On Monday morning, I laid out my plans for this week’s newsletter, but when Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed from a cardiac event during that night’s game with the Bengals, Fantasy football was the absolute last thing. what I wanted to think about. And I know I’m not alone in this.
This game we spend so much time thinking about can, at best, serve as a distraction from reality. And some of my favorite emails I’ve ever received have come from listeners and readers telling us how what we do has helped them through tough times. It always lifts me up. I know that Fantasy Football is nowhere near the most important thing in the world, but it has definitely helped me maintain a sense of normalcy during difficult times, both in my life and in the world at large.
But this game felt more important than usual. We were all tuning into Monday’s game with high expectations – two of the best teams in the league and some of the game’s brightest stars on the biggest stage, with big bets for the NFL playoffs and countless fantasy championships set to come. But it all became so meaningless so quickly.
Monday’s game could never have continued after that – the reactions of Hamlin’s teammates and opponents made that clear to those watching. He crystallized what can sometimes be hard to keep in mind for football fans: that, as indestructible as they may seem, these men are still men, playing a dangerous game that puts them at risk of serious injury every time they come into contact. field. It’s something they have to put aside every time they take the pitch, and it’s only natural that we as fans do the same. Occasionally, but inevitably, this illusion is shattered.
Hamlin remains hospitalized in critical condition as of Tuesday night, and I know you’re okay with me sending him positive vibes throughout this ordeal. It’s been amazing to see how the sports world has rallied around Hamlin, with nearly $6 million raised for Hamlin’s Chasing M’s foundation – initially created to give back to the communities of McKees Rock and Pittsburgh where Hamlin grew up.
In creating the GoFundMe page, Hamlin wrote, “As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me.” It’s been amazing to see the entire football community and the sports world at large use the platform that Hamlin has created to elevate it and spread this good message even further. Please consider donating some of these Fantasy League earnings. I can’t wait for Hamlin to see what has been done in his name.
The game will continue, of course. It’s unclear at this time if Monday’s game will make up, but there will be games in Week 18. Big games. Important games for playoff seeding and draft position, and for some of you, for your Fantasy leagues. That sense of normalcy will also return, in fits and starts – though not without keeping Hamlin in our thoughts and prayers as he continues to fight.
And also this bulletin will return to normal. In leaps and bounds. I’ve made some changes to my content schedule after taking the day off yesterday, but I’ll be looking at the 2023 rankings later in the week. Today’s newsletter has some Week 18 advice for you ahead of time and some thoughts on how to deal with the unprecedented situation of a championship week being incomplete. I’ll be honest, it’s weird talking about all of this in light of what we saw on Monday night, and if you have no interest in reading about it, that’s fine. I get it.
But let’s move on to week 18 and beyond. Things aren’t normal right now, but we’re going to make the best of it.
How Commissioners Should Handle Week 17
There is no good answer for how to deal with postponed games. I can tell you how I handled it in the leagues I’m the commissioner of – We split the league. I was in the league in both leagues and projected to win, but I suggested just calling it a draw – the last thing I wanted to deal with was trying to figure out a tiebreaker or juggling the schedule. It just didn’t seem worth it, and I honestly didn’t feel like it.
But it’s just me. Your league may be different. Other leagues declared the projected winner as the outright winner; I have others who will manually enter the Bills and Bengals players’ Week 18 scores into their Week 17 rosters to determine the championship. I think it’s an imperfect option because the circumstances of these games are completely different from week 17. But imperfect options are all we have here.
I’ve even seen some suggestions on Twitter about using projected scoring margins to determine how to distribute the winnings: you split the pot, if a team is a 70% favorite, they receive 70% of the winnings, and so on. I’ve seen some suggest that you use average player scores for the season instead of Week 17 scores. You could even put the players’ performance in each game so far this season in a hat and tie one for the score. It’s random, but so is Fantasy football in many ways.
The thing is, there’s no perfect answer for how to deal with it. It’s an unprecedented situation stemming from a horrific incident, and trying to find the “right” or “fair” answer to reward the “true” winner is not only impossible, but kind of irrelevant, if you ask me. What works best for your league should be how you approach it. As a commissioner, I’m trying to do what’s best for my league, and that meant finding a way to resolve the league in a way that takes it out of anyone’s hands. That was what felt right to me.
Week 18 Rankings
If you’re looking for players to add for Week 18, Jamey Eisenberg’s Waiver Wire column is here for you. But keep in mind that a lot is going to change between now and Saturday’s first roster locks of the week as we figure out who’s going to sit out and who’s going to play.
For what it’s worth, the following teams enter Week 18 with relatively little at stake other than potential playoffs or placement in the draft order: Vikings, Buccaneers, Giants, Texans, Broncos, Colts, Raiders, Browns, Jets, Bears , Cardinals Rams, Falcons, Panthers, Saints, Commanders. This does not mean that all of them will be rested beginners, but certainly any of them goes. Hopefully we’ll have a good sense of that on Saturday and Sunday, but it’s harder to say now.
This means that these exemption targets may be obsolete by then, and so may these classifications. More than any other week, competing in Week 18 requires you to stay up to date as late as possible on the week’s news so you know who will be available. That’s why we don’t recommend playing in Week 18!
