The Los Angeles Chargers will face the New England Patriots 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 Gus Edwards.
Is Gus Edwards Playing in Week 18?
Updated at 2:55 ET on Sunday, January 5
Edwards is inactive for today's game.
Edwards did not practice all week due to his ankle injury. He will miss his second straight game, and it remains to be seen if this is simply for rest or if Edwards will return for the Wild Card Round.
We’ll continue to monitor the Chargers’ 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 Gus Edwards in Week 18?
Edwards did not play last week with an ankle injury, and I’m not sure the Chargers will rush him back (3.6 yards per carry this season).
Edwards had a weird 43-yard carry late in Week 16 against the Broncos. Remove that, and we are looking at a player averaging 3.2 ypc with nearly as many targets (five) as receiving yards (six).
Touchdowns were the driving force behind Edwards’ value last season, and while it was risky to bank on last season, he was playing for a potent offense.
These Chargers can score if called upon, but that’s not their design, and in a committee situation, Edwards’ health is not something I’m tracking closely this week.
You can find better options.
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.
Gus Edwards’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
Edwards 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 Raiders' Defense
The Raiders are long eliminated from the playoffs, but have shockingly surged up these rankings in recent weeks. That's despite Maxx Crosby going down for the season and Christian Wilkins playing only five games all year, robbing Antonio Pierce of his two most notable defenders.
Still, the Raiders are taking advantage of a soft schedule to finish strong for the second straight year. Las Vegas posted a season-best 88.1 (B+) grade in Week 17 vs. New Orleans, their third top-10 finish in the last five weeks.
This is a little reminiscent of last year's strong finish that earned Pierce the full-time job, albeit without as many wins. The Raiders ranked fifth in Defense+ last year after Pierce became the interim coach, and since returning from their Week 12 bye, rank fourth in Defense+ this year.
It's interesting that Las Vegas' defense has shown notable improvement down the stretch for the second straight year, even without particularly inspiring personnel. With back-to-back wins following a 10-game losing streak, Pierce is once again riding a December surge to potentially make his case for another season on the job.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Gus Edwards’ 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)
Chargers at Raiders Trends and Insights
Los Angeles Chargers
Team: Saturday in New England was only the third time since 2019 that the Chargers have earned at least a B grade in both Offense+ and Defense+ in the same game. The others:
- 2022 Week 17 vs. the Rams (31-10 win)
- 2019 Week 4 vs. the Dolphins (30-10 win).
QB: On Saturday, Justin Herbert officially became the NFL’s top passer through five career seasons (he opened the win over the Patriots by completing 17 of his first 21 passes for 162 yards and a pair of scores and a pair of teammate drops).
Offense: In Week 16, the Chargers scored a season-high 3.1 yards per drive, a rate they topped on Saturday against the Patriots (4.0).
Defense: Los Angeles is 10-1 this season when holding the opposition to a sub-50% third down conversion rate (Week 17 at Patriots: 20%).
Fantasy: Justin Herbert has thrown multiple touchdown passes in three straight games for the first time this season and snapped a 411-day drought since his last game with 3+ TD passes on Saturday.
Betting: Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS in their past six games as a road favorite (4-1 this season).
Las Vegas Raiders
Team: Over the past two seasons, the Raiders are 5-2 after December 13 and 7-19 prior.
QB: Aidan O’Connell turned 12 third-down pass attempts into 131 yards and his first third-down score of the season on Sunday.
Offense: Vegas converted a season-high 10 third downs on Sunday in New Orleans (they hadn’t had more than four conversions in a game since Week 12).
Defense: The Raiders allowed under one point per drive on Sunday against the Saints, their first such performance this season.
Fantasy: Brock Bowers is eight catches away from tying the all-time tight end record for receptions in a single season (116 by Zach Ertz in 2018) and is 104 yards away from posting a top-10 yardage season all-time at the position.
Betting: The Raiders closed last season with four straight covers and can repeat that level of winter success this season should they cover the number this weekend.