The New York Giants will face the Philadelphia Eagles 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 Darius Slayton.
Is Darius Slayton Playing in Week 18?
Slayton is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Giants’ 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 Darius Slayton in Week 18?
Slayton rode the Drew Lock express last week (32-yard touchdown), but even with the Giants getting, by our measuring, the single-best QB game they’ve had in five seasons, Slayton was unable to catch more than two balls for the sixth straight game.
I don’t think Lock is Jameis Winston 2.0, and even if he is, I’m not sure that Slayton is capable of earning targets at the rate needed to make me comfortable.
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.
Darius Slayton’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Slayton is projected to score 7 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 2.5 receptions for 37.1 yards and 0.1 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 Eagles' Defense
The Philadelphia Eagles are narrowing the gap with the Broncos for the top spot in these rankings after Denver held a significant lead for much of the season. However, the Eagles may not pass them if they rest some of their best defensive players in the finale vs. the New York Giants with the No. 2 seed locked up.
Still, the Eagles can enter the postseason feeling good after throttling an undermanned Dallas Cowboys offense in Week 17. Philly has an extremely favorable combination of excelling against the pass without allowing big runs, either. Entering the last week, the Eagles rank first in both pass defense success rate (59.6%) and EPA per rush allowed (0.17).
As a result, Philadelphia has allowed the fewest yards per play for any defense this season (4.8). Effective and disciplined rushing attacks can theoretically control the clock with successful runs against the Eagles, who do rank outside the top 10 in rushing success rate. But that's a thin needle to thread, as any defense that can tamp down explosive plays will be tough to score on.
There isn't a single statistical flaw in Philadelphia's defense, which ranks 11th or better in every metric that encompasses the Defense+ grades. That makes them an incredibly dangerous threat to win the NFC, even without the top seed.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Darius Slayton’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)
Giants at Eagles Trends and Insights
New York Giants
Team: Not only did the Giants cash ‘over’ betting tickets by themselves last week against the Colts with 45 points, but they easily cleared their December point total entering the game (32 points across three games).
QB: Players since 2020 with a 300 pass yard, four pass TD, one rush TD game:
- Josh Allen (3)
- Patrick Mahomes (1)
- Tom Brady (1)
- Justin Herbert (1)
- Dak Prescott (1)
- ... Drew Lock (1)
Offense: Lock posted the fourth-best QB+ game of the season and earned the first ‘A’ grade for a Giant quarterback in our database that dates back to 2019.
Defense: Opponents have picked up 24-of-38 third downs (63.2%) against New York over the past three weeks.
Fantasy: Malik Nabers is four receptions away from breaking Steve Smith’s franchise record (107 in 2009), and with 135 receiving yards, he can join Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz, Homer Jones, and Del Shofner as the only Giants to average 85 receiving yards for a season.
Betting: The Giants have seen eight of their past 11 road divisional games go over the total (most recent: 27-20 loss to Dallas with a 39-point total).
Philadelphia Eagles
Team: The Eagles lost a shootout with the Commanders in Week 16, but that hasn’t been their path to success – that’s the only game over the past two months in which they've allowed more than 20 points.
QB: Without Jalen Hurts, the Eagles completed 13-of-19 passes with three scores (all three to their star receivers) and zero interceptions.
Offense: Philadelphia has scored at least three offensive touchdowns in 11 straight games, a streak that started after failing to reach three scores in Weeks 2-3-4.
Defense: The Eagles rebounded from their second-worst points-per-drive defensive showing of the season (Washington: 2.77) with their third-best against the Cowboys (0.70). Philadelphia’s top-three games in this regard for the season have all come in divisional games.
Fantasy: Saquon Barkley needs 101 rushing yards to set the single-season record – he’s done that in a half of action five times this season (including the second half in Week 7 against these Giants).
Betting: The Eagles were 2-3 ATS to open this season but have covered eight of 11 games since.