Week 17 has finally been put to bed. Week 18 is here, and there’s still much to be decided in the NFL playoff race. Two divisions are still up for grabs, and an NFC Wildcard is still within reach for three teams. In the fantasy (football) world, most leagues are wrapped up. But for those of us with two-week aggregate championships, or just a full 18 week schedule, it’s all coming down to this. The Week 18 Saturday Night Game matchup between the Tennessee Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars will decide one of those division races. Who goes on to the tournament, and who goes home? The answers to that and more await.

Note: All point totals and rankings are PPR unless otherwise noted. Odds and betting information are courtesy Quarter4.

Week 18 Saturday Night Game Preview: Titans’ Offense

Talk about two teams heading in opposite directions. In Week 11, the Tennessee Titans traveled north to Green Bay and defeated the Packers 27-17. Following that game, the Titans were 7-3 and in first place in the AFC South by a comfortable margin. The Jacksonville Jaguars were on the bye that week, but were just 3-7 and had lost six of their past seven games. The Titans looked to be cruising to a third straight division title and at least contending for a second straight number one seed.

Then, reality- or something like it- set in.

Since Week 11, the Titans have lost six straight to fall to 7-9. In that time, they’ve seen Derrick Henry, Treylon Burks, and Ryan Tannehill all miss time with injuries. The league’s worst offensive line has cycled through more players than the training camp cafeteria line. They’ve scored more than 16 points just once, a 36-22 loss in Week 14 to the Jaguars. And they’ve watched their title hopes all but slip away. The Jaguars, meanwhile, have won five of six since their bye and have elevated themselves to 8-8. Somehow, the winner of their Week 18 game will be the AFC South champions and host a playoff game next weekend.

Titans’ Offense Big Question

Well, Titans fans, it’s better than last week, anyway. Instead of asking yourself, “Who the heck are these guys,” you can ask yourself the usual Titans-centered questions:

“Why can’t we actually run block for Henry ONE TIME?!”

“Why do none of our wide receivers actually receive anything?”

“How do you say that tight end’s name, again?”

There are more, but we digress.

Actually, maybe we shouldn’t digress, because those are all relevant questions for this game’s fantasy prospects. Let’s answer that first one. The Titans have averaged just 0.9 yards before contact when running the ball this season, second-worst in the league. Can you imagine the demonic whirlwind King Henry would be with a couple of NFL-caliber linemen in front of him? No, don’t think about it; it’s too much. Sigh. As is, Henry’s my RB2 this week. Use him. As for the second question, I don’t have a good answer to that. Robert Woods has been very un-Woodsy this season, catching just 57 percent of his targets for a career-low of just over 30 Yards Per Game. Burks has been hurt. That A.J. Brown trade looks worse with every Tennessee offensive snap. Don’t start a Titan wideout. Burks is WR46 for me this week. Don’t make me get the spray bottle.

As for the third question, there’s a little refresher/primer here. And another:

Guys it’s just Chig O-Konk-Woah it’s actually very easy to pronounce lol

— Chigoziem Okonkwo (@ChigTweets) August 12, 2022

No matter how you say it, emergency quarterback Joshua Dobbs should be getting the ball to Chigoziem Okonkwo in this game. He’s one of the best receiving options they have, and there’s no tomorrow. Okonkwo is a useable fantasy tight end most weeks, and has a good matchup against a Jags’ D that gives up the ninth-most half-ppr points to opposing fantasy tackle-eligibles. Outside of him and Henry, I’m not recommending you go near any of the Titans this week, and that includes Randy Bullock.

Week 18 Saturday Night Game Preview: Jaguars’ Offense

As mentioned, it’s been hot in Jacksonville. Not necessarily weather-wise. And the team facilities have cooled considerably since Urban Meyer left town and took his hot seat north. No, we’re talking about the hot streak the Jaguars have been on since their bye. A team many left for dead this season finds itself the favorite headed into the Week 18 Saturday Night contest. A win would give the Jaguars their first division title since 2017 in a season that has already been a major leap forward from last year’s public debacle. Jacksonville comes into the game having surrendered just six points total in the last two games. They’ve averaged over 30 points scored in their five post-bye wins.

Jaguars’ Offense Big Question

Can Trevor Lawrence take the next step toward being the star quarterback he was drafted to be? He’s shown marked improvement in every facet of his game under Doug Pederson. That improvement has translated to stats, which have translated to fantasy points. Lawrence is the fantasy QB8 entering the season’s final week, and should improve that standing based on who will and won’t be playing from the players ranked above him. Against the Titans earlier this season, Lawrence had his best career fantasy day, setting a career high in passing yards and accounting for four total touchdowns. I expect more of the same tonight. Lawrence is my QB5 this week in a great matchup.

So, if Lawrence is scoring, other Jaguars must be as well. I have both running back Travis Etienne and tight end Evan Engram ranked as top-10 options at their positions. I also like Christian Kirk as a solid WR2 with touchdown upside. Their top wideout weapon, Kirk has seven scores on the season, but none since Week 10. He’s due. As for the “Jones Bros”, I prefer Zay Jones to Marvin Jones. Zay is on the WR2/FLEX line for me, so you can feel good about firing him up for your championship battles. Marvin can be left on benches or the wire in all formats. The Jags’ DST has been on a bit of a hot streak as well and has a nice matchup with Tennessee starting an emergency quarterback. They’re a top-10 option. Kicker Riley Patterson is useable, but there are probably better options available to you.

Betting Lines (Courtesy of Quarter4):

Favorite: Jaguars (-4.5)

Over/Under: 40.5

Notable Props: Travis Etienne rushing yards (58.9); Zay Jones receptions (5.1); Ryan Stonehouse total punt yardage (286.9)

Challenge Chase!

Is your run through the fantasy playoffs over too early? Still craving competition? Use that woulda-coulda-shoulda lineup to take me on for weekly bragging rights with Flex Fantasy. Visit https://www.flex.fan/bellyup to sign up and challenge me, as I’ll be using lineups from my own home leagues. You can play for fun, play for money, or play for both! Look for SttChaseFFB’s teams in the Flex Fantasy Arena and sign up today. I promise I won’t rub it in (much) when I win. Got something to say? Leave a comment below, follow me on Twitter @SttChaseFFB, and catch me on the Belly Up Fantasy Live podcast Sundays and Wednesdays all season long. Slàinte!