Flex Options for Week 18 (Fantasy Football)

Week 18 championship week – what a time to be alive! It’s a scary place out here, with at least 11 backup QB’s slated to start and multiple teams likely to rest starters entirely. If you are taking on the challenge of a Week 18 championship, don’t do this next year. With that said, you can’t change your league now, so you might as well try to win it! Below are some names who I think can help you do just that. They are currently ranked outside the top 24 in the Fantasy Footballers’ rankings, but I think they can finish higher than that this week. I hope they all pop off and lead you to the promised land.

Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants

Tracy is seeing the bulk of the work for New York, but it hasn’t translated to much fantasy success over the last two weeks. Still, he’s running efficiently, averaging over 4 YPC in three straight games. The only thing missing has been TDs, and while those can be hard to predict, a game against Dallas with a 50.5 point over/under should help. Tracy Jr. found the end zone twice against divisional opponent Washington in Week 15, en route to an RB5 finish on the week. That’s his ceiling this week against a beatable Cowboys’ defense. Flex him if you’ve got him.

Audric Estime, RB, New Orleans Saints

Estime is another player who should provide you a safe floor this week in your flex. He played 76% of the Saints’ offensive snaps last week and looked effective in the lead role, taking 14 carries for 94 yards and a score. With Devin Neal shut down for the season and Alvin Kamara unlikely to return with the Saints out of the playoff picture, Estime figures to once again handle lead-back duties in Week 18 against the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons have a little bit of a Jekyll and Hyde thing going on, but they looked great last week, so that probably means they are due for a stinker. Their run defense is nothing to write home about, so there should be plenty of room for Estime to keep it rolling this week. Not to mention, you get to watch Rookie of the Year candidate Tyler Shough play football if you start Estime. 

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans

Marks returned from injury last week and picked up where he left off, seeing 21 opportunities and finishing just outside the Top-24 for fantasy. Houston is still playing for a potential division title, although they need help from the Tennessee Titans, so Marks should see a heavy workload once again in this matchup with Indianapolis. The Colts’ defense has been stout against the run this year, but with nothing left to play for and visions of Cancun in the back of their minds, you have to wonder how much resistance they will offer. Marks is in the same tier as the two names mentioned above as a player with a solid floor who could find the endzone and help you win your week.

Tre Tucker, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

Tucker is one of the few receivers in this range who will be playing with an actual NFL starting QB this week. It’s been a long time since he’s produced for fantasy, but he should see a steady flow of targets from Geno Smith in this game, since the Raiders really don’t have anyone else to throw to. They traded away Jakobi Meyers and shut down Brock Bowers for the season. Tucker has seen 11 targets over the last two weeks and caught nine of them for 92 yards. That trend should continue this week, and the potential for a big play is always there with a speedster like Tucker. It’s hard to recommend a player on a team with a 15.5-point implied team total, but the landscape is pretty bleak for this Week 18 slate.

Chris Godwin Jr., WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Somewhat surprisingly, Godwin has worked his way back into a featured role in the Bucs’ offense, and he’s banished Emeka Egbuka to an alternate realm. Since his return from injury in Week 12, Godwin has four top-36 fantasy finishes, including a WR3 finish last week thanks to his first 100-yard outing of the season. Meanwhile, Egbuka hasn’t finished inside the top 36 a single time in that span. It wasn’t a shift that any of us were predicting, but it’s one that we have to react to. If you have Egbuka, you are almost certainly eliminated from the playoffs, but just in case you’re still hanging on, Egbuka cannot be started for fantasy this week. On the other side of things, Godwin is shaping up as a solid option for this division championship game against Carolina. I expect Baker Mayfield to be slinging it with the season on the line, and Chris Godwin to be on the receiving end of a handful of those shots.