As we enter Week 18, there are still many fantasy football leagues that will be playing their championship games this week. It can be very tough to navigate your team this week for multiple reasons.
First, many teams are going to rest their best players if they have seeds already clinched. Second, injuries are always an issue — especially at the receiver position this week.
Let’s take a look at the Week 18 statuses for Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton and Los Angeles Chargers WRs Keenan Allen and Joshua Palmer.
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Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Sutton has had a terrific season for the Broncos, as he has 10 receiving touchdowns. However, he was injured in Week 16 against the New England Patriots.
Sutton suffered a concussion early in that game and had to leave. He sat out of the Week 17 matchup against the Chargers, which the Broncos ultimately won, but unfortunately, they were still eliminated from the playoffs.
Denver has nothing to play for, and it doesn’t make much sense to risk Sutton’s health in such a meaningless game.
This could be a great opportunity for the Broncos to move on to 2024 and start to look at their young options. That might involve extended playing time for WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey and possibly WR Marvin Mims, but neither should be in your lineup if you’re competing for a fantasy title this week.
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Allen has had an outstanding 2023 season, as his 108 catches still rank fourth — despite him missing the last three games. He’s missed three games in this stretch because of a heel injury.
The pass catcher didn’t practice on Wednesday, and right now, it’s hard to imagine the Chargers bringing Allen back for this game. When asked about Allen’s status, interim coach Giff Smith said “Chances are pretty slim” that Allen or EDGE/LB Joey Bosa will play in Week 18.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
The matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs could have some preseason feels. Chargers’ QB Justin Herbert has missed the last few weeks, while the Chiefs announced that QB Patrick Mahomes will be sitting the game out, as Kansas City has already clinched the AFC’s third seed.
Like the Broncos, it doesn’t make any sense for the Chargers to rush him back. They’ve been eliminated from playoff contention, and this game is a great opportunity for L.A. to play some younger guys and see what they have.
Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles’ WR position has been hit as badly as any other team’s group in the NFL. Mike Williams was lost early in the year when he tore his ACL in a game against the Minnesota Vikings. The aforementioned Allen has had to deal with a heel issue recently, and Palmer has had to deal with his fair share of injuries.
If there is some good news for Palmer, it’s that he was back at practice on Wednesday. Even though it was in a limited role, the fact he was at practice is a pretty good sign when it comes to his status.
If Palmer was hurt, they wouldn’t have even had him going. The fact he’s still practicing in that capacity would make it seem like there is a pretty good chance he will play on Sunday.
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