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 RB Zach Charbonnet.
Is Zach Charbonnet Playing in Week 18?
Charbonnet is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any unexpected setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
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 Zach Charbonnet in Week 18?
Charbonnet is getting an extended run as the lead man in Seattle with Kenneth Walker III on the shelf, and it’s been a mixed bag of results.
On Thursday night, he managed just 57 yards on 15 carries in sloppy conditions, but he did manage to catch every pass thrown his way for a third time in four games. The Rams held this running game in check back in Week 9 (Charbonnet and Walker combined to pick up just 91 yards on 27 carries), making an inefficient afternoon very possible this week.
The middle of my RB2 tier this week is littered with volume backs on bad teams (Rico Dowdle, D’Andre Swift, etc.), and Charbonnet is no different. He’s a good bet for 15-18 touches, but the scoring limitations hold him back from pushing above RB15 for me.
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.
Zach Charbonnet’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Charbonnet is projected to score 16 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 17.9 rushing attempts for 76.9 yards and 0.3 touchdowns. It also includes 1.9 receptions for 37.2 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.
Zach Charbonnet’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 RB PPR Rankings
1) Bijan Robinson | ATL (vs. CAR)
2) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (vs. MIN)
3) Derrick Henry | BAL (vs. CLE)
4) Jonathan Taylor | IND (vs. JAX)
5) Josh Jacobs | GB (vs. CHI)
6) Bucky Irving | TB (vs. NO)
7) Chase Brown | CIN (at PIT)
8) Aaron Jones | MIN (at DET)
9) De'Von Achane | MIA (at NYJ)
10) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at LAR)
11) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at DAL)
12) Breece Hall | NYJ (vs. MIA)
13) Ray Davis | BUF (at NE)
14) D'Andre Swift | CHI (at GB)
15) Rico Dowdle | DAL (vs. WAS)
16) Isaac Guerendo | SF (at ARI)
17) J.K. Dobbins | LAC (at LV)
18) Najee Harris | PIT (vs. CIN)
19) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (vs. KC)
20) Joe Mixon | HOU (at TEN)
21) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (at PHI)
22) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. NYG)
23) Blake Corum | LAR (vs. SEA)
24) Tank Bigsby | JAX (at IND)
25) Jaylen Warren | PIT (vs. CIN)
26) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (at IND)
27) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. BUF)
28) Michael Carter | ARI (vs. SF)
29) Rachaad White | TB (vs. NO)
30) D'Onta Foreman | CLE (at BAL)
31) Kimani Vidal | LAC (at LV)
32) Miles Sanders | CAR (at ATL)
33) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (vs. CAR)
34) Audric Estimé | DEN (vs. KC)
35) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. NYG)
36) Alexander Mattison | LV (vs. LAC)
37) Antonio Gibson | NE (vs. BUF)
38) Javonte Williams | DEN (vs. KC)
39) Raheem Blackshear | CAR (at ATL)
40) Ty Johnson | BUF (at NE)
41) Devin Singletary | NYG (at PHI)
42) Cam Akers | MIN (at DET)
43) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at NYJ)
44) Roschon Johnson | CHI (at GB)
45) Craig Reynolds | DET (vs. MIN)
46) Kenny McIntosh | SEA (at LAR)
47) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at DAL)
48) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (vs. CIN)
49) Braelon Allen | NYJ (vs. MIA)
50) Julius Chestnut | TEN (vs. HOU)
51) Samaje Perine | KC (at DEN)
52) Patrick Taylor Jr. | SF (at ARI)
53) Sean Tucker | TB (vs. NO)
54) Jamaal Williams | NO (at TB)
55) Isaiah Davis | NYJ (vs. MIA)
56) Chris Brooks | GB (vs. CHI)
57) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (at BAL)
58) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | NO (at TB)
59) Emanuel Wilson | GB (vs. CHI)
60) Mike Boone | CAR (at ATL)
61) Tony Pollard | TEN (vs. HOU)
62) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (vs. SF)
63) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at DAL)
64) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (at TEN)
65) Rasheen Ali | BAL (vs. CLE)
66) Khalil Herbert | CIN (at PIT)
67) Trey Sermon | IND (vs. JAX)
68) Hassan Haskins | LAC (at LV)
69) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (at ARI)
70) Dameon Pierce | HOU (at TEN)
71) Jaylen Wright | MIA (at NYJ)
72) Carson Steele | KC (at DEN)
73) Sione Vaki | DET (vs. MIN)
74) Hunter Luepke | DAL (vs. WAS)
75) Tyler Goodson | IND (vs. JAX)
76) Ke'Shawn Vaughn | SF (at ARI)
77) Alec Ingold | MIA (at NYJ)
78) C.J. Ham | MIN (at DET)
79) Michael Burton | DEN (vs. KC)
80) D'Ernest Johnson | JAX (at IND)
81) Jeff Wilson Jr. | MIA (at NYJ)
82) Eric Gray | NYG (at PHI)
83) Jermar Jefferson | DET (vs. MIN)
84) Patrick Ricard | BAL (vs. CLE)
85) Joshua Kelley | NYG (at PHI)
86) Ty Chandler | MIN (at DET)
87) Israel Abanikanda | SF (at ARI)
88) Adam Prentice | NO (at TB)
89) Dylan Laube | LV (vs. LAC)
90) JaMycal Hasty | NE (vs. BUF)
91) George Holani | SEA (at LAR)
92) James Cook | 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.