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Heroes & Zeroes (Week 18)

January 5, 2026

This one is tough! Most notable players were either on limited snaps or didn’t play, despite being healthy. We saw a few surprise names on our Hero list this week and a few “starters” still dropped duds in Week 18.

Heroes

QB, Mitchell Trubisky

Josh Allen took the opening snap to extend his starting streak to 127 regular season games and was replaced by backup Trubisky who went on to light up the Jets. A near 76% completion rate with 4 touchdowns and no turnovers equated to a monster game from the Bills second stringer. If you took the chance on him, he came through in a massive way as the QB1 on the week. Depending on your settings, Stafford may have been the lead scorer as the two surprisingly posted identical passing stats.

RB, Rhamondre Stevenson

Despite being outworked by TreVeon Henderson, it was Stevenson who posted the biggest day of all running backs leaguewide with 131 yards, 3 total touchdowns on just 9 touches. Stevenson had a huge run during the postseason and came through for you one more time if you needed it in week 18. Henderson may be the featured back heading into 2026 but Rhamondre has more than proven he’ll be able to produce no matter how much his carries are limited.

WR, Alec Pierce

The top scorer on the week despite the ejection. Only 4 grabs but when 2 of them go for touchdowns and big yardage, the points are going to rack up. Pierce will (potentially) end his time in Indy with his first 1,000 yard season to his name. He will more than likely get a decent payday and find himself in a good role heading into 2026. He’s certainly a name to look forward to in drafts next year.

TE, Cade Otton

Otton waited until week 18 to post his first touchdown of the season and it was also nearly a 100 yard effort.  His 94 yards was his highest total since week 7 of 2024. The tight end slot struggled mightily this season for Tampa which could have played a part in the losing that led to them missing the playoffs.

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Zeroes

QB, Sam Darnold

20/26, 198 yards, no touchdowns or turnovers. Even just scoring once would have made this a better line from a fantasy points perspective. He obviously had a high completion percentage and managed the game well, overcoming those ghosts he so typically sees in big games. However, that didn’t help your points. It’s unfortunate because he really did help most teams out in a major way all season long, but if you played week 18, he might’ve hurt quite a bit. A QB14 finish isn’t so bad for the preseason QB26.

RB, Christian McCaffrey

Seattle completely shut down CMC in the biggest game of the year for both teams. 8 carries for 23 yards just sounds unheard of. 6 catches for 34 yards is even more unrealistic. The 23 yards on the ground were his worst total since Week 17, 2018. The 49ers offense as a whole struggled to get going. With the loss, they’ll now need to travel to Philly next week to take on the defending Champs. If the 49ers are going to win that one, you’d assume CMC will play a big part of that. Making him still a play in any post season pools.

WR, DJ Moore

The Bears offense took a minute to get going against the Lions. When it finally did, it was mostly the tight ends and rookie receivers who did the work. It’ll be interesting if Moore is a Bear going into next year with how much their rookies Luther Burden and Jahdae Walker. One reception for 11 yards leaves a bad taste in owners mouths, but he will have a chance to redeem himself a bit in the playoffs.

TE, Jake Ferguson

Despite picking up a calf injury and practicing as limited all week, Ferguson gave it a go and was limited to just one catch. A strong start to the season saw him struggle down the stretch, but that could be said about much of the Dallas pass catching weapons. The team will need to take a full offseason and get back on track for 2026. He may have burned you in the end, but we saw what this offense is capable of when they’re at their best which should make Ferguson an easy TE1.

Keith, Author

Keith runs youth flag football leagues by day, and by night he hosts the podcast and writes articles with the confidence of a man who’s been rushing quarterbacks since dial-up. A longtime flag football DE and lifelong Falcons fan, he’s no stranger to heartbreak and enjoys watching the bears get slaughtered each week. Equal parts coach, critic, and chaos, Keith calls it like he sees it… even if it hurts.