Here are my ratings as of now:
QB Ratings
- Patrick Mahomes @LV
- Trevor Lawrence vs. TEN
- Josh Allen vs NE
- Joe Burrow vs BAL
- Tom Brady @ATL
- Geno Smith vs LAR
- Kirk Primos @CHI
- Justin Fields vs. MIN
- Justin Herbert @DEN
- Daniel Jones @PHI
- Aaron Rodgers vs DET
- Jared Goff @GB
- Dak Prescott @WAS
- Brock Purdy vs ARI
- Deshaun Watson @PIT
- Mike White @MIA
- Gardner Minshew vs NYG
- Russell Wilson vs LAC
- Kenny Pickett vs CLE
- Jarrett Stidham vs KC
- David Blough @SF
- Josh Dobbs @JAX
- Mac Jones @BUF
- Skylar Thompson vs NYJ
- Baker Mayfield @SEA
- Sam Howell vs DAL
- Tyler Huntley @CIN
- Nick Foles vs HOU
- Andy Dalton vs CAR
- Davis Mills @IND
- Desmond Ridder vs. ALSO
- Sam Darnold @NO
RB Ratings
- Austin Ekeler @DEN
- Christian McCaffrey vs. ARI
- Derrick Henry @JAX
- James Conner @SF
- Josh Jacobs vs KC
- Dalvin Cook @CHI
- Aaron Jones vs. DET
- Travis Etienne vs TEN
- Rhamondre Stevenson @BUF
- Joe Mixon vs BAL
- Najee Harris vs. CLE
- Nick Chubb @PIT
- David Montgomery vs. MIN
- Saquon Barkley @PHI
- Alvin Kamara vs CAR
- Kenneth Walker vs. HOME
- Tyler Allgeier against tuberculosis
- Leonard Fournette @ATL
- Jerick McKinnon @LV
- Rachaad White @ATL
- Ezekiel Elliott @WAS
- D’Andre Swift @GB
- Isaias Pacheco @LV
- Latavius Murray vs LAC
- Devin Singletary vs. HUH
- AJ Dillon vs. DET
- Miles Sanders vs NYG
- Cam Akers @SEA
- Brian Robinson Jr. vs. DAL
- JK Dobbins @CIN
- Deon Jackson vs HOU
- Zack Moss vs HOU
- Raheem Mostert vs NYJ
- Cordarrelle Patterson vs. ALSO
- D’Onta Foreman @NO
- Michael Carter @MIA
- Zonovan Knight @MIA
- James Cook vs NE
- Chuba Hubbard @NO
- Malik Davis @WAS
- Chase Edmonds vs LAC
- Gus Edwards @CIN
- Jeff Wilson vs NYJ
- Jamaal Williams @GB
- Damien Harris @BUF
- Jonathan Williams vs DAL
- Royce Freeman @IND
- Kareem Hunt @PIT
- Dare Ogunbowale vs ARI
- Samaje Perine vs BAL
WR ratings
- Justin Jefferson @CHI
- Ja’Marr Chase vs. BAL
- Tyreek Hill vs. NYJ
- Stefan Diggs vs NE
- Amun-Ra St. Brown @GB
- AJ Brown vs NYG
- Chris Godwin @ATL
- Keenan Allen @DEN
- Davante Adams vs KC
- Tee Higgins vs. BAL
- DK Metcalf vs. HOME
- CeeDee Lamb @WAS
- DeVonta Smith vs NYG
- Garrett Wilson @MIA
- Mike Williams @DEN
- JuJu Smith-Schuster @LV
- Jaylen Waddle vs NYJ
- Michael Pittman vs HOU
- Jerry Jeudy vs LAC
- Amari Cooper @PIT
- Tyler Lockett vs LAR
- Christian Kirk vs. TEN
- Mike Evans @ATL
- Christian Watson vs DET
- Diontae Johnson vs. CLE
- Zay Jones vs TEN
- Drake London vs TB
- Courtland Sutton vs LAC
- DJ Chark @GB
- Jakobi Meyers @BUF
- Chris Olave vs CAR
- Brandon Aiyuk vs. ARI
- Brandin Cooks @IND
- Adam Thielen @CHI
- Darius Slayton @PHI
- Marquise Brown @SF
- Donovan Peoples-Jones @PIT
- Richie James @PHI
- Terry McLaurin vs DAL
- Isaiah Hodgins @PHI
- Allen Lazard vs DET
- Gabe Davis vs NE
- DJ Moore @NO
- Curtis Samuel vs. DAL
- Greg Dortch @SF
- Romeo Doubs vs DET
- Josh Palmer @DEN
- KJ Osborn @CHI
- Elias Moore @MIA
- Corey Davis @MIA
TE ratings
- Travis Kelce @LV
- TJ Hockenson @CHI
- Mark Andrews @CIN
- George Kittle vs ARI
- Dallas Goedert vs NYG
- Evan Engram vs TEN
- David Njoku @PIT
- Tyler Higbee @SEA
- Dalton Schultz @WAS
- Cole Kmet vs. MIN
- Pat Freiermuth vs CLE
- Dawson Knox vs NE
- Gerald Everett @DEN
- Juwan Johnson vs CAR
- Darren Waller vs KC
- Robert Tonyan vs. DET
- Daniel Bellinger @PHI
- Hunter Henry @BUF
- Jelani Woods vs. HOU
- Trey McBride @SF
- Hayden Hurst vs BAL
- Albert Okwuegbunam vs LAC
- Tyler Conklin @MIA
- Taysom Hill vs. CAR
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