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- Team-By-Team Motivation: Week 18
Team-By-Team Motivation: Week 18
Breakdown of Each Team's Week 18 Motivation/Expected Personnel Usage
One Week Season
January 02, 2025
By: Mike Johnson (@Mjohnson86)
Since most Fantasy Football leagues had their championships in Week 17, our first season of Daily Dose coverage and content is coming to a close. All of us at One Week Season would like to thank you for following us and hope we provided you with valuable information to form your decisions in your quest for a championship this season!! We will be back again next year and may send a survey out in the coming weeks looking for feedback to help us give you the best content possible in 2025.
To end the season, below is a breakdown of this week’s games and team situations to help you keep the chaos of Week 18 straight if you are doing any betting, DFS, or fantasy football. Enjoy, good luck, and thank you for being a part of our community!!
Browns @ Ravens, 4:30 pm ET, Saturday 1/4
Browns: Cleveland has been eliminated from the playoffs and would hold the No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft if the season ended today.
Ravens: Baltimore clinches the AFC North with a victory. If the Ravens win, they will be the No. 3 seed in the AFC, and if they lose, they will be the No. 5 seed.
Bengals @ Steelers, 8:00 pm ET, Saturday 1/4
Bengals: Cincinnati needs to win to have a chance at making the playoffs and then would need the Broncos and Dolphins to both lose on Sunday.
Steelers: Pittsburgh can still win the AFC North with a win and a Ravens loss. They will know the Ravens’ situation prior to their kickoff and Baltimore is a huge favorite. Pittsburgh still has something to play for regardless, however, as the Steelers can clinch the No. 5 seed with a win and would face the Texans in that scenario, rather than potentially having to make a trip to Baltimore.
Bills @ Patriots, 1:00 pm ET, Sunday 1/5
Bills: Buffalo has clinched the No. 2 seed in the AFC and will host one of Denver, Miami, or Cincinnati in the Wild Card round. Expect the Bills to rest many key players.
Patriots: The Patriots would have the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft if the season ended today. Head coach Jerod Mayo has indicated they will still play Drake Maye and other key players, but the potential to drop five or six spots in the draft may not be worth it.
Panthers @ Falcons, 1:00 pm ET, Sunday 1/5
Panthers: Carolina has been out of the playoffs for a couple of months and has been playing mostly competitive football recently as the Panthers look to build for the future.
Falcons: Atlanta’s only path to the playoffs is a victory and a Bucs loss. They will be all systems go. The Bucs are heavy favorites against the Saints, so if that game gets out of hand, we could see Atlanta use the second half to let rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. maximize his game reps.
Saints @ Bucs, 1:00 pm ET, Sunday 1/5
Saints: The Saints have been out of it for a few weeks and are once again bringing a preseason roster to the field a week after managing only 10 points against the Raiders.
Bucs: Tampa Bay clinches the NFC South with a victory and would be out of the playoffs if it loses and the Falcons win. They are two-touchdown favorites and would host the Lions-Vikings loser if they end up as the No. 4 seed, or the Packers or Commanders if they end up as the No. 3 seed. Expect Tampa to cruise here and potentially pull key offensive players earlier than usual if the game is in hand.
Texans @ Titans, 1:00 pm ET, Sunday 1/5
Texans: Houston is locked into the No. 4 seed in the AFC and will face either the Ravens or Steelers next week. The Texans have nothing to gain but could use this spot as an opportunity to try to build some momentum for their previously struggling offense.
Titans: Tennessee needs a franchise QB and would have the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft if the season ended today, while likely falling five or six spots with a win.
Jaguars @ Colts, 1:00 pm ET, Sunday 1/5
Jaguars: Jacksonville will have a high draft pick, but is not in contention for a top-three spot. The Jags have been out of it for several weeks and have their franchise QB on the roster. Expect them to use the final week to feature their young players once again.
Colts: Indianapolis was eliminated from the playoffs with last week’s loss to the Giants. Expect QB Anthony Richardson to miss this week again with his back issues, while franchise RB Jonathan Taylor could be shut down after taking on a huge workload over the last month.
