Cleveland Browns

New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe remains off the fantasy radar for Week 18 versus the New York Jets. A variety of factors make Zappe an unappealing option ahead of Sunday's season finale. First of all, the Jets, despite enduring significant dysfunction this season, have a very strong secondary. New York is averaging the third-fewest fantasy points allowed per game in 2023, making it unlikely that Zappe, who has looked inconsistent through five starts, will have any fantasy relevance. Furthermore, the forecast for this game calls for heavy snow, rain, and wind, which makes it very difficult to execute a good passing attack. The odds are stacked against Zappe this week, keeping him in the QB3 tier for fantasy purposes.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was a distant No. 2 receiver behind Courtland Sutton all year and wasn't able to do anything significant (three catches for 54 yards) in the Week 17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers with Sutton out due to a concussion. The former first-rounder has just one touchdown all season long and has been outside the top-50 receivers this year in half-PPR points per game despite ranking 48th at the position with 81 targets. In the Week 18 regular season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders with Sutton returning from his concussion, it's unlikely that Jeudy suddenly breaks out in the final game of the year with quarterback Jarrett Stidham running the offense. Fantasy managers looking for upside in DFS and season-long contests in Week 18 should ignore Jeudy.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston has agreed to a contract restructure for salary cap purposes, according to a source. The 30-year-old veteran signal-caller adds two years to his contract, but it won't affect his pending free agency, as they will void early in the new 2024 league year to allow salary cap proration. Winston will hit free agency this March after spending the last four seasons as a backup for the Saints. In that time, he's played in 20 games (10 starts) and has gone 200-for-334 for 2,367 yards with 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. It remains to be seen if he'll be content to re-sign in New Orleans as Derek Carr's backup or if he wants to look elsewhere as a short-term bridge QB option. As a starter, Winston can be intriguing as a QB2 streamer in the right matchups, but his turnover-prone ways make him hard to trust on a week-to-week basis.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman has caught 18 passes for 181 yards in his rookie season. Tillman could be in store for a larger role in Week 18's matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns have already locked up the No. 5 seed in the AFC and are planning to rest several key players in the regular-season finale. Amari Cooper (heel) has already been ruled out and Elijah Moore (concussion) is listed as questionable. It would be a bit of a surprise to see Cleveland rush Moore back into action after he suffered a concussion back in Week 17's Thursday night game. Tillman should conceivably operate as Cleveland's No. 1 wideout against a Cincy defense that is allowing the 10th-most fantasy points per game to the position this season. Assuming Moore doesn't play, Tillman sets up as an interesting dart throw in DFS tournaments on Sunday and can be used as a desperation flex in season-long formats.

Cleveland Browns running back Pierre Strong Jr. has seen just 49 carries for 226 yards as the team's No. 3 RB this season. He could be in store for an increased role in Week 18 against the Cincinnati Bengals, however. The Browns have already locked up the No. 5 seed in the AFC and don't have much to play for in the regular-season finale. The team hasn't ruled Jerome Ford or Kareem Hunt out yet but it wouldn't be a surprise if both running backs sat out of Week 18. If that happens, Strong would operate as the team's lead back against a Cincinnati defense that is allowing the 14th-most fantasy points per game to running backs this season. Strong sets up as a solid flex option in season-long formats and an interesting RB2 in DFS contests this weekend.