The Chicago Bears will face the Green Bay Packers 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 Keenan Allen.
Is Keenan Allen Playing in Week 18?
Allen is not listed on the injury report this week. Barring any setbacks, he is expected to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Bears’ 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 Keenan Allen in Week 18?
Allen’s usage has been all over the place this season, but with 34 targets in his past three games, the opportunity count is at least in our favor. I suspect that the Bears, like the Patriots, will use this week as a high-pressure practice session, willing to take some risks in a game setting to develop their franchise quarterback.
How much of that experimenting will be geared toward Allen is my concern.
Allen is an unrestricted free agent this summer and the elder statesman in this receiver room. DJ Moore and Rome Odunze are likely to be the pieces Caleb Williams is dealing with for the foreseeable future, so why wouldn’t Chicago opt to feature them in a massive way to try to get a snapshot as to what the 2025 season could look like?
Allen saw a 4.3-yard aDOT last week, his second-lowest of the season. If his usage is removed, Moore is the more likely of the two remaining receivers to absorb it. As involved as he has been of late, I’m passing on Allen in Week 18 and have him ranked third of this trio.
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.
Keenan Allen’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Allen is projected to score 13.8 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 5.5 receptions for 60.2 yards and 0.4 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 Packers' Defense
The Packers are 11-0 against teams with a worse record than them this season. Problem is, Green Bay is only 11-5 overall after another loss to one of the few teams ahead of them in the standings.
The Packers' defense has played two of its five worst games against the Vikings this season. Week 17's grade was a 71.2 (C-), almost identical to the 71.4 grade posted in the Week 4 loss.
Green Bay ranks second in defensive EPA per dropback (0.02), but that's mostly the byproduct of splash plays. The Packers are a top-five defense in takeaway rate (16.1%) and top 10 in sack rate (7.6%). Those splash plays are valuable and can turn games, but there are also limitations for a unit reliant on those.
In the Week 17 loss, the Packers only generated one takeaway and one sack. It was only Green Bay's third game with two or fewer combined sacks and takeaways. All have come against the Vikings and Lions, and all have been losses.
The Packers are headed for a Wild Card spot at either the sixth or seventh seed, depending on Week 18 results. Their regular-season track record suggests that if the defense can generate splash plays, they'll have a reasonable chance at an upset.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Keenan Allen’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)
Bears at Packers Trends and Insights
Chicago Bears
Team: After Thursday night’s loss, the Bears have a league-high nine games this season in which their offense has not been on the field with a lead for a single snap.
QB: Caleb Williams’ average QB+ this season is 71.04, an underwhelming grade in the scope of the NFL, but not that bad when put up against the average QB+ grades of the three quarterbacks taken first overall prior to him in their introduction to the league.
- 2020 Joe Burrow: 73.33
- 2021 Trevor Lawrence: 71.58
- 2023 Bryce Young: 68.30
Offense: Week 17 was the third time this season that Chicago averaged more yards per run than yards per pass.
Defense: The Bears held the Seahawks to a field goal on their lone red zone trip last week, improving their defensive red zone touchdown rate to 46.7%, the best mark by this franchise since 2011 (44.6%).
Fantasy: D’Andre Swift has the lead role in this backfield without much competition, but because of game script, he’s reached 15 carries just once in his past seven games.
Betting: Chicago is 0-3 ATS on extended rest this season, and all three have come on the road (cumulative score differential compared to the spread: -35 points).
Green Bay Packers
Team: The Packers have lost to just two teams since Week 2, and yet, they will finish third in the NFC North this season.
QB: Over his past six games, Jordan Love has five touchdown passes and zero interceptions against the blitz (this season prior: five touchdowns against five interceptions).
Offense: On Sunday, the Packers averaged a season-low 27.4 yards per drive (they are 3-3 this season when averaging under 32 yards per drive).
Defense: Green Bay’s four worst defensive efforts on third down this season have come on the road, three of which came in the division. They are going to be on the road this postseason, and there will likely be NFC North teams in their way at some point.
Fantasy: Josh Jacobs has a rushing score in seven straight games, tying Paul Hornung's franchise record.
Betting: Green Bay has covered each of their past three home games and their total cover margin in those contests has been 51.5 points (overall score: 102-27).