How apropos that I sit here trying to put a bow on a season full of fantasy football news on the day the calendar is set to flip to 2025? For so many fantasy managers, the season is a year in itself. However, it isn’t always accompanied by the finality of a calendar year. Sure, we have plenty more football to dive headfirst into with the arrival of January, so you won’t be left like some “down-on-his-luck” crackhead scrounging for a fix.
But it is different; no matter how your fantasy football season played out, a football-shaped hole is left in its wake as you try to recall what you do on Sundays.
What a season it was! We laughed, cried, won championships and lost them. Fantasy managers navigated an onslaught of injuries to their teams, stat corrections, disappointing performances and no less than three holidays. If you came out the other side with the hardware, congrats! You truly deserve it. Teams left for dead early this season crawled back from the Pit of Misery (Dilly Dilly) to compete for championship glory.
Some of you finished last in the proverbial pecking order and won a 24-hour date with a Waffle House. To you, I say “Godspeed.” Hopefully, the rest of you are not in a more cutthroat league (shudder).
Let’s take one last “Fantasy Whiplash!” ride around the NFL. It’s strangely warm for Dec. 31, so I brought a special treat: My 1959 Cadillac Eldorado, which runs on rails and is a ride as smooth as Saquon Barkley on the open road. Strap in, forget your worries and leave your attention span behind; We’re riding into the sunset.
Fantasy Football News & Notes for Week 18
Fantasy Football News
The Final Countdown
In a 2024 fantasy football season that saw many twists and turns that kept managers on their toes, how fitting was it for the final weekend to include an explosion of points during the Sunday 1 p.m. ET slate? Sure, there were some surprising disappointments (I’m looking at you Rams, Cardinals and Texans), but Championship Week saw nine games go over 47 points, and seven teams put up “40-burgers.”
What resulted was some extremely high-scoring matchups in fantasy football and a high percentage of championships decided on Monday’s combined 74-point affair between Detroit and San Francisco. Half of the fantasy managers couldn’t even tell you the final score, but they could tell you how many yards Jameson Williams, Brock Purdy and George Kittle accounted for or how many times Lions head coach Dan Campbell was caught on camera screaming the “F” word (hint: It’s not “Fun!”).
Win or lose, I think most people would say that Week 17 brought all the feels: the highs, the lows and the scoring one comes to expect in a fantasy championship.
“I Came In Like a Wrecking Ball”
– 2024: Over 21 fantasy PPG
– Final 5 games: 29.6 fantasy PPG
– Fantasy Playoffs: 29.9 fantasy pts
– Final 2 weeks: 33.1 fantasy PPGDefinition of a league winner!
— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) December 30, 2024
Some league-winners for 2024 were on rosters all season. For me, the true league-winners were not. I’ll see the above Jayden Daniels and raise a Joe Burrow, who did it all year. In fact, I know you’re tired of hearing me talk about the Bengals but it bears repeating: If you had any of the primary skill players from that team, you were likely in the Championship. Burrow and Tee Higgins put on a show for the ages on Saturday and tipped the scales in many matchups… until Baker Mayfield arrived.
My favorite league-winners are the ones no one could predict until the last minute. Bucccaneers rookie WR Jalen McMillan scored between 16 and 23 Point Per Reception (PPR) fantasy points in weeks 14-17 after collecting all of 36.3 points collectively this season prior. Raiders RB Ameer Abdullah went from a desperation Hail Mary flex play in Week 15 to a fantasy savior, as he scored 19.6, 19.5 and 17.7 PPR points in the final three weeks. Carolina’s Adam Thielen rode the hot hand of Bryce Young, and after catching three touchdowns this season, he finished Week 17 as the WR8 with 110 yards and two touchdowns to put teams over the top.
Some of these surprises come along every season, but we usually see them gaining traction before their arrival. I’ve left out a whole host of names here, as well as the players who pulled a complete Amber Heard in the finale and put managers behind the eight-ball. Week 17 had a little bit of everything.
