The Green Bay Packers will face the Chicago Bears 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 WR Christian Watson.
Is Christian Watson Playing in Week 18?
Updated at 11:30 AM ET on Sunday, January 5
Watson is active for today's game.
Just like last week, Watson began the week not practicing due to a knee injury. He did return for a limited practice on Friday and is listed as questionable for the Week 18 contest.
However, with the Packers facing the lowly Bears and only playing for seeding, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Green Bay hold out its injury-prone receiver ahead of the Wild Card round.
We’ll continue to monitor the Packers’ 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 Christian Watson in Week 18?
Watson lit up the Bears for 150 yards in Week 11, but doing so on four targets isn’t exactly the most sustainable performance.
The burner is battling a knee injury that he suffered in Week 16, which forced him to miss all of Week 17 (practices included). A compromised version of Watson is something I have no desire to bet my season on, but I will note that his target earning was trending in the right direction before getting hurt (13 targets on 43 routes in Weeks 14-15).
If you want to roll the dice on Watson in a postseason pool, you have a green light for me at cost. However, I’m not sure he plays this week, and even if he does, I’d be actively searching for options on my wire instead (Jalen Tolbert and Parker Washington are options in most spots).
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.
Christian Watson’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
Watson is projected to score 0 points in Week 18.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Bears' Defense
Most defense-first teams need at least some level of support from the offense before the attrition of a long season wears them down. Unfortunately, the Bears' defense appears to be experiencing that, having slipped towards league average after a strong start.
To their credit, the Bears bounced back with their second-best Defense+ grade of the season (86.0) in the 6-3 loss to the Seahawks. Only the team's Week 5 performance vs. the Carolina Panthers (88.8) graded better this season.
Prior to that, each of Chicago's six worst grades had come over a six-week stretch. Week 17 was the first time since Week 10 that the Bears had finished in the top half of defenses in a single week.
Chicago's defense is more talented than the season-long ranking will indicate. But with the offense providing zero support and the playoffs long out of consideration, the final ranking will reflect a roughly league-average unit.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Christian Watson’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 WR PPR Rankings
1) Ja'Marr Chase | CIN (at PIT)
2) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (vs. MIN)
3) Justin Jefferson | MIN (at DET)
4) Mike Evans | TB (vs. NO)
5) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (at IND)
6) Drake London | ATL (vs. CAR)
7) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at LV)
8) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at LAR)
9) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at DAL)
10) Malik Nabers | NYG (at PHI)
11) Tee Higgins | CIN (at PIT)
12) George Pickens | PIT (vs. CIN)
13) Davante Adams | NYJ (vs. MIA)
14) Courtland Sutton | DEN (vs. KC)
15) Jauan Jennings | SF (at ARI)
16) Jordan Addison | MIN (at DET)
17) DJ Moore | CHI (at GB)
18) Nico Collins | HOU (at TEN)
19) Zay Flowers | BAL (vs. CLE)
20) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at NYJ)
21) Jameson Williams | DET (vs. MIN)
22) Jalen McMillan | TB (vs. NO)
23) Calvin Ridley | TEN (vs. HOU)
24) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (vs. MIA)
25) DK Metcalf | SEA (at LAR)
26) Adam Thielen | CAR (at ATL)
27) Keenan Allen | CHI (at GB)
28) Jakobi Meyers | LV (vs. LAC)
29) Jayden Reed | GB (vs. CHI)
30) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (vs. SF)
31) Josh Downs | IND (vs. JAX)
32) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at LV)
33) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at NYJ)
34) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (vs. JAX)
35) Romeo Doubs | GB (vs. CHI)
36) Darnell Mooney | ATL (vs. CAR)
37) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (at BAL)
38) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at NE)
39) Rashod Bateman | BAL (vs. CLE)
40) Rome Odunze | CHI (at GB)
41) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. BUF)
42) Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG (at PHI)
43) Jalen Coker | CAR (at ATL)
44) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (vs. CHI)
