In what might be one of the best games of the year, the 14-2 Minnesota Vikings are heading to Detroit to play the 14-2 Lions for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The loser of this game will miss out on a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs – and will fall from a potential one seed to a five seed.
With some of the most productive fantasy players in the league all active and on the same field tonight, who should you be targeting for your SNF DFS lineups? Let’s go!
Winning NFL Week 18 Sunday Night DFS Lineup
- Captain: Jahmyr Gibbs
- Flex: Aaron Jones
- Flex: Jameson Williams
- Flex: Sam LaPorta
- Flex: Jordan Addison
- Flex: Craig Reynolds
Oh Captain, My Captain: Jahmyr Gibbs
Jahmyr Gibbs is now one touchdown away from tying the franchise record for total TDs in a season (Jamaal Williams and Barry Sanders currently hold the mark with 17). Gibbs’ 30-yard score last Monday night was just a snapshot of what he can do — the vision, the cut, the speed.
With David Montgomery out, we are at least getting the pleasure of seeing what an unleashed version of Gibbs looks like — and it looks like maybe the best RB in the sport.
Gibbs had no trouble punishing this Minnesota defense in Week 7 (160 yards and two touchdowns), a game in which Montgomery was fully healthy. Detroit needs to play defense with its offense these days, and while Gibbs isn’t a traditional grinding back, the shortcomings of the Lions’ defense make touch counts like what we saw last week (average of 25+ over last two games without Montgomery) the norm more than the exception.
Gibbs now has seven top-10 finishes this season and will be a first-round pick next season. He could prove to be the piece that is most common on championship rosters this season when it comes to season-long fantasy football, and we’re expecting the same type of roster usage in tonight’s single-game DFS slate.
Welcome to the 1,000-Yard Club, Mr. Williams
It was a bumpy ride with inconsistencies and suspensions, but we seem to have arrived at a spot where Jameson Williams is deserving of lineup-lock status, a label we expect him to very much carry over into 2025.
It’s amazing to look at Williams and Xavier Worthy side by side. Both are blessed with elite speed, but both have landed in creative offenses that are equally trying to get a feel for how to best use them.
Much like Worthy, Williams has been getting his number called in exotic ways – he was on the scoring end of a hook-and-ladder on Monday night in a game that also saw him cash in a speed running play inside the 5-yard line.
Williams is coming off his fourth top-10 finish of the season (Weeks 1, 11, 16, and 17) and, more importantly, his seventh straight game with 10+ expected PPR points.
That second number is the one that has our interest as we know that Williams is plenty capable of making the chunk plays and exceeding expectations, but the built-in value of his recent targets helps elevate his floor to a place where we’re comfortable starting him every week.
Welcome Back, Sam LaPorta
At this point, Sam LaPorta isn’t going to cash in on our preseason hype, but he is trending in a strong direction – and at the exact right time.
- Weeks 1-9: Three targets per game (23rd among TEs)
- Weeks 10-17: 10 targets per game (sixth among TEs)
The volume is finally there, and it really hasn’t come at the cost of his teammates. LaPorta has reached double figures in PPR points in five straight games. With the Lions’ defense banged up at every level, we’re confident that this offense is going to be pushed consistently, which means more LaPorta.
LaPorta may not be the best pass catcher on this offense but his role holds value, and given the injuries on the defensive end, this offense needs to be clicking on all cylinders to earn the NFC’s top seed.
Final Thoughts: Why Craig Reynolds
We know there were probably some raised eyebrows seeing Reynolds in our lineup, but with the way pricing shakes out for this game, it’s tough to find cap room if you want to roster Gibbs (which we do).
Detroit is planning on a deep playoff push even with Montgomery being out for the season. Even though Gibbs has been a monster these last two weeks without him, we’ve seen Reynolds’ role double in each week. Five touches in Week 16, 10 touches in Week 17.
We’re not necessarily saying that we think he’ll get 20 touches in Week 18, but we do see his role expanding, and we also think that Detroit will want (and need) to give Gibbs a bit of rest as he’s already well over his normal for touches per game.
At the measly price of $3,000 – we’re going to take a stab at 10+ touches for Reynolds, with the off-chance that one might be near the goal line.