The Dallas Cowboys will face the Washington Commanders 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 Jalen Tolbert.
Is Jalen Tolbert Playing in Week 18?
Last Updated Sunday at 11:30 AM
Tolbert is active for today's game
Tolbert is dealing with a finger injury but practiced in full all week. He will play on Sunday and has no injury designation.
We’ll continue to monitor the Cowboys’ 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 Jalen Tolbert in Week 18?
Talk about a day late and a dollar short. I like Jalen Tolbert coming into the season as Dallas’ WR2, operating under the thought that Brandin Cooks’ best days were behind him and that the attention paid to CeeDee Lamb would open things up for a secondary option.
None of that has really played out, but Tolbert has now scored in three straight games and found the painted area when these teams played in Week 12. Tolbert posted a 19% on-field target share last week, a rate that I think is about what we can expect in this Lamb-less offense.
Cooper Rush hasn’t been a world-beater by any means, but we did see him produce efficient numbers in two plus-matchups before last week (68.8% complete with four touchdowns and no interceptions against the Panthers and Buccaneers).
I’m not going out of my way to get Tolbert exposure this week, but if you think Dallas is going to be playing from behind, there’s a thread to pull, even if his value hinges more on touchdowns than I am 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.
Jalen Tolbert’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Tolbert is projected to score 9 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 3.3 receptions for 38.4 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 Commanders' Defense
The Washington Commanders struggled to a below-average grade (71.2, C-) in their Week 17 escape over the Atlanta Falcons to clinch a playoff berth. The defense can largely thank Jayden Daniels for more late-game heroics on their home turf, as the unit has mostly struggled against above-average or better offenses.
The Commanders have five weekly top-10 finishes this season. Those performances have come against the Browns, Panthers, Bears, the Tennessee Titans, and the Kenny Pickett-led Eagles. Setting Philadelphia aside, the other four all rank in the bottom 10 of PFN's Offense+ metric.
Obviously, that's not the caliber of defense Washington will see in the playoffs. Washington continues to miss Lattimore, who has played only two games since being traded to the team before Week 10. For the season, the Commanders have the fifth-worst defensive EPA per dropback (-0.02) and the worst of any team with a winning record.
Dan Quinn's unit hasn't performed to the level that his Cowboys defenses did from 2021-23. That's not the fairest comparison, given that this was supposed to be the early stages of a rebuild. The Commanders have at least shown the ability to overwhelm one-dimensional offenses, which is more than they could say in recent seasons.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Jalen Tolbert’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)
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).