last two weeks, adding just four successful extra points during that span. Although the Patriots have a more promising outlook in Week 18 with the Bills expected to deploy many of their reserve players, New England still isn't a dependable offense, which means Slye, who ranks 24th among kickers in fantasy points this year, remains unreliable. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere for productive kicking options in the final week of the regular season.

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New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas continues to trend upward ahead of Sunday's Week 18 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Douglas had consistently been playing fewer than two-thirds of the Patriots' offensive snaps, but his snap share jumped to a season-high 92 percent in Week 17, and he could have a similar role against the Bills during the Patriots' regular-season finale. Douglas has been somewhat productive lately, too, catching 11 passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns over his last three games. The 24-year-old has suddenly found the end zone at a greater frequency than ever, and he remains one of the leading targets in New England's Drake Maye-led offense. Fantasy managers should expect him to rank as a low-end WR3 or high-end WR4 in Week 18.

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Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. is coming off by far the best game of his career in the Week 17 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in which he caught all eight of his targets for 103 yards and two touchdowns, including a miraculous jump-ball TD in the back of the end zone to send it to overtime. Mims will try to have another big game in Week 18 versus the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday to send the team to the playoffs. It will help his cause that the Chiefs defense will be resting several key players for the postseason, but the 22-year-old second-year wideout has been reliant on big plays down the field for most of his inconsistent production. Still, there's no denying Mims has been trending up of late, playing a season-high 47% of the snaps the last two games while scoring three times in the last five games. Mims is the WR20 in average half-PPR points the last five weeks (four games).

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New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (illness) has been removed from the injury report and will play in Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Buffalo Bills. Boutte has seen the field more than any Patriots receiver since Drake Maye was installed as the team's starting quarterback, but it's worth noting that last week's 77 percent snap share was his lowest mark since Week 5. Despite his reduced involvement, he should remain a central part of the Patriots' offensive game plan on Sunday afternoon. Boutte has caught nine of 12 targets for 123 yards and one touchdown over his last two games, and he's trending upward ahead of this week's matchup against a Bills defense that could rest some of its starters. The 22-year-old is a flashy deep threat, and he could use his speed to beat Buffalo defenders, especially those in depth roles. He remains a low-floor, high-ceiling option, ranking as a solid WR4 option in fantasy football.

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Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton should have a high ceiling and high floor in fantasy football in the Week 18 regular-season finale as the Broncos host the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs. Not only are the Broncos playing for a win to get into the playoffs, but the Chiefs are already locked into the AFC's top seed and will be resting key players on defense, including cornerback Trent McDuffie (knee). The 29-year-old Sutton has come on strong in the second half of the season as rookie QB Bo Nix's favorite target, and he had six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown in the first meeting against the Chiefs in KC in Week 10. Sutton has scored seven touchdowns on the year and is 17 yards shy of his second 1,000-yard campaign. He's the WR18 on the year in half-PPR scoring and ranks 13th among all wideouts with his 128 targets. Start Sutton with confidence in Week 18.

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New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson remains an unreliable fantasy option heading into Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Buffalo Bills. Stevenson was effectively benched last Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers. While he did log the first touch of the game, he finished the contest with just two carries for one yard while Antonio Gibson rushed the ball 12 times. Gibson has led the Patriots' backfield in snaps for two consecutive weeks, which is the product of Stevenson's poor ball security this season, including a costly Week 16 fumble against the Bills. The Patriots have been somewhat quiet about their personnel decision for Sunday's regular-season finale, but we would expect Stevenson to remain in the doghouse. He's not a dependable fantasy option as the Patriots' season wraps up.

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New England Patriots running back Antonio Gibson is trending toward leading the backfield in snaps for the third consecutive week when he faces the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon. Gibson rushed 12 times for 63 yards last Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers, taking advantage of fellow running back Rhamondre Stevenson being in the doghouse amidst consistent ball security concerns. The Patriots haven't commented on their backfield alignment for Week 18, but we'd expect Gibson to remain the primary option once more against the Bills. The 26-year-old has upside in a game where the Bills could rest many of their defensive starters. Gibson struggled against the Chargers' starters last week, but he rushed for 53 yards on six carries (8.8 YPC) once Los Angeles started to play some of its depth defenders. We could see him have similar success once Buffalo turns to some of its non-starters in Week 18. Gibson is a solid RB3 for fantasy football.

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings will finish his 2024 breakout campaign in Arizona for a Week 18 clash with the division-rival Cardinals. The man they call "Third-and-Jauan" has done plenty of damage on other downs this season, coming into the game as the overall half-PPR WR28 in points per game after spending his first four years as a fantasy non-factor. In last week's home loss to Detroit, Jennings caught seven of 10 targets for 67 yards -- roughly half of which came on the last drive of the game after being overshadowed for nearly four quarters by rookie Ricky Pearsall. Both players will be catching passes from backup Joshua Dobbs since starting quarterback Brock Purdy (right elbow) has been ruled out. It's tough to predict which receiver Dobbs will look to more often, but the savvy veteran Jennings should have the edge. It's worth noting that receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (rib, wrist) has been ruled out. Jennings is a mid-low WR2 for Week 18.

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Carolina Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro hasn't gotten many opportunities to kick field goals the past few weeks. Over the past four games, he has only attempted three field goals. The silver lining for Pineiro is that between Weeks 10 and 13, he made nine of his 11 field goal attempts. In Week 18, the Panthers take on their division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons, who have allowed the sixth most fantasy points to opposing kickers, giving some hope for Pineiro in this contest. However, the lack of consistent attempts makes it difficult for fantasy managers to trust Pineiro in this one. The 29-year-old comes in as K27 in the latest RotoBaller kicker rankings for Week 18. There are likely better options at the kicker position for fantasy managers.

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Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin will be on the RB2/3 borderline for the team's Week 18 regular-season finale against the visiting division-rival Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. After missing the Week 16 loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers with a quadriceps injury, McLaughlin returned in last week's overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals to narrowly lead what has become a three-man committee in Denver with 12 touches for 76 scrimmage yards. He did have an impressive 6.9 yards per carry on 10 rushing attempts, although it was his second straight game seeing fewer than 30% of the offensive snaps. The Chiefs defense has allowed the fewest half-PPR points per game to RBs this year, but they will also be resting key starters for the playoffs. The Broncos need to win to get in. In a three-man committee, McLaughlin will likely need to score to pay off as an RB2.

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Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is expected to get a full workload on Sunday as his team still has designs on making the playoffs. If the Falcons win and the Saints beat the Buccaneers, Atlanta is in. Robinson is having a fantastic season, now top 5 in fantasy scoring for RBs with over 1700 all-purpose yards and 13 total TDs. Not to mention, the last time these two teams met, the 22-year-old stampeded his way to 95 yards and two scores on 15 carries (6.3 YPR), adding three catches for 10 yards as well. The Panthers have been run on all season, allowing the most fantasy points to running backs in all of football. With the playoffs in sight, look for Robinson to rumble his way to top-tier RB1 status on Sunday.

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