Fantasy Football Week 18 WR rankings: Calvin Ridley looks to bounce back

Week 18 presents an additional challenge in fantasy football unlike any other week of the season. Some NFL teams with nothing left to play for, such as those who have clinched their seedings in the playoffs, may choose to bench some of their starters and give them additional rest prior to the postseason. This can eliminate them as potential lineup options for the championship round of the fantasy football playoffs.

Luckily for the wide receiver position, more options are available for fantasy football lineups than in any other position. While it has the most depth of options, it's still extremely important to analyze all of the available players before finalizing lineups. This helps to maximize weekly scores and generate sustained success.

Weekly rankings are one of the best ways to sort through all of the available options each week. Unlike season-long rankings that project a players overall output for the whole year, weekly rankings focus much more on individual matchups. This helps to pinpoint favorable targets and avoid certain players in difficult situations.

Calvin Ridley is an example of a wide receiver who will see his fantasy football value boosted in Week 18 when the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Tennessee Titans. He recorded a massive WR1 weekly finish the first time that they played. The Titans are also allowing the eighth-most fantasy points per game to his position.

Chris Godwin is an example of the opposite, as his value will decrease this week. Despite finishing among the top 20 wide receivers in PPR leagues in each of his past three games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he will have a difficult matchup against the New Orleans Saints. They are currently allowing the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers.

This is just one example of the many that can factor into making weekly rankings, as every possible situation for all available options must be properly analyzed. Taking all of this into careful consideration, here's how the top 50 wide receivers stack up in Week 18.

Week 18 fantasy football WR rankings

1. CeeDee Lamb
2. Justin Jefferson
3. Tyreek Hill
4. AJ Brown
5. Michael Pittman Jr.
6. Davante Adams
7. Stefon Diggs
8. Ja'Marr Chase
9. Amon-Ra St. Brown
10. DK Metcalf
11. Nico Collins
12. Mike Evans
13. Calvin Ridley
14. Jayden Reed
15. Puka Nacua
16. DJ Moore
17. DeAndre Hopkins
18. Jaylen Waddle
19. Chris Olave
20. Cooper Kupp
21. DeVonta Smith
22. Garrett Wilson
23. Gabe Davis
24. Brandin Cooks
25. Adam Thielen
26. George Pickens
27. Tee Higgins
28. Terry McLaurin
29. Tyler Lockett
30. Chris Godwin
31. Darius Slayton
32. Rashid Shaheed
33. Jakobi Meyers
34. Demarcus Robinson
35. Drake London
36. Diontae Johnson
37. Greg Dortch
38. Josh Downs
39. Jordan Addison
40. Wan'Dale Robinson
41. Rashee Rice
42. Jaxon Smith-Njigba
43. Noah Brown
44. Romeo Doubs
45. Tyler Boyd
46. Jerry Jeudy
47. Quentin Johnston
48. Jameson Williams
49. Curtis Samuel
50. Michael Wilson