The Washington Commanders will face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding TE Zach Ertz.
Is Zach Ertz Playing in Week 18?
Last Updated Sunday at 11:30 AM
Ertz is active for today's game
The Commanders continue to give their veteran TE Wednesdays off. Ertz is fine and isn’t even on the final injury report.
We’ll continue to monitor the Commanders’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Zach Ertz in Week 18?
Ertz didn’t turn 34 years of age until Week 11 and yet, his five touchdowns this season as a 34-year-old are tied for the most by a player this season (Adam Thielen also has five, but he’s been 34 years old all season).
The veteran was productive in Week 12 against these Cowboys (6-38-1) and the Commanders are playing for seeding against the second-worst scoring defense since Week 6 (29.5 points allowed per game, only the Panthers have been worse). That’s more than enough to land Ertz inside of my top 10 at the position this week.
While I’m not weighing it heavily, he’s within shouting distance of a trio of contract incentives that would pay fantasy managers just as much as it would him. Ertz receives $250,000 for every threshold he hits of a 70-700-8 season stat line. He needs nine catches, 90 yards, and two scores.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 18 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Zach Ertz’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Ertz is projected to score 10 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 4.4 receptions for 40.5 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Cowboys' Defense
After a string of positive performances, the Cowboys' defense has cratered the last two weeks. After a rough performance vs. Tampa Bay, Dallas posted its third-worst grade of the season (66.2, D) in Week 17 vs. the Eagles, even with Jalen Hurts out of the lineup.
The Cowboys have had at least one weak link at cornerback most of the season, with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland playing just one game together all year (Week 14).
As a result, Dallas has fallen from eighth in EPA per dropback last season to 17th this season. Coupled with the second-worst run defense by EPA per rush, that explains the Cowboys' descent into the bottom 10 defenses.
The unit will rank nowhere near the heights of the Dan Quinn era. Having been a top-five unit for each of the last three years, falling to the bottom 10 is a massive drop-off and shows the value Quinn brought to the franchise.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Zach Ertz’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 7:00 AM ET on Sunday, January 5. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Week 18 Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 18 TE PPR Rankings
1) Brock Bowers | LV (vs. LAC)
2) Sam LaPorta | DET (vs. MIN)
3) Trey McBride | ARI (vs. SF)
4) T.J. Hockenson | MIN (at DET)
5) Mark Andrews | BAL (vs. CLE)
6) Jonnu Smith | MIA (at NYJ)
7) Tucker Kraft | GB (vs. CHI)
8) George Kittle | SF (at ARI)
9) Chigoziem Okonkwo | TEN (vs. HOU)
10) Pat Freiermuth | PIT (vs. CIN)
11) Zach Ertz | WAS (at DAL)
12) Kyle Pitts | ATL (vs. CAR)
13) Hunter Henry | NE (vs. BUF)
14) Will Dissly | LAC (at LV)
15) Isaiah Likely | BAL (vs. CLE)
16) Jake Ferguson | DAL (vs. WAS)
17) Mike Gesicki | CIN (at PIT)
18) Juwan Johnson | NO (at TB)
19) Noah Gray | KC (at DEN)
20) Brenton Strange | JAX (at IND)
21) Dalton Kincaid | BUF (at NE)
22) Dalton Schultz | HOU (at TEN)
23) Cole Kmet | CHI (at GB)
24) Tyler Conklin | NYJ (vs. MIA)
25) Austin Hooper | NE (vs. BUF)
26) Noah Fant | SEA (at LAR)
27) Foster Moreau | NO (at TB)
28) Grant Calcaterra | PHI (vs. NYG)
29) Jordan Akins | CLE (at BAL)
30) Stone Smartt | LAC (at LV)
31) Daniel Bellinger | NYG (at PHI)
32) Ja'Tavion Sanders | CAR (at ATL)
33) Payne Durham | TB (vs. NO)
34) Dawson Knox | BUF (at NE)
35) Michael Mayer | LV (vs. LAC)
Commanders at Cowboys Trends and Insights
Washington Commanders
Team: Washington won last week after trailing by double digits at halftime, improving their mark in such spots since 2002 to 5-87.
QB: Jayden Daniels posted the fourth regular season game all-time with at least 225 passing and 125 rushing yards, joining:
- 2019 Lamar Jackson
- 2018 Josh Allen
- 2010 Michael Vick
Offense: Staying on the field sounds simple, but it’s proven predictive this season – Washington is now 8-0 when reaching their average number of plays per drive (otherwise: 3-5).
Defense: The offense gets a lot of attention, but this defense is allowing a league-high 3.73 points per fourth-quarter drive this season (pacing to be the highest by a team since the 2021 Raiders).
Fantasy: Zach Ertz didn’t turn 34 until Week 11, yet his five touchdowns this season as a 34-year-old are tied for the most by a player this season (Adam Thielen also has five, but he’s been 34 all season).
Betting: A cover this weekend would give the Commanders two in road divisional games for just the second time in eight seasons (also: 2020).
Dallas Cowboys
Team: Since Week 6, Dallas has been outscored 122-22 in their three toughest matchups according to the PFN+ Power Rankings (both Eagle games and a home date with the Lions).
QB: Cooper Rush’s aDOT entering Week 17 was 6.7 yards. On Sunday, with CeeDee Lamb shelved, his rate spiked to 9.4.
Offense: Dallas has cashed in all six of its goal-to-go drives over the past seven games. The problem has been getting in such spots (six trips).
Defense: “Defense wins championships”, but for the Cowboys, it dictates every regular season result – they’ve won their top-7 point-per-drive efforts of the season while losing their other nine games.
Fantasy: That’s now six straight games with over 100 rushing yards or at least three catches for Rico Dowdle.
Betting: An ATS loss this week would wrap up a 2-7 ATS season at home for Dallas, their third-lowest home cover rate of the millennium (2012 and 2015 being the exceptions).