The Philadelphia Eagles will face the New York Giants 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 A.J. Brown.
Is A.J. Brown Playing in Week 18?
Last Updated Sunday at 11:30 AM
Brown is inactive for today's game as the Eagles are resting starters.
The Eagles’ WR1 did not practice all week due to a combination of his knee injury and rest. A.J. Brown is fine but won’t play in a meaningless game on Sunday.
We’ll continue to monitor the Eagles’ 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 A.J. Brown in Week 18?
A.J. Brown has caught a touchdown pass in three straight games, and it’s become clear that this team is willing to take its chances with weighing their WR1 down with targets.
Wise move.
I like what that means for their potential to push for an NFC crown, but that means getting to the postseason in one piece. With Week 18 meaning nothing to their standing, I’d be shocked if we got much more than a cameo from Brown on Sunday.
If you’re hellbent on targeting the Giants’ defense, Jahan Dotson is the WR3 in this offense, and Kenneth Gainwell has shown savvy in the passing game. It’s very possible that an Eagle or two got you to this point in your playoff bracket, but I find it unlikely that any of them attached to the passing game make an impact 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.
A.J. Brown’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
Brown 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 Giants' Defense
The Giants ranked in the top half of Defense+ for much of the season but have declined into the bottom half of the NFL.
Week 17's shocking win over the Colts was entirely driven by one of the unlikeliest offensive outbursts in recent memory. Defensively, the Giants posted their fifth-worst grade of the season (69.3, D+), even with three takeaways off Joe Flacco goosing the overall numbers.
For the season, the Giants are not an above-average unit at anything except sack rate and red-zone defense. New York led the league in sack rate for much of the season but ranks 19th in that category since Dexter Lawrence went on injured reserve after Thanksgiving.
New York's defense is in the same neighborhood as last year's unit that finished 25th and behind the pace of the 2022 team that ranked 18th. This will be a disappointing outcome, considering how they began the season, and it won't help Brian Daboll's tenuous job security.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
A.J. Brown’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.