Readjusting to Society
Fantasy football season is over. We can rest now. 🌅 pic.twitter.com/wkIDgo3w5b
— Aaerios (@Aaerios__) December 31, 2024
The inevitable feeling of “What did I do before the fantasy season?” will begin to creep in, and you’ve got to reassimilate with the “normies” without your crutch. But fear not, because like any dopamine deficiency you deal with, there are ways to shuttle you back to normalcy like a warm Shepherd’s Pie. In this instance, it’s the NFL postseason. You can spread the knowledge you’ve gained within the constraints of fantasy football into social settings like a mashed potato crown without judgment.
Here, I’ve compiled a few go-to tidbits suitable for group settings:
Safe Starters
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- The Arizona Cardinals were a disaster this year and looked like a team searching for an identity, and that’s why they’re not in the postseason. Marvin Harrison Jr. did not take the league by storm as many projected, but he is still who we thought he was. Oftentimes, rookies can not be expected to fly out of the gate. The better question might be: “Is Kyler Murray who we thought he was?” The diminutive lollipop guild representative oompa-loompa’d his way to QB11 with one game left. He’s tallied an ugly 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions passing.
- One thing they did right: Trey McBride (the PPR TE3), at long last, found paydirt during a 12-catch performance and was wide open on several other missed opportunities. But for one day, he got to dine in the endzone.
- The Houston Texans are just happy to be here. They can thank their lucky stars for Joe Mixon (RB13 in just 13 games) because C.J. Stroud (QB18) went all Ohio State and has thrown the fourth-most picks in the league.
- The Detroit Lions look like the NFC team to beat, but have to do something about the secondary. On Monday, they were sliced and diced by Brock Purdy‘s 377 yards passing and Ricky Pearsall‘s 141 yards through the air. The most shocking part was San Francisco was just stopping by on their way to the trash heap.
- With apologies to Denver and Miami, let there be no doubt that these playoffs need Cincinnati in the program. Miami will be bounced immediately, and no matter how well rookie quarterback Bo Nix (QB9) plays, teams don’t seem to fear the Broncos. No teams want any part of the Bengals, which is likely while you’ll see Kansas City roll out the red carpet and allow a Denver Week 17 win.
What to Watch for Around the NFL in the Postseason
Muy Caliente!
The seats are sizzling hot for some coaches, while others may have saved their jobs. Mike McCarthy may have gotten the Cowboys to play just well enough to save his job, and that’s too bad for fans of “Dem Boyz.” There is no telling what is going to go down in Las Vegas (Antonio Pierce), but the overall sentiment is that everything not named Maxx Crosby, Jakobi Meyers or Brock Bowers should be blown to smithereens, including the coaching staff. If Mark Davis could fire himself, yeeeaaahhh… that’d be great, too.
Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll were instrumental in turning the New York Giants of New Jersey (Central Park adjacent) into an utter laughing stock – even more so than it was. Assuming they’ll fall to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants stand to pick fourth or lower in the 2025 NFL Draft. They should do so with a new leadership team. There are rumblings that CEO John Mara does not want to make a change, though he should to avoid being institutionalized.
Doug Pederson‘s (Jacksonville) job is up in the air higher than an arc on a Trevor Lawrence-thrown ball. Elsewhere in the league, staffs from Cleveland, Tennessee and New England (god love ’em) appear safe. All eyes will be on the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and New York Jets to see how they’ll fill their openings.
Free A-Gen-Cy, Easy as 1-2-3
Thinking about this scene on Hard Knocks where theGiants owner questions the GM’s decision to let Saquon Barkley test free agency. “I’ll have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia.”
Saquon is now in position to break the NFL single season rushing record as an Eagle pic.twitter.com/CeGyZQeynx— Scott Johnson (@ScottJohnsonArt) December 29, 2024
Pontificating about what will happen with players and rosters here is an exercise in futility. Whispers of an Aaron Rodgers retirement abound, as well as what Davante Adams will do if that happens. Elsewhere, it will be another offseason of the same for fantasy football managers. Observation will circulate of sophomore players commanding a changing of the guard, the promise of veteran resurgences unrealized on new squads and Diontae Johnson going to the USFL. The possibilities are endless! Coaching styles affecting fantasy performances, endless talk of whether “Zero-RB” is a good draft strategy and a million “he’s the next (blank)!” will be heard ad nauseam.
