| |
|
| Wednesday, January 4, 2023 |
| On Monday morning, I laid out my plans for this newsletter this week, but when Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed due to a cardiac event during that evening's game with the Bengals , Fantasy football was absolutely the last thing I wanted to think about. And I know I'm not alone in that. |
| This game we spend so much time thinking about can, at its 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 about how what we do has helped them get through tough times. It always lifts me up. I know that Fantasy Football isn't even close to the most important thing in the world, but it's definitely helped me maintain a sense of normalcy during tough times, both in my life and in the larger world. |
| But this game felt more important than normal. We were all tuned in to 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 stakes for the NFL playoffs and countless Fantasy championships set to be determined. But that was all rendered so meaningless so quickly. |
| Monday's game could never have kept going after that – the reactions from Hamlin's teammates and opponents made that clear to anyone watching. It crystallized what can sometimes be hard to keep in mind as football fans: That, as indestructible as these men seem, they are still men, playing a dangerous game that puts them at risk of serious injury every time they step on the field. It's something they have to put to the side whenever they take the field, and it's natural that we do the same as fans. Occasionally, but inevitably, that illusion is shattered. |
| Hamlin remains hospitalized in critical condition as of Tuesday night, and I know you're all right there with me in sending positive vibes his way throughout this entire ordeal. It's been amazing to watch as 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 McKees Rock and Pittsburgh communities where Hamlin grew up. |
| In setting up the GoFundMe page, Hamlin wrote, "As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me." It's been incredible to watch the entire football community and the sports world at large use that platform Hamlin created to lift him up and spread that good message even wider. Consider making a donation with some of those Fantasy league winnings. I can't wait for Hamlin to see what has been done in his name. |
| The game will go on, of course. It's not clear at this point if Monday's game will be made up, but there will be games in Week 18. Big games. Games that matter for playoff seeding and draft position, and for some of you, for your Fantasy leagues. That sense of normalcy will return, in fits and starts, too -- though not without keeping Hamlin in our thoughts and prayers as he continues to fight. |
| And, so too will this newsletter return to normal. In fits and starts. I've made some changes to my content schedule after taking yesterday off, but I will be looking ahead to the 2023 rankings later in the week. Today's newsletter has some Week 18 advice for you before then and some thoughts on how to handle the unprecedented situation of a championship week being rendered incomplete. I'll be honest, it feels weird to be talking about all of that in light of what we saw Monday night, and if you don't have any interest in reading about it, that's okay. I understand. |
| But we're going to move ahead with Week 18 and beyond. Things aren't normal right now, but we'll make the best of it. |
| |
| How commissioners should handle Week 17 |
| There's no good answer for how to handle the postponed games. I can tell you how I handled it in the leagues I am the commissioner of -- We split the championship. I was in the championship in both leagues and projected to win, but I suggested just calling it a tie – 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 didn't feel up for it, honestly. |
| But that's just me. Your league may be different. I've had other leagues declare the projected winner the outright winner; I've got others that are going to manually insert Bills and Bengals players' Week 18 scores into their Week 17 lineups to determine the championship. I think that's an imperfect option because the circumstances for those games are completely different than in Week 17. But imperfect options are all we've got here. |
| I've even seen some suggestions on Twitter of using projected scoring margins to determine how to distribute winnings: You split the pot and, if one team was a 70% favorite, they get 70% of the winnings, and so on. I've seen some suggest you use the players' average scores for the season in lieu of their Week 17 scores. You could even put the players' performance in each game so far this season into a hat and draw one for the score. It's random, but so is Fantasy football in a lot of ways. |
