NFL Weekly Preview Week 18: Key Injuries, Player Statistical Projections & Possible Upsets

Tua Tagovailoa (YouTube)

Week 18 of the 2022 National Football League season is starting before Week 17 has ended. We still do not know when or if the Cincinnati Bengals will finish their Week 17 game against the Buffalo Bills.

Key Injuries

The big story this week when it comes to National Football League injuries is in Miami. It appears at this time that rookie Skylar Thompson of Palmyra, Missouri will get the start in the Dolphins’s huge week 18 game against the New York Jets. That is because Tua Tagovailoa is out with a concussion and Teddy Bridgewater is having difficulty throwing a football because of a dislocated pinky.

Player Statistical Projections

The top rated quarterback of the week is Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles. This is a big game for the Eagles (13-3) against the New York Giants as first place in the NFC East is still in the balance. Philadelphia clinches the division with a win over the Giants or a Dallas Cowboys loss to the Washington Commanders. Hurts is projected to have 242 passing yards, 56 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

The top rated running back is Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers. Even though McCaffrey is projected to get 87 rushing yards, 37 receiving yards and one touchdown, remember he is battling an ankle injury.

The top rated wide receiver is Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings. This week against the Chicago Bears, he is projected to get seven catches for 103 yards and one touchdown.

Possible Upsets

The three teams I like this week as underdogs are the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, and Carolina Panthers. I like the Panthers running game a lot, even though the Saints have a good defense. Expect the Buccaneers to rest players (possibly even Tom Brady) against the Falcons, and do not be surprised if the Browns deliver a win against Pittsburgh. Cleveland beat Pittsburgh 29-17 earlier in the season.

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