Everything comes fast and furious after some time off post-Super Bowl. The NFL Combine takes place the last week of February. Negotiations with free agents can begin on March 10. Signings can occur all day on March 12 (make sure to request that day off), and the league year has begun. It all leads up to the 2025 NFL Draft beginning April 24 in Green Bay, Wisc. Buckle up!
Fantasy Football Quick Hits, Postseason Reflection
- Will we get a glimpse into 2025 rosters in Week 18? Probably not. Will everyone swear up and down they’ve seen the future? You bet your ass we will.
- I’m working on a Cooper Kupp mixtape. Currently, “Where Did You Go” by No Mercy, “How to Disappear Completely” by Radiohead and “I Miss You” by Blink-182. “Where Are You?” I’m taking suggestions on how to finish the soundtrack.
- The Seattle Seahawks-Chicago Bears game tape from “Thursday Night Football” should be burned beyond recognition. No one should ever have to watch that “Clockwork Orange” disaster that unfolded ever again.
- Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown will never win you a fantasy football championship. It’s always something.
- Thus begins my daily Google search of “Xavier Legette podcast” until he finally has one. We need T-shirts.
- I desperately want to see Saquon Barkley get out there for 101 yards and break Eric Dickerson‘s all-time rushing record of 2,105 yards, which has stood for 40 years. Do I care that he gets an extra game? No. The game has changed. Defenses have evolved. Backfields are by committee more often than not and we need an update to the record books instead of living in the past. Or we could just start a new record book. I don’t care, but I’m here for it. Barkley is fucking majestic to watch.
- Anthony Richardson (pictured) is a fraud. I tried to tell you. I feel bad for the other talent on that team, like… give me a minute.
- It’s for all the marbles and the final spot in the AFC side of the playoffs this weekend.
- The Broncos: Win and in.
- Dolphins: Win and Denver loss
- Bengals: Win and Dolphins/Broncos lose
- Speaking of those games, Tua Tagovailoa might be out again this week against the Jets. The Kansas City Chiefs have nothing to play for and will likely let the Broncos waltz in. The Steelers will have every incentive to beat Cincinnati. All four AFC North squads are in action on Saturday beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.
The End of the Road
Awesome sunset!pic.twitter.com/2AkNKJpkez
— Figen (@TheFigen_) August 4, 2024
We’ve taken planes, trains, automobiles, boats, haunted houses, snowmobiles and sleighs to reach this point, fellow fantasy football degenerates. It’s bittersweet to know that after 18 weeks in a row, there won’t be a “Fantasy Football Whiplash!” to bring you all of the pertinent news and notes.
After gliding off into the sunset, I won’t be far because there is no rest for the weary. This offseason will be a deep dive into the NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency and 2025 fantasy football prep. Before you know it, “Fantasy Whiplash!” will be back to keep you guessing where to look, and you’ll be in good hands with me as your humble guide.
To those who won, congratulations! I hope we had some small part to do with that. To those who didn’t… well, hey, tomorrow is another day. To all of you, I’ll see you for the next go-around and everything in-between. Make sure to find me on Twitter/X @BuyAndSellYou for all of my content this offseason and right on into next.
Now get off my boat; “I’m on my way. I’m on my way home, sweet home.”
Check out all of our Week 18 fantasy football content:
- Fantasy Football Whiplash! | Week 18 News & Notes (2024)
- Week 18 Fantasy Football Advice Mailbag (2024)
- Week 18 NFL DFS Picks & Lineup Advice (2024)
- Way-Too-Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers
- PropKings: NFL Week 18 (2024)
- All-In-The-Scope Team (2024)
Thanks for checking out my 2024 Review of fantasy football news and notes! Track me down on Twitter/X @BuyAndSellYou for more redraft and dynasty fantasy football content.
*Photo Credit: Bill Streicher – USA TODAY Sports*
