The final week of the NFL regular season brings a pair of high-stakes AFC North battles that are bound to shake up the playoff picture. First, the Baltimore Ravens host the Cleveland Browns. Baltimore can clinch the AFC North title and secure the No. 3 seed in the playoffs with a win or tie, or if the Pittsburgh Steelers lose or tie later in the evening. The Ravens will be eager to lock things up and avoid any late-season surprises.

In the primetime slot, the Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals. Pittsburgh can take the division title and No. 3 seed if they win and Baltimore loses, but the Bengals have playoff hopes of their own. Cincinnati needs a win, coupled with losses by Denver and Miami, to sneak into the postseason as a wild card. With so much on the line for all three teams, these matchups are set to deliver intense football and prime opportunities for DFS lineups.

 

 

 

NFL Weather: NFL DFS Saturday Week 18 DFS Impact

  • No major weather concerns for Saturday's games. It will be cold with some potential for wind but nothing impactful.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 18 Picks & Preview For DraftKings & FanDuel: Saturday 1/4

 

NFL DFS Saturday Week 18: Quarterback Picks

 

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals NEED to win today if they want any shot at making the playoffs this season. Their win coupled with losses by the Broncos and Dolphins would land them a spot in the AFC Wild Card. If the Bengals had a better record we would be talking about Joe Burrow as the league MVP as their QB has thrown for 4,641 yards with 42 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The offense has not been a problem for the Bengals this season and it will be quite interesting to see if he can repeat his performance against this tough Steelers defense whom he torched for 309 yards and three scores back in Week 13.

 

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens win and the clinch the AFC North title and boy do they have the matchup to do it as they take on the lowly Cleveland Browns who are down a handful of starters and are TWENTY point underdogs here today.

Jackson can beat you with his legs and his arm and while this game is not going to be competitive, we can still bank on Jackson being the driving force behind the scoring for the Ravens this afternoon.

 

Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers win and a Ravens loss, however unlikely, would give them the AFC North title. The Steelers have already clinched a playoff spot so this is strictly a seeding thing for them as a Steelers loss on Saturday coupled with a Chargers win on Sunday would drop them down the playoff seeding.

The Bengals defense hasn't been anything special this year so I'd expect this Steelers offense to be able to move the football and the last time these teams hooked up we saw Wilson throw for 414 yards and three touchdowns.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Saturday Week 18: Running Back Picks

 

Derrick Henry/Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore Ravens

Chalk running back pick of the week. Again, the Ravens are 20-point home favorites here today. Henry is 217 yards away from 2,000 yards on the season.

I say that because he's had games of 199, 169 and 162 yards on the season. Could they just let Henry run wild in this game to get to 2,000 yards? Probably not, once this game is out of hand I'd imagine the Ravens sit their top players but it's something to watch for.

Henry had 73  yards on 11 carries and a rushing touchdown against the Browns earlier this season.

IF you want to play game theory, with a 20-point spread and no Justise Hill, then Keaton Mitchell is your value punt play today.

Khalil Herbert / Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals

Big story of the day is whether or not Chase Brown will be active. He injured his ankle last week and did not practice all week. That said, he is listed as questionable for today's game against the Steelers.

If Brown can't go we look at Khalil Herbert as the lead back in this Bengals offense and there is definitely some upside there at the price tag.

 

Jaylen Warren / Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

We go through this every week, which Steelers running back? Last week both running backs made an impact. When it comes to pricing, Warren is the more expensive player and I'd lean in his direction thanks to his usage in both the running and passing game but he is also the higher rostered back today. If you want to be contrarian on a smaller slate you can go Najee Harris and hope he finds the end zone.

 

NFL DFS Saturday Week 18: Wide Receiver Picks

 

Cincinnati Bengals WRs

Ja'Marr Chase is chasing down the WR triple crown as he leads the the league in receptions, yards and touchdowns. Against the Steelers in Week 13 he had six catches for 89 yards and a score. Tee Higgins, in what could be his last game as a Bengal, is 142 yards away from 1,000 yard season to go along with his 69 catches and 10 touchdowns. In Week 13 he had five catches on 10 targets for 69 yards and a score.

Now, Higgins is expected to play but he was questionable all week so, there is some risk here that whatever was bothering him during the week takes him out of that game. We also know that Jermaine Burton did not travel with the team so you can take a shot on Andrei Iosivas if building multiple lineups.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers WRs

Pickens needs 100-yards today for 1,000 yards receiving on the season. He had three catches for 74 yards and a score against the Bengals back in Week 13.

Being 100-yards shy of a 1,000 yards while having missing three games goes to show you the type of breakout season we were getting from Pickens this year with Russell Wilson under center.

I'd be looking for the Steelers to feed Pickens the football today for him to get that milestone.

Calvin Austin is the clear second option here. He is a really nice price tag and if this game ends up being a shootout then you will want some shares because he should see a decent amount of targets.

 

Baltimore Ravens WRs

With a 20-point spread there may only be a few opportunities for the likes of Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman to get the football today but they could also be the reason why the Ravens go up by almost three touchdowns. Both are dart throws today and its unlikely both play the entire games.

 

Cleveland Browns WRs

Bailey Zappe is the expected QB for the Browns today which is an improvement over Dorian Thompson-Robinson when it comes to the passing attack.

Yes, Zappe has had his struggles at the NFL level at times and this game isn't going to be a walk in the park by any sense but the Ravens pass defense does struggle and at some point we expect the Ravens to also sit some of their regular starters as they lock in their playoff seeding which could present favorable spots for Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore here today.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Saturday Week 18: Tight End Picks

 

Mark Andrews / Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens

Andrews is the top tight end on the roster but we've seen Likely catch touchdowns in three of the last four games and he would likely be on the field getting the extra snap share once the starters come out of the game against the Browns when this game is well in hand. That could lead to some nice garbage time production.

 

Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals

How about 10 catches on 12 targets for 86 yards last week from Gesicki? With Tee Higgins banged up, Gesicki is the true second target in this Bengals offense and even with Higgins expected to play we really can't ignore what Gesicki has done this season when the football is thrown his way.

Against the Steelers back in Week 13 he had five catches for 53 yards and that is definitely good enough on this slate.

 

Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers

He had one of the best matchups on the board last week and did not disappoint, catching seven passes on eight targets for 60 yards against the Chiefs.

We expected a bigger season from Freiermuth this year but he's definitely been better down the stretch and against the Bengals back in Week 13 he had six catches on seven targets for 68 yards and a touchdown.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Saturday Week 18: D/ST Picks

 

Baltimore Ravens Defense

I mean, they are 20-point favorites facing a backup's backup's backup at the QB position in Bailey Zappe.

As a Patriots fan, I've seen enough of Zappe to know that he is prone to turning the football over and is a bit undersized as well which has made it difficult at times for him to make plays downfield.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers Defense

The Steelers defense can get after the QB and Burrow has been known to throw an interception or two.

In their Week 13 matchup, despite giving up 38 points, the defense still put up 15 fantasy points as they sacked Burrow four times, had a defensive touchdown and forced three turnovers. 

 

 

 

NFL DFS Example Lineups: NFL DFS Saturday Week 18

Pos Player Team Opponent Salary Proj. Draft%
Pivot{{player.position.alias}} Pivot {{player.player.name}} {{player.player.team.abbr}} {{player.player.opp.abbr}} {{getValue(lineup,player) | money}} {{getDraft(lineup,player)}}
{{totalValue(lineup) | money}}