Giants @ Eagles, 1:00 pm ET, Sunday 1/5
Giants: The Giants played themselves out of the No.1 pick with their win over the Colts last week, so it wouldn’t make sense for them to all of a sudden value draft position. Expect a full effort here against a division rival.
Eagles: The Eagles are locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC and have already said they will rest many key players.
Commanders @ Cowboys, 1:00 pm ET, Sunday 1/5
Commanders: Washington has clinched a playoff berth and will be the No. 6 seed with a win, or the No. 7 seed with a loss and Packers win. Expect a full effort here unless we hear otherwise, as they would likely prefer to avoid the Eagles in the first round.
Cowboys: Dallas has been out of it for several weeks and shut down WR CeeDee Lamb. They will still be trying to compete as normal, however, in head coach Mike McCarthy’s potential last game with the team.
Bears @ Packers, 1:00 pm ET, Sunday 1/5
Bears: Chicago puts an end to a forgettable season as the Bears travel to Green Bay. These games always mean something and the Bears won’t be concerned with draft position as they try to end on a positive note for QB Caleb Williams.
Packers: Green Bay has clinched a playoff berth and needs to win and have Washington lose to move from the No. 7 seed to the No. 6 seed. There is some risk here that the Packers limit or rest key players in the second half if Washington is in control against Dallas.
Chargers @ Raiders, 4:25 pm ET, Sunday 1/5
Chargers: Playoff berth is clinched as a Wild Card team. They can’t fall any lower than the No. 6 seed. If Pittsburgh loses on Saturday, the Chargers will be the No. 5 seed and face the Texans with a win. If Pittsburgh wins, then the Chargers are locked into the No. 6 seed and will face the Ravens in the Wild Card round – which could lead to them resting players.
Raiders: The Raiders are unlikely to end up with a top-five pick regardless of this game’s outcome and head coach Antonio Pierce is likely to have his team ready to compete in the finale of his first full season as head coach.
Chiefs @ Broncos, 4:25 pm ET, Sunday 1/5
Chiefs: Kansas City has locked up the top seed in the AFC and will be resting many of its key players.
Broncos: Denver needs to win to get into the playoffs and will be all systems go.
Dolphins @ Jets, 4:25 pm ET, Sunday 1/5
Dolphins: Miami needs to win and have Denver lose to get into the playoffs. They may be without QB Tua Tagovailoa again but will be doing everything they can to win.
Jets: In the likely last game for QB Aaron Rodgers and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich, expect the Jets to try to compete, although their recent efforts have been uninspired.
Seahawks @ Rams, 4:25 pm ET, Sunday 1/5
Seahawks: Seattle has been eliminated from the playoffs but can finish with a 10-win season in head coach Mike Macdonald’s first year with a win. QB Geno Smith can also hit several contract incentives if the team wins this game and he throws for over 185 passing yards.
Rams: The Rams have clinched the NFC West and will be the No. 3 seed with a win or the No. 4 seed with a loss and a Bucs win. They have indicated they will rest many key players but will still be trying to win with those who are on the field.
49ers @ Cardinals, 4:25 pm ET, Sunday 1/5
49ers: San Francisco is playing for pride at this point and will be without QB Brock Purdy. The Niners may rest some veterans, but those who are on the field will be holding nothing back and head coach Kyle Shanahan will be playing to win.
Cardinals: Arizona looks to finish the season on a high note as the Cardinals are unable to make the playoffs and are not in contention for a high draft pick. Expect a full effort as the team looks to build on this season’s improvement in head coach Jonathan Gannon’s second season.
Vikings @ Lions, 8:20 pm ET, Sunday 1/5
Vikings: All systems go. Win and they are the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Lose and they are the No. 5 seed and will travel to face the Rams, Bucs, or Falcons next week.
Lions: All systems go. Win and they are the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Lose and they are the No. 5 seed and will travel to face the Rams, Bucs, or Falcons next week.
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