The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Cincinnati Bengals 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 Russell Wilson.
Is Russell Wilson Playing in Week 18?
Updated at 6:30 PM ET on Saturday, January 4
Wilson is active for tonight's game.
The Steelers’ QB1 was limited at Tuesday’s practice. However, Wilson is not injured but merely getting a light day. He practiced in full on Wednesday and Thursday.
We’ll continue to monitor the Steelers’ 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 Russell Wilson in Week 18?
In George Pickens’ return, Russell Wilson couldn’t find a rhythm downfield. He went just 1-of-6 on deep throws (his lowest such completion percentage of the season) and threw an interception (his first such pick since Week 10).
I’m willing to write off that statistical anomaly with Pickens working his way back to strength, and I think we see it correct itself against a Bengals defense that creates pressure at the eighth-lowest rate in the league.
No, I’m not signing up for another 414 yards with three touchdowns, the stat line Wilson put on Cincinnati back in Week 13, but a top-10 performance is a safe projection in a critical game against one of the few teams that could force Pittsburgh to speed up.
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.
Russell Wilson’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Saturday, Wilson is projected to score 15.9 fantasy points in Week 18. This includes 205.7 passing yards, 1.3 passing touchdowns, and 0.4 interceptions. It also includes 3.3 rushing attempts for 13.1 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 Bengals' Defense
After a one-week respite against the non-functional Browns offense, the Bengals came crashing back down to Earth and nearly bungled away their playoff hopes against the Broncos.
The Bengals posted a 72.4 (C-) grade against Denver, marking the 10th time in 16 games that this unit finished outside the top 15 in a given week. Cincinnati really fell apart after a strong start, posting the third-worst Defense+ grade in the second half in Week 17.
The Bengals only generated one turnover, which has typically not been enough for this team to win. Cincinnati improved to 2-7 this season when generating one or fewer takeaways, with the other win being against the Giants.
This defense still needs a hard reset when the offseason arrives. That this team remains alive for a playoff spot entering Week 18 is a testament to the elite play from Joe Burrow and the offense.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Russell Wilson’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 12:45 AM ET on Saturday, January 4. 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) Spencer Rattler | NO (at TB)
32) Joshua Dobbs | SF (at ARI)
33) Taylor Heinicke | LAC (at LV)
34) Bailey Zappe | KC (at DEN)
35) Dorian Thompson-Robinson | CLE (at BAL)
36) Sam Howell | SEA (at LAR)
37) Josh Allen | BUF (at NE)
Bengals at Steelers Trends and Insights
Cincinnati Bengals
Team: Over the past 20 seasons, teams that have won at least four December games have made the playoffs 85.4% of the time.
QB: Joe Burrow has nine games this season, earning a ‘B’ or better in our QB+ metric – he had eight such games over the two seasons prior.
Offense: The Bengals have converted just eight of 13 (61.5%) goal-to-go drives into touchdowns over their past three games (first 14 weeks: 82.8%).
Defense: Cincinnati has stopped its opponent on at least two-thirds of third downs in three of its past four games, something it did just three times through the first 13 weeks.
Fantasy: On top of all of the passing numbers, Burrow has a 15+ yard rush in consecutive games for the first time since October 2022.
Betting: Four straight games, and seven of their past eight, played on extended rest by the Bengals have either seen them cover and the under hit OR them fail to cover and the over cash.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Team: The Steelers have multiple losing streaks this regular season, something two Super Bowl Champions have done in the 2000s:
- 2010 Packers: Lost a Week 15 road game and gave up 27+ points
- 2015 Broncos: Lost a Week 15 road game and gave up 27+ points
- 2024 Steelers: Lost a Week 15 road game and gave up 27+ points
QB: In George Pickens’ return, Russell Wilson couldn’t find a rhythm downfield. He went just one-of-six on deep throws (his lowest such completion percentage of the season) and threw an interception (his first such pick since Week 10).
Offense: From Weeks 6-14, Pittsburgh won seven of the eight right games and averaged 2.26 points per drive. They have been 0-3 since and have scored just 1.29 points per drive.
Defense: The Steelers lost on Christmas Day despite holding the Chiefs to just a 30% success rate on third downs (prior to that game, they were 6-1 this season when holding their opponent to a 30% conversion rate).
Fantasy: Jaylen Warren’s usage is trending up, and he’s cleared PPR fantasy expectations by over 5% in five of his past seven games.
Betting: Pittsburgh’s ATS results have mirrored their real-life results—they’ve covered all 10 of their wins and failed to cover all 6 of their losses.