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 RB Brian Robinson Jr.
Is Brian Robinson Jr. Playing in Week 18?
Robinson 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 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 Brian Robinson Jr. in Week 18?
Robinson came out of the gates flying this season, ranking as the 14th most valuable running back (total PPR points) through the first four weeks. Since then, however, Robinson has only one finish as RB14 or better, struggling with health and inefficiency in the process (44.2% below expectations over the past three weeks).
The Commanders want to win this game, but I think they are plenty happy to put the ball in Jayden Daniels’ hands and take their chances. In Week 12 against Dallas, Washington’s running backs combined for 57 yards on 17 carries, and that’s not going to cut it.
Robinson has multiple receptions in three straight games; that is his path to overachieving. We saw some growth in his skill set last season, but it largely has vanished this season. I think we are looking at 15 carries and a few targets, a role in a plus matchup that slides Robinson into my RB2 tier, even given the recent struggles.
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.
Brian Robinson Jr.’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Robinson is projected to score 15.7 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 20.6 rushing attempts for 82.5 yards and 0.5 touchdowns. It also includes 1.1 receptions for 25.9 yards and 0.2 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.
Brian Robinson Jr.’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 RB PPR Rankings
1) Bijan Robinson | ATL (vs. CAR)
2) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (vs. MIN)
3) Derrick Henry | BAL (vs. CLE)
4) Jonathan Taylor | IND (vs. JAX)
5) Josh Jacobs | GB (vs. CHI)
6) Bucky Irving | TB (vs. NO)
7) Chase Brown | CIN (at PIT)
8) Aaron Jones | MIN (at DET)
9) De'Von Achane | MIA (at NYJ)
10) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at LAR)
11) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at DAL)
12) Breece Hall | NYJ (vs. MIA)
13) Ray Davis | BUF (at NE)
14) D'Andre Swift | CHI (at GB)
15) Rico Dowdle | DAL (vs. WAS)
16) Isaac Guerendo | SF (at ARI)
17) J.K. Dobbins | LAC (at LV)
18) Najee Harris | PIT (vs. CIN)
19) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (vs. KC)
20) Joe Mixon | HOU (at TEN)
21) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (at PHI)
22) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. NYG)
23) Blake Corum | LAR (vs. SEA)
24) Tank Bigsby | JAX (at IND)
25) Jaylen Warren | PIT (vs. CIN)
26) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (at IND)
27) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. BUF)
28) Michael Carter | ARI (vs. SF)
29) Rachaad White | TB (vs. NO)
30) D'Onta Foreman | CLE (at BAL)
31) Kimani Vidal | LAC (at LV)
32) Miles Sanders | CAR (at ATL)
33) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (vs. CAR)
34) Audric Estimé | DEN (vs. KC)
35) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. NYG)
36) Alexander Mattison | LV (vs. LAC)
37) Antonio Gibson | NE (vs. BUF)
38) Javonte Williams | DEN (vs. KC)
39) Raheem Blackshear | CAR (at ATL)
40) Ty Johnson | BUF (at NE)
41) Devin Singletary | NYG (at PHI)
42) Cam Akers | MIN (at DET)
43) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at NYJ)
44) Roschon Johnson | CHI (at GB)
45) Craig Reynolds | DET (vs. MIN)
46) Kenny McIntosh | SEA (at LAR)
47) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at DAL)
48) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (vs. CIN)
49) Braelon Allen | NYJ (vs. MIA)
50) Julius Chestnut | TEN (vs. HOU)
51) Samaje Perine | KC (at DEN)
52) Patrick Taylor Jr. | SF (at ARI)
53) Sean Tucker | TB (vs. NO)
54) Jamaal Williams | NO (at TB)
55) Isaiah Davis | NYJ (vs. MIA)
56) Chris Brooks | GB (vs. CHI)
57) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (at BAL)
58) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | NO (at TB)
59) Emanuel Wilson | GB (vs. CHI)
60) Mike Boone | CAR (at ATL)
61) Tony Pollard | TEN (vs. HOU)
62) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (vs. SF)
63) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at DAL)
64) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (at TEN)
65) Rasheen Ali | BAL (vs. CLE)
66) Khalil Herbert | CIN (at PIT)
67) Trey Sermon | IND (vs. JAX)
68) Hassan Haskins | LAC (at LV)
69) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (at ARI)
70) Dameon Pierce | HOU (at TEN)
71) Jaylen Wright | MIA (at NYJ)
72) Carson Steele | KC (at DEN)
73) Sione Vaki | DET (vs. MIN)
74) Hunter Luepke | DAL (vs. WAS)
75) Tyler Goodson | IND (vs. JAX)
76) Ke'Shawn Vaughn | SF (at ARI)
77) Alec Ingold | MIA (at NYJ)
78) C.J. Ham | MIN (at DET)
79) Michael Burton | DEN (vs. KC)
80) D'Ernest Johnson | JAX (at IND)
81) Jeff Wilson Jr. | MIA (at NYJ)
82) Eric Gray | NYG (at PHI)
83) Jermar Jefferson | DET (vs. MIN)
84) Patrick Ricard | BAL (vs. CLE)
85) Joshua Kelley | NYG (at PHI)
86) Ty Chandler | MIN (at DET)
87) Israel Abanikanda | SF (at ARI)
88) Adam Prentice | NO (at TB)
89) Dylan Laube | LV (vs. LAC)
90) JaMycal Hasty | NE (vs. BUF)
91) George Holani | SEA (at LAR)
92) James Cook | BUF (at NE)
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).