Week 18 Rushing Matchups

Go here for this week's Passing Matchups.

Top 5 Rushing Matchups

Atlanta vs Carolina

Atlanta is in a must-win situation heading into Week 18. They need to win, combined with a Buccaneers loss, to make the playoffs. Expect the Falcons to lean heavily on Bijan Robinson this week after the team got away from the run a little bit in Week 17 despite getting out to a 17-7 halftime lead. Atlanta's running backs had just 20 carries, with Robinson leading the way with 17. This was the first time Robinson had fewer than 20 carries since Week 11. Tyler Allgeier, who had been averaging 10 carries per game over the last four games, had just three carries as, surprisingly was only on the field for just 13% of snaps, which could be an indication this week that in these must-win games, they're going to ride with the more talented back in Robinson. Expect the coaching staff to look at the game plan and come out with a more run-heavy approach in this favorable matchup this week.

Carolina's run defense continues to struggle, and now it just goes from bad to worse. The Panthers lost Josey Jewell with a concussion; he looks like he won't play this week. Jewell had been their lone linebacker who had been playing anywhere close to an NFL level. On the defensive line, it looks like the Panthers could also be without A'Shawn Robinson, who left last week with a neck injury. The Jewell injury is simply catastrophic for the Panthers, who are now going to be without their top four middle linebackers to start the season on an already bad run defense. They'll be relying on undrafted rookie Jacoby Windmon and Chandler Wooten, who has been primarily a special teams player in his three seasons in the NFL. Last week, the Panthers allowed 113 yards to Bucky Irving and have now allowed 100 rushing yards or more to opposing running backs in seven of their last eight games.

Arizona vs San Francisco

James Conner will miss this week after being placed on IR with a knee injury he re-injured early in Week 17 after just four carries. With Trey Benson out in Week 17, Michael Carter filled in for Conner and was impressive in Week 17 as he had 70 yards on 13 carries after being elevated from the practice squad. The Cardinals also placed Benson on IR this week, indicating that Carter will once again be the lead back in Arizona. Carter was on the field for 72% of plays in Week 17 after Conner was injured, and with the team not wanting to give DeeJay Dallas an expanded role, expect Carter to get closer to 80-85% of snaps this week as he would take up the Conner snaps that he had early in Week 17. The offensive line for Arizona has been an issue as they lost Paris Johnson, Will Hernandez, and Jonah Williams in recent weeks. Footballguys offensive line expert Matt Bitonti has this as the worst offensive line in the NFL due to these injuries to some of the stalwarts they've built this line around.

San Francisco's run defense collapse has completely imploded in recent weeks. Since Week 12, this defense has allowed 139 rushing yards per game to opposing running backs, who are second only behind Carolina. They're allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, and five of the last six running backs they've faced have topped 100 yards. While linebacker Fred Warner continues to play at an elite level, he does not have much help around him. Fellow linebacker Dre Greenlaw is back on IR after being re-injured in Week 16. While safety Talanoa Hufanga has not been the elite run-stopper we saw in 2022, the big issue for the 49ers is their defensive line. This team was built to create pressure, rush the passer, and rely on their linebackers to stop the run. With Greenlaw injured and De'Vondre Campbell suspended, the team's flaws along the defensive line have been exposed. Maliek Collins, Yetur Gross-Matos, Leonard Floyd, and Jordan Elliott have struggled all season stopping the run, and while Nick Bosa is an adequate run-stopper, he's a far better pass-rusher at the defensive end.

Philadelphia vs NY Giants

The Eagles decided to sit Saquon Barkley heading into their Week 18 matchup after being just 101 yards away from Eric Dickerson's single-season record. Along with Barkley, expect no Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and potentially some of their veteran offensive lineman, such as Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, who are not practicing early in the week. Expect Kenneth Gainwell to get the start for the Eagles, but if Will Shipley is active from a concussion, they could give the rookie an extended look this week as they look to determine their third-string running back of the future.

The Giants are still fighting even if it costs them a future draft pick, as they pulled a surprise upset over the Indianapolis Colts last week. While they were competitive in this game, the run defense continued to struggle for the Giants. Jonathan Taylor torched this defense as he ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns. The Giants have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs since Week 10, and with no Dexter Lawrence II, who was injured in Week 13, the defensive line has major flaws. This defensive line was built to rush the passer with Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux while relying on All-Pro Lawrence to do enough to plug the middle to hide the weaknesses at linebacker. At linebacker, this was already a weak unit heading into the season, but with Micah McFadden looking unlikely to play after being injured in Week 16, the Giants would be without their top two linebackers as they already lost Bobby Okereke earlier this season. This would force the Giants to rely on 6^th-round rookie Darius Muasau and special teams veteran Ty Summers, who has been in the NFL since 2019 and has not played much linebacker but did have 11 tackles last week, eight of which were assists.

Green Bay vs Chicago

Over the second half of the season, Josh Jacobs has been one of the most dependable running backs in the NFL. While he has just one 100+ yard game over his last eight performances, he has 60 rushing yards or more in 11 of his last 12 games. Touchdowns have spiked over the second half of the year for Green Bay, as Jacobs has 11 touchdowns in his last seven games, scoring in all seven. Jacobs had just three rushing touchdowns in his first nine games to start this season. This is an important game for the Packers as if they win and Washington were to lose, Green Bay would avoid having to go to Philadelphia and instead would play the Rams or Tampa Bay. Green Bay's offensive line has been remarkably healthy this season as they have only had one player miss any time, and that was center Josh Myers, who missed only one game this season back in Week 9.

After looking like the defense may have quit for the season, the Bears defense played well last week despite a 6-3 losing effort to Seattle. This defense had given up 30 or more points in three straight games after firing head coach Matt Eberflus, but the defense held strong, holding Zach Charbonnet to just 57 yards on 15 carries. Getting Germon Dexter back last week significantly boosted a depleted defensive line, but this remains a flawed run defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. In their first matchup this season, the Bears struggled to stop Josh Jacobs, as he had 76 yards and a touchdown while also adding another 58 receiving yards for Green Bay.