The Chicago Bears will face the Green Bay Packers 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 Caleb Williams.
Is Caleb Williams Playing in Week 18?
Williams is not listed on the injury report this week. Barring any setbacks, he is expected to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Bears’ 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 Caleb Williams in Week 18?
Maybe we set the bar a bit high for Caleb Williams. We saw the pedigree and the situation and assumed that there would be an instant translation to fantasy relevance, something that pretty clearly hasn’t happened, especially when you juxtapose it to other members of this rookie class.
We’ve seen some flashes from Williams this season, despite the disappointing overall production, and that includes moments against these Packers. In Week 11, he funneled 64.5% of his targets to his trio of receivers on his way to completing 23 of 31 passes for 231 yards. He also added 70 yards on the ground, giving us a glimpse of what the future may hold. I’m not betting on him doing similar things in January at Lambeau, but I’m certainly not throwing in the towel on him as a prospect as we begin to turn our attention toward next season.
Video game numbers are great, but when I’m evaluating a rookie QB, I want to see poise. These high-end prospects usually end up in rebuilding situations, and if they can show composure early on, it paves the way for future growth. Williams isn’t there yet, but I’d very much caution against overreacting to his profile.
Rookie season, under pressure:
- Williams: 44.1% complete, 5.5 yards per attempt, and 5.1% TD rate
- Joe Burrow: 37.3% complete, 4.2 yards per attempt, and 2.9% TD rate
Rookie season, when blitzed:
- Williams: 57.6% complete, 6.7 yards per attempt, and 3.5 TD/INT
- Burrow: 61.0% complete, 6.6 yards per attempt, and 1.3 TD/INT
I’m not suggesting that Williams is Windy City Burrow, but Cincinnati saw their top overall pick make a massive jump in Year 2 (getting Ja’Marr Chase certainly helped, but I’d argue that the Bears spent this season getting Williams acclimated with his weapons). But I’m not ruling that out in a division that is going to require scoring points in bunches for years to come.
Year 2 Burrow:
- Pressured: 60.9% complete, 8.6 yards per attempt, and 6.8% TD rate
- Blitzed: 68.8% complete, 10.3 yards per attempt, and 2.5 TD/INT
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.
Caleb Williams’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Williams is projected to score 14.4 fantasy points in Week 18. This includes 188.7 passing yards, 0.8 passing touchdowns, and 0.5 interceptions. It also includes 3.9 rushing attempts for 29.1 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.
Caleb Williams’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.Â
Conference Championship QB PPR Rankings
1) Josh Allen | BUF (at KC)
2) Jalen Hurts | PHI (vs. WAS)
3) Jayden Daniels | WAS (at PHI)
4) Patrick Mahomes | KC (vs. BUF)
