The Seattle Seahawks will face the Los Angeles Rams 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 QB Geno Smith.
Is Geno Smith Playing in Week 18?
Smith popped up on Friday’s injury report with a right biceps injury as limited. However, he carries no injury status into the game and will end up starting all 17 games for the Seattle Seahawks this season.
We’ll continue to monitor the Seahawks’ 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 Geno Smith in Week 18?
Smith’s average depth of throw on Thursday night was 3.2 yards, the second shortest in a winning effort of his career (minimum 20 attempts). I think that might turn into more the norm with Jaxon Smith-Njigba transitioning to the lead man in Seattle’s receiving game; while there will be poor matchups for a skill set like that, facing a Rams defense that ranks 26th in preventing YAC isn’t a bad spot.
We saw Smith exploit this weakness in the Week 9 meeting, as he averaged 10.4 yards per short completion, his highest mark of the season. Even more promising is the fact that this move to a low-risk offense has required very little in the way of a learning curve – Smith has completed 67 of 81 shot passes (82.7%) over his past four games.
Generally speaking, I’m not sold on Smith as a stable asset week over week, but in this specific spot with so many of the big names at risk of seeing limited work, I think he’s a viable option in most formats.
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.
Geno Smith’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Smith is projected to score 15.8 fantasy points in Week 18. This includes 224.7 passing yards, 1.3 passing touchdowns, and 0.6 interceptions. It also includes 3 rushing attempts for 15 yards and 0.1 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 Rams' Defense
The Rams' defense will finish the league in the bottom half, but this ranking doesn't really reflect the week-to-week variance of this team. Los Angeles delivered another strong defensive performance in Week 17 vs. the Cardinals, recording a 77.2 (C+) grade that ranked as the team's fifth-best performance of the season.
The Rams have posted a weekly top-15 finish in four of the last five weeks. The exception was the 44-42 bonanza against the Bills in Week 14, in which the Rams posted an F grade. Los Angeles has four top-10 finishes this season, yet they're one of three defenses with multiple F grades as well (Bengals and Panthers).
For the season, the Rams grade as a below-average defense in nearly every category that comprises our defensive rankings. The glaring exception is red-zone defense, where Los Angeles has the fifth-lowest touchdown rate allowed (47.2%).
That probably limits LA's playoff upside, particularly given the inconsistent game-to-game performance from the passing offense. Still, after a 1-4 start, the defense deserves credit for delivering enough high points to complement the star power on offense and help claim the NFC West.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Geno Smith’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 QB PPR Rankings
1) Lamar Jackson | BAL (vs. CLE)
2) Jayden Daniels | WAS (at DAL)
3) Baker Mayfield | TB (vs. NO)
4) Joe Burrow | CIN (at PIT)
5) Sam Darnold | MIN (at DET)
6) Jared Goff | DET (vs. MIN)
7) Jordan Love | GB (vs. CHI)
8) Bo Nix | DEN (vs. KC)
9) Kyler Murray | ARI (vs. SF)
10) Justin Herbert | LAC (at LV)
11) Drake Maye | NE (vs. BUF)
12) Bryce Young | CAR (at ATL)
13) Russell Wilson | PIT (vs. CIN)
14) Geno Smith | SEA (at LAR)
15) Caleb Williams | CHI (at GB)
16) Aaron Rodgers | NYJ (vs. MIA)
17) Joe Flacco | IND (vs. JAX)
18) Michael Penix Jr. | ATL (vs. CAR)
19) Mason Rudolph | TEN (vs. HOU)
20) Aidan O'Connell | LV (vs. LAC)
21) Mac Jones | JAX (at IND)
22) Tanner McKee | PHI (vs. NYG)
23) Kenny Pickett | PHI (vs. NYG)
24) Cooper Rush | DAL (vs. WAS)
25) C.J. Stroud | HOU (at TEN)
26) Drew Lock | NYG (at PHI)
27) Jimmy Garoppolo | LAR (vs. SEA)
28) Carson Wentz | KC (at DEN)
29) Davis Mills | HOU (at TEN)
30) Tyler Huntley | MIA (at NYJ)
31) Joshua Dobbs | SF (at ARI)
32) Spencer Rattler | NO (at TB)
33) Mitchell Trubisky | BUF (at NE)
34) Taylor Heinicke | LAC (at LV)
35) Bailey Zappe | KC (at DEN)
36) Dorian Thompson-Robinson | CLE (at BAL)
37) Sam Howell | SEA (at LAR)
38) Josh Allen | BUF (at NE)
Seahawks at Rams Trends and Insights
Seattle Seahawks
Team: Seattle has lost five of six games from Weeks 4-9 – they are 8-2 otherwise this season.
QB: Geno Smith’s average depth of throw on Thursday night was 3.2 yards, the second shortest in a winning effort of his career (minimum 20 attempts).
Offense: The Seahawks have punted on over 45% of their offensive drives five times this season, all five since the beginning of November (three in the past four weeks).
Defense: In their past six games, the Seahawks have held their opponents to a 32.9% conversion rate on third downs (seven games prior: 46.6%).
Fantasy: DK Metcalf doesn’t have a catch gaining more than 30 yards since Week 7 and doesn’t have a 100-yard game since September.
Betting: The Seahawks are 6-2 ATS in their past eight games played on extended rest.
Los Angeles Rams
Team: The Rams will enter 2025 with the longest active December winning streak, eight straight victories.
QB: Matthew Stafford is completing a career-high 53.5% of his deep passes, those his yards per completed pass on those throws (24.3) is tracking to be a career low (he was over 26 yards in each of the previous 10 seasons).
Offense: Saturday was the Rams’ sixth game this season without committing a turnover this season (6-0 in those games, 4-6 otherwise).
Defense: Over their past three games, Los Angeles has allowed just two red zone touchdowns (and four scores) on seven opponent trips inside their 20-yard line.
Fantasy: Puka Nacua notched his 10th career game with 115+ receiving yards on Saturday, making him the fifth receiver to hit that benchmark in his first two seasons. He can join Justin Jefferson and Odell Beckham as the only players to record 11 such games in the regular season finale.
Betting: Unders are 7-1 in Los Angeles last eight games played on extended rest.