45) Xavier Worthy | KC (at DEN)
46) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at DAL)
47) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (at DEN)
48) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (vs. HOU)
49) Hollywood Brown | KC (at DEN)
50) Amari Cooper | BUF (at NE)
51) Brandin Cooks | DAL (vs. WAS)
52) Parker Washington | JAX (at IND)
53) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (vs. KC)
54) Tim Patrick | DET (vs. MIN)
55) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs. BUF)
56) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (vs. CAR)
57) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (at NE)
58) Devaughn Vele | DEN (vs. KC)
59) Andrei Iosivas | CIN (at PIT)
60) Calvin Austin III | PIT (vs. CIN)
61) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (vs. WAS)
62) Ricky Pearsall | SF (at ARI)
63) Michael Wilson | ARI (vs. SF)
64) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at LV)
65) Keon Coleman | BUF (at NE)
66) Tre Tucker | LV (vs. LAC)
67) Jalen Nailor | MIN (at DET)
68) Elijah Moore | CLE (at BAL)
69) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at DAL)
70) Xavier Legette | CAR (at ATL)
71) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs. BUF)
72) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (vs. WAS)
73) David Moore | CAR (at ATL)
74) Adonai Mitchell | IND (vs. JAX)
75) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (vs. SEA)
76) Mike Williams | PIT (vs. CIN)
77) Malik Washington | MIA (at NYJ)
78) Alec Pierce | IND (vs. JAX)
79) Allen Lazard | NYJ (vs. MIA)
80) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at LAR)
81) John Metchie III | HOU (at TEN)
82) Robert Woods | HOU (at TEN)
83) Darius Slayton | NYG (at PHI)
84) Van Jefferson | PIT (vs. CIN)
85) Troy Franklin | DEN (vs. KC)
86) Mack Hollins | BUF (at NE)
87) Tutu Atwell | LAR (vs. SEA)
88) Kevin Austin Jr. | NO (at TB)
89) Dante Pettis | CHI (at GB)
90) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at DAL)
91) Xavier Hutchinson | HOU (at TEN)
92) Ryan Miller | TB (vs. NO)
93) Greg Dortch | ARI (vs. SF)
94) Lil'Jordan Humphrey | DEN (vs. KC)
95) DJ Chark | LAC (at LV)
96) Michael Woods II | CLE (at BAL)
97) Cedrick Wilson Jr. | NO (at TB)
98) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (at DEN)
99) Devin Duvernay | JAX (at IND)
100) Justin Watson | KC (at DEN)
101) Tylan Wallace | BAL (vs. CLE)
102) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. NYG)
103) Josh Reynolds | DEN (vs. KC)
104) Ryan Flournoy | DAL (vs. WAS)
105) Trey Palmer | TB (vs. NO)
Bears at Packers Trends and Insights
Chicago Bears
Team: After Thursday night’s loss, the Bears have a league-high nine games this season in which their offense has not been on the field with a lead for a single snap.
QB: Caleb Williams’ average QB+ this season is 71.04, an underwhelming grade in the scope of the NFL, but not that bad when put up against the average QB+ grades of the three quarterbacks taken first overall prior to him in their introduction to the league.
- 2020 Joe Burrow: 73.33
- 2021 Trevor Lawrence: 71.58
- 2023 Bryce Young: 68.30
Offense: Week 17 was the third time this season that Chicago averaged more yards per run than yards per pass.
Defense: The Bears held the Seahawks to a field goal on their lone red zone trip last week, improving their defensive red zone touchdown rate to 46.7%, the best mark by this franchise since 2011 (44.6%).
Fantasy: D’Andre Swift has the lead role in this backfield without much competition, but because of game script, he’s reached 15 carries just once in his past seven games.
Betting: Chicago is 0-3 ATS on extended rest this season, and all three have come on the road (cumulative score differential compared to the spread: -35 points).
Green Bay Packers
Team: The Packers have lost to just two teams since Week 2, and yet, they will finish third in the NFC North this season.
QB: Over his past six games, Jordan Love has five touchdown passes and zero interceptions against the blitz (this season prior: five touchdowns against five interceptions).
Offense: On Sunday, the Packers averaged a season-low 27.4 yards per drive (they are 3-3 this season when averaging under 32 yards per drive).
Defense: Green Bay’s four worst defensive efforts on third down this season have come on the road, three of which came in the division. They are going to be on the road this postseason, and there will likely be NFC North teams in their way at some point.
Fantasy: Josh Jacobs has a rushing score in seven straight games, tying Paul Hornung's franchise record.
Betting: Green Bay has covered each of their past three home games and their total cover margin in those contests has been 51.5 points (overall score: 102-27).