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Mike Fanelli gives his fantasy football bold predictions for Week 18 of the 2024 NFL season. Should you start or sit Russell Wilson, Ray Davis, Terry McLaurin?
Week 18 is here, and I’m back with another edition of fantasy football bold predictions. This week’s list of bold predictions will include Russell Wilson, Ray Davis, Terry McLaurin, Adam Thielen, and Pat Freiermuth.
Every week, I will provide some fun and bold fantasy football predictions. While these bold predictions aren’t the most likely outcomes, they are things I believe could happen this week.
Let’s look at my five bold predictions for Week 18 of the 2024 NFL season.
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Russell Wilson…
Will finish Week 18 as a top-five quarterback
Wilson has played well since taking over as the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback in Week 7. He is the QB24 for the year, averaging 16.1 fantasy points per game. The veteran quarterback has scored 16 or more fantasy points in half of his games, including three of the past five outings.
Last week, Wilson didn’t have a passing touchdown for only the second time this season. However, he finished the Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs with 205 passing yards, six rushing attempts for 55 yards, a touchdown, and 17.7 fantasy points.
Russell Wilson takes it in himself for the Steelers TD!!! 🐝 pic.twitter.com/PW45HabVtL
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 25, 2024
More importantly, the veteran quarterback has an outstanding matchup on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals. They have surrendered 19.4 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, the fifth-most in the NFL this year. Last week, the Bengals gave up 219 passing yards, three touchdowns, and 21.9 fantasy points to Bo Nix.
Furthermore, Wilson had a massive fantasy performance against Cincinnati earlier this year. The veteran completed 76.3% of his pass attempts for 414 yards, three touchdowns, and 26.9 fantasy points against the division rivals in the Week 13 matchup, ending the week as the QB4. Don’t be surprised if he has a similar performance in the critical rematch.
Ray Davis…
Records his first top-12 finish this season
The Buffalo Bills are locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs, giving them nothing to play for Sunday against the New England Patriots. Head coach Sean McDermott told the media that Josh Allen would start in Week 18. However, the superstar quarterback will only briefly play to keep his starting streak alive.
Therefore, fantasy players should expect other key starters to miss this week’s game or see limited action, including James Cook. With the star running back out of the lineup, Davis should see the bulk of the workload against the division rivals. The last time the rookie running back started for Cook was in Week 6.
Davis was outstanding in the win over the New York Jets. He had 20 rushing attempts for 97 yards and three receptions for 55 receiving yards, totaling 16.7 half-point PPR fantasy points against the division rivals. The rookie finished as the RB14 that week. More importantly, Davis has five top-24 finishes this season, including three inside the top 18.
Meanwhile, the Patriots have surrendered 22.6 fantasy points per game to running backs, the eighth-most in the NFL. They have given up 139.7 rushing yards, 1.3 touchdowns, and 28.7 fantasy points per game to running backs over the past three weeks, allowing at least 142 yards and 32 fantasy points twice.
Terry McLaurin…
Bounces back, ending the week as the overall WR1
Last week, McLaurin had his worst fantasy performance of the year in the overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons. The star wide receiver finished the week as the WR113, totaling one reception on seven targets for five receiving yards and one half-point PPR fantasy points. However, he had been on fire lately.
McLaurin was the WR10 over the previous five weeks despite having his bye in Week 14. The former Ohio State star averaged 6.3 receptions on 7.5 targets for 77 receiving yards, 1.5 touchdowns, and 19.8 fantasy points per game, totaling at least one touchdown and 14.5 fantasy points in every contest.
More importantly, one of those games was against the Dallas Cowboys. McLaurin had five receptions on six targets for 102 receiving yards and 18.7 fantasy points against the division rivals, scoring a highlight reel touchdown late in the matchup. However, that wasn’t surprising, given how badly the Cowboys’ secondary has played this season.
COMMANDERS 86-YARD TOUCHDOWN WOW
📺: #DALvsWAS on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/apaNEKNCkh— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2024
Dallas has surrendered 30 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, the seventh-most in the NFL. They have had no answers for opposing wide receivers lately. The Cowboys have given up 196 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and 39.6 fantasy points per game to wide receivers over the past month.
Adam Thielen…
Has his second consecutive top-12 finish
Thielen was one of my favorite wide receivers to start in Week 17 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the Carolina Panthers got blown out, the veteran wide receiver was outstanding for fantasy players. He was the WR6 against the division rivals, totaling a season-high 25.5 half-point PPR fantasy points.
The veteran wide receiver finished the game with five receptions on six targets for 110 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Thielen set season highs in receiving yards and touchdowns in the loss. Meanwhile, he faces an Atlanta Falcons defense in Week 18 that has failed to stop opposing passing attacks.
Last week, Terry McLaurin struggled against Atlanta. However, Olamide Zaccheaus had eight receptions on nine targets for 85 receiving yards, a touchdown, and 19.3 fantasy points against his former team in the win. The Falcons have surrendered 30.5 fantasy points per game to wide receivers this year, the fifth-most in the NFL.
Atlanta has given up 168.6 receiving yards, 1.6 touchdowns, and 33.2 fantasy points per game to wide receivers over their past seven contests despite facing multiple awful passing attacks. While Thielen didn’t play in the Week 6 matchup against the Falcons, Diontae Johnson had 16.8 fantasy points, ending the week as the WR12.
Pat Freiermuth…
Finishes as a top-three tight end in Week 18
Freiermuth has quietly had a productive season. The former Penn State star is the TE10 for the year, averaging 7.3 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. He end has six receiving touchdowns, ranking sixth among tight ends. Half of his receiving touchdowns this season have come over the past five weeks.
Russell Wilson finds Pat Freiermuth for the TD to put the @Steelers back in front!
📺: #PITvsWAS on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/84HXHGbmPv— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024
The veteran has been the TE7 over the past five weeks, averaging 4.4 receptions on 5.4 targets for 42.8 receiving yards and 9.7 fantasy points per game, scoring 7.5 or more in all but one contest, including last week against the Kansas City Chiefs. More importantly, Freiermuth has an excellent fantasy matchup on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincinnati has surrendered 13 fantasy points per game to tight ends, the most in the NFL this year. They have given up 14.6 fantasy points per game to tight ends over their past eight contests, allowing 16.2 or more fantasy points in 62.5% of the outings.
More importantly, Freiermuth had a massive fantasy performance in the Week 13 matchup against the division rivals. The veteran finished the week as the TE5, totaling six receptions on seven targets for 68 receiving yards and a touchdown, scoring a season-high 15.8 fantasy points in the win.
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