Fantasy Football Outlook: Geno Smith, James Conner, Trey McBride, Tony Pollard (Week 18)

Every week we’ll bring you The Primer, a deep dive into every fantasy-relevant player from every NFL game of the week. You can find the full weekly Primer here. Below we dive into a few notable players ahead of this weekend’s games.

Fantasy Football Outlook

Geno Smith: Smith has looked more like Chef Geno since Week 10. Since that week, among 35 qualifying quarterbacks, he ranks fourth in passing yards per game, 11th in yards per attempt, and ninth in passer rating and hero throw rate. He should have no problems putting a hurting on the Cards’ secondary. Since Week 12, