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 WR Quentin Johnston.
Is Quentin Johnston Playing in Week 18?
Johnston 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 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 Quentin Johnston in Week 18?
I’ve never been so conflicted with a player as I have been with Quentin Johnston. It’s not a secret – I’m very much a numbers guy over an eye test/feel guy. Part of that comes from my math background and part from being 140 pounds soaking wet – I’m built like a researcher more than a receiver, a man of data lines more than a lineman.
Quentin Johnston’s profile looks strong across the board. He’s posted an on-field target share north of 22% in three of his past four games and has five end-zone looks over his past five. He’s operating opposite of Ladd McConkey and that puts him in favorable alignments as defenses can’t send much in the way of resources.
It all sounds so good. Add in the fact that Joshua Palmer is working through a heel injury, and it should be wheels up, right?
And then you flip on a Charger game and see a few drops. You see a few of the lazy routes. It challenges all of the data, and it makes sense why the star hasn’t shined the way he had hoped.
I find myself often relying on matchups with Johnston more than anything, and shockingly enough, this isn’t as good a spot as you want to think. Up to this point, 95.8% of his fantasy points this season have come when lined up out wide, a spot on the field where the Raiders have proven reasonably stingy (top 12 in both yards per attempt, completion percentage, and touchdown rate on perimeter targets).
Johnston is sitting outside of my top 30 at the position, a damning ranking given that his team is motivated to play all out this week.
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.
Quentin Johnston’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Johnston is projected to score 12.9 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 3.9 receptions for 53.8 yards and 0.6 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 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.
Quentin Johnston’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)
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.