Winners Club: NFL Enters Week 18 With Three Playoff Spots up for Grabs

Plus, the latest news regarding Damar Hamlin’s health.

The Bills released an update Thursday morning regarding the status of safety Damar Hamlin:

“Per the physicians caring for Damar Hamlin at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Damar has shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours. While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact. His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress.”

It’s perhaps the most encouraging news regarding Hamlin’s health since he collapsed on the field on Monday Night Football during the Bills-Bengals game.

Since then, the sports world has rallied around him and showed support by flooding his charity with donations.

The Week 17 matchup is still postponed and the league is reportedly mulling over two options: Declare the game a tie or move back the playoffs one week to allow the game to continue.

Both teams are already playoff bound, but the results of Monday’s matchup would have an outsized impact on the AFC playoff picture.

Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow said rescheduling the game would be “tough,” but “whatever Buffalo would want to do is what we would want to do. We’re behind them 100%.”

In today’s Winners Club you’ll find:

• NFL playoff picture for Week 18
• Saturday spreads and game previews
• SI Sportsbook’s Perfect 10 Contest
• Fantasy football projections and rankings
• TCU-Georgia National Championship preview

Playoff Scenarios and Saturday Spreads for Season Finale

There are two remaining playoff spots in the AFC and just one in the NFC heading into Week 18.

In the AFC, the Chiefs, Bills, Bengals, Chargers and Ravens are all in. As for the NFC, the Eagles, 49ers, Vikings, Buccaneers, Cowboys and Giants have clinched.

Five teams are fighting for just two spots in the AFC: The Jaguars and Patriots, who currently hold the fourth and seventh seeds, respectively, and the Dolphins, Steelers and Titans.

• The Jaguars need a win or tie against the Titans to clinch the division but can also get in via wild card with a loss and losses by the Patriots, Dolphins and Steelers
• The Patriots get in with a win against the Bills or a tie along with a combination of ties and/or losses by the teams below them in the standings
• The Dolphins must beat the Jets and need a Patriots loss
• The Steelers need to beat the Browns and both the Dolphins and Patriots lose
• The Titans just have to beat the Jaguars to lock up the AFC South

Got all that? Good.

Now in the NFC, it’s three teams duking it out for the last playoff spot: The Seahawks, Lions and Packers.

• The Seahawks’ simplest path is a win against the Rams and a Packers’ loss
• The Lions best path is a win against the Packers and a Seahawks loss or tie
• For the Packers, it’s simple: Win and in

Lon Horwedel/USA TODAY Sports

It’s an exciting weekend ahead and it’s all condensed to Saturday and Sunday. That’s right, there’s no games on Thursday or Monday this week. Below is the schedule for the league's two-game Saturday slate, along with the spreads, totals and game previews for each. Check back on Sunday morning for the rest of the schedule.

4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN, ABC): Chiefs (-7.5) vs. Raiders | Total: 52.5 | Game preview

8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN): Titans vs. Jaguars (-3.5) | Total: 39.5 | Game preview

You can get in on the action this week with SI Sportsbook’s Perfect 10 contest! Just pick 10 games against the spread to enter.

Get your NFL Tickets for Week 18 with SI Tickets

Fantasy Football Week 18 Prep

For the most part, fantasy football seasons have concluded. Many leagues don’t go all the way until Week 18, but if yours does, we’ve got resources below to help you close out the season strong. And even if your trophy has been awarded already, you can utilize our projections and rankings to construct an optimal DFS lineup or place some player prop bets.

For any leagues and commissioners who are having trouble handling the postponement of the Bills-Bengals game, which, of course, pales in comparison to Hamlin’s health, see how prominent fantasy sites are handling the situation and what fantasy expert Michael Fabiano is doing in his leagues.

Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

Quarterbacks: Trust Aaron Rodgers on prime-time with the season on the line.
Running backs: Fade Brian Robinson against Dallas.
Wide receivers: Bet on Zay Jones burning the Titans once again.
Tight ends: Stay away from Noah Fant in the season finale.
Kickers and defenses: The ferocious 49ers have a plus matchup with the Cardinals at home.

Positional Rankings

Quarterbacks: Brock Purdy is just inside QB1 range against Arizona.
Running back: Stick with Jerick McKinnon’s hot hand versus Las Vegas.
Wide Receivers: Both Eagles wideouts are top-12 options this week.
Tight ends: T.J. Hockenson has earned his spot among the elite at his position.
Flex: Tennessee will go as Derrick Henry does, and he’s in for a huge workload.
Defenses: Up against one another, the Jets and Dolphins are both suitable plays.
Kickers: Ride Brett Maher’s hot streak in Week 18 against Washington.

Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

Stat Projections

Quarterbacks: Jalen Hurts is in for a massive performance - if he plays.
Running backs: Cam Akers is firmly in RB1 range after back-to-back solid outings.
Wide receivers: Jerry Jeudy is one of seven receivers projected to score 20-plus points.
Tight ends: Only one tight end is projected to outscore Evan Engram this week.

In Other News

TCU-Georgia National Championship Betting Breakdown: The Bulldogs are 13-point favorites at SoFi Stadium against the Horned Frogs with a chance to win their second consecutive title. See how both teams arrived at this point and what bets are available at SI Sportsbook and which way Frankie Taddeo is leaning ahead of Monday’s matchup.

The Case for Tom Brady and the Bucs in the Playoffs: After limping into the playoffs, Tampa Bay could provide some value if the GOAT can get hot for a few games. The Buccaneers, winners of the Super Bowl just two years ago, are +2000 to win it all once again.

Best Bets for Tonight’s Celtics-Mavericks Clash in Dallas: Boston is a road favorite in its second matchup of the season against Dallas. Can the C’s end the Mavs’ winning streak and slow down Luka Dončić? Or will the Celtics suffer their third straight loss?

NFL Announces Class of 2023 Hall of Fame Finalists: Eighteen players and one coach were announced as HOF finalists Wednesday. The list was highlighted by Ronde Barber, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Darrelle Revis and Joe Thomas, among others.

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Thanks for reading Winners Club and for bearing with me through quite a few schedule changes around the holidays. I’ll be back in your inbox Sunday morning ahead of the final week of the NFL regular season. Until then.