The Cleveland Browns will face the Baltimore Ravens 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 Elijah Moore.
Is Elijah Moore Playing in Week 18?
Moore 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 Browns’ 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 Elijah Moore in Week 18?
Moore is in the middle of about as bad a run as you’ll see from a receiver that had a window of fantasy relevance this season when the Jameis Winston experience was in full effect.
Moore’s production over the last three games:
- 99 routes
- 16 targets
- Five catches
- 21 yards
Some receivers are QB-proof, but it’s important to remember that the vast majority are not.
Moore is recent proof of this and he’s easy to avoid now, but don’t forget the lesson next season and why I always end up adding a player like Rashod Bateman over a Nick Westbrook-Ikhine type.
If I’m going to embrace variance at a high level, I’m going to look to limit the number of moving pieces where I can, and the QB is the logical place to start.
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.
Elijah Moore’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Saturday, Moore is projected to score 8.3 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 3.4 receptions for 36.3 yards and 0.2 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 Ravens' Defense
For much of the season, the Ravens were stuck in a funhouse. After years of banking on elite production from the defense and Justin Tucker, both had turned into pumpkins threatening to drag down an MVP-caliber production from Lamar Jackson and the offense.
But after another strong performance against the Texans on Christmas, the Ravens are grading as an above-average unit within sniffing distance of the top 10 entering the final week. Baltimore's 90.5 (A-) grade was the second-best of the week and the team's best this season.
It was the Ravens' first A-level grade since Week 9 of last season vs. the Seahawks. Since Week 11, Baltimore ranks second in defensive EPA per play (0.11) after ranking 28th over the first 10 weeks of the season. That's not an arbitrary cut-off either, as Week 11 is when the Ravens moved Kyle Hamilton from the slot to safety full-time, stabilizing the pass defense.
Now, after a disastrous start, the Ravens are miraculously up to 10th in pass defense success rate. Paired with the second-best rushing defense success rate, Baltimore has suddenly become one of the more well-rounded defenses in the NFL.
Although the Ravens led the league in scoring defense in 2023, they only ranked 10th in Defense+. This year’s unit is getting close to that level while pairing it with a more versatile offense, which bodes well for the postseason.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Elijah Moore’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)
Browns at Ravens Trends and Insights
Cleveland Browns
Team: The Browns have won two straight games and three of their past four against the Ravens (they were 3-10 in the previous 13 meetings).
QB: Dorian Thompson-Robinson has thrown 115 passes this season and has zero touchdowns to show for it (six interceptions). He is 0-of-9 with three interceptions when throwing 20+ yards downfield.
Offense: The Browns are averaging 27.2% fewer points per drive this season than they did a year ago.
Defense: Sunday was the fourth time this season in which the Browns allowed under 20 yards per drive – they’ve managed to lose all four of those games.
Fantasy: Jerry Jeudy joined Josh Gordon (2013) and Kellen Winslow (2007) as the only Browns to earn 18 targets in a game (he was also the third Brown to catch 12 passes in a game, interestingly enough, the first to do both).
Betting: Cleveland is just 4-12 ATS in their past 16 road divisional games.
Baltimore Ravens
Team: The 2007 Giants and the 2001 Patriots are the only teams since 2000 to win their conference despite losing the first two games of the season (the Ravens lost to the Chiefs and Raiders to open up the season). Both of those teams went on to win the Super Bowl.
QB: Lamar Jackson's average QB+ this season (82.9) is well above what he posted a season ago (77.1).
Offense: The Ravens have picked up over 43 yards per drive in three straight games (they had two such performances through the first 14 weeks of this season).
Defense: After allowing opponents to pick up 46.7% of their third downs through 10 weeks, Baltimore has held strong with a 29.1% conversion rate since.
Fantasy: Mark Andrews has scored on 16.4% of his targets this season, a massive serge from his rate over the two years prior (6.3%).
Betting: Wednesday was the first time the Ravens have covered a game that went under the total since their Week 4 win over the Bills.