| The point is, there's no perfect answer to how to handle this. It's an unprecedented situation, borne from a horrible incident, and trying to find the "right" or "fair" answer to reward the "true" winner is not only impossible but kind of beside the point, if you ask me. Whatever works best for your league should be how you approach it. As a commissioner, I'm trying to do whatever is best for my league, and that meant coming up with a way to settle the championship in a way that took 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 right here for you. But, remember that a lot is going to change between now and Saturday's first lineup locks of the week, as we learn who will be sitting out and who will be playing. |
| For what it's worth, the following teams enter Week 18 with relatively little at stake beyond potential playoff seeding or draft order positioning: Vikings, Buccaneers, Giants, Texans, Broncos, Colts, Raiders, Browns, Jets, Bears, Cardinals Rams, Falcons, Panthers, Saints, Commanders. That doesn't many all of them will be resting starters, but surely some of them will. We'll hopefully have a pretty good sense of that by Saturday and Sunday, but it's harder to say right now. |
| This means those waiver targets may be obsolete by then, and these rankings may be too. More than any other week, competing in Week 18 requires you to stay as up-to-date as possible as late as possible into the week on news to know who will be available. It's why we don't recommend playing into Week 18! |
| Here are my rankings as of now: |
| |
| QB Rankings |
| Patrick Mahomes @LVTrevor Lawrence vs. TEN Josh Allen vs. NEJoe Burrow vs. BAL Tom Brady @ATL Geno Smith vs. LARKirk Cousins @CHI Justin Fields vs. MINJustin Herbert @DEN Daniel Jones @PHI Aaron Rodgers vs. DETJared Goff @GB Dak Prescott @WASBrock Purdy vs. ARI Deshaun Watson @PIT Mike White @MIAGardner Minshew vs. NYG Russell Wilson vs. LACKenny Pickett vs. CLE Jarrett Stidham vs. KC David Blough @SFJosh Dobbs @JAXMac Jones @BUF Skylar Thompson vs. NYJBaker Mayfield @SEA Carson Wentz vs. DAL Tyler Huntley @CINNick Foles vs. HOU Andy Dalton vs. CARDavis Mills @IND Desmond RIdder vs. TB Sam Darnold @NO |
| RB Rankings |
| Austin Ekeler @DENChristian McCaffrey vs. ARI Derrick Henry @JAXJames Conner @SF Josh Jacobs vs. KC Dalvin Cook @CHIAaron Jones vs. DET Travis Etienne vs. TENRhamondre Stevenson @BUF Joe Mixon vs. BAL Najee Harris vs. CLENick Chubb @PIT David Montgomery vs. MINSaquon Barkley @PHI Alvin Kamara vs. CAR Kenneth Walker vs. LARTyler Allgeier vs. TB Leonard Fournette @ATLJerick McKinnon @LV Rachaad White @ATL Ezekiel Elliott @WASD'Andre Swift @GB Isiah Pacheco @LVLatavius Murray vs. LAC Devin Singletary vs. NE AJ Dillon vs. DETMiles Sanders vs. NYG Cam Akers @SEABrian Robinson Jr. vs. DAL J.K. Dobbins @CIN Deon Jackson vs. HOUZack Moss vs. HOU Raheem Mostert vs. NYJCordarrelle Patterson vs. TB D'Onta Foreman @NO Michael Carter @MIAZonovan Knight @MIA James Cook vs. NEChuba Hubbard @NO Malik Davis @WAS Chase Edmonds vs. LACGus Edwards @CIN Jeff Wilson vs. NYJJamaal Williams @GB Damien Harris @BUF Jonathan Williams vs. DALRoyce Freeman @IND Kareem Hunt @PITDare Ogunbowale vs. ARI Samaje Perine vs. BAL |
| WR Rankings |
| Justin Jefferson @CHIJa'Marr Chase vs. BAL Tyreek Hill vs. NYJStefon Diggs vs. NE Amon-Ra St. Brown @GB A.J. Brown vs. NYGChris Godwin @ATL Keenan Allen @DENDavante Adams vs. KC Tee Higgins vs. BAL DK Metcalf vs. LARCeeDee Lamb @WAS DeVonta Smith vs. NYGGarrett Wilson @MIA Mike Williams @DEN JuJu Smith-Schuster @LVJaylen Waddle vs. NYJ Michael Pittman vs. HOUJerry Jeudy vs. LAC Amari Cooper @PIT Tyler Lockett vs. LARChristian Kirk vs. TEN Mike Evans @ATLChristian Watson vs. DET Diontae Johnson vs. CLE Zay Jones vs. TENDrake London vs. TB Courtland Sutton vs. LACD.J. Chark @GB Jakobi Meyers @BUF Chris Olave vs. CARBrandon Aiyuk vs. ARI Brandin Cooks @INDAdam Thielen @CHI Darius Slayton @PHI Marquise Brown @SFDonovan Peoples-Jones @PIT Richie James @PHITerry McLaurin vs. DAL Isaiah Hodgins @PHI Allen Lazard vs. DETGabe Davis vs. NE D.J. Moore @NOCurtis Samuel vs. DAL Greg Dortch @SF Romeo Doubs vs. DETJosh Palmer @DEN KJ Osborn @CHIElijah Moore @MIA Corey Davis @MIA |
| TE Rankings |
| Travis Kelce @LVTJ Hockenson @CHI Mark Andrews @CINGeorge Kittle vs. ARI Dallas Goedert vs. NYG Evan Engram vs. TENDavid Njoku @PIT Tyler Higbee @SEADalton Schultz @WAS Cole Kmet vs. MIN Pat Freiermuth vs. CLEDawson Knox vs. NE Gerald Everett @DENJuwan Johnson vs. CAR Darren Waller vs. KC Robert Tonyan vs. DETDaniel Bellinger @PHI Hunter Henry @BUFJelani Woods vs. HOU Trey McBride @SF Hayden Hurst vs. BALAlbert Okwuegbunam vs. LAC Tyler Conklin @MIATaysom Hill vs. CAR |
| |
| | | | | 24/7 Sports News | | The Early Edge | ✔Scores & Highlights
✔Fantasy and Betting Advice
✔Interviews with Top Athletes
CBS Sports HQ has you covered. Stream anywhere, anytime, on any device.
Watch Now
| | Looking for the best picks against the spread, sharp action on the total and props you can take to the ticket window? Join The Coach, Jonathan Coachman, on the Early Edge as he speaks with the best handicappers to preview every day’s biggest games.
Listen Now
|
|
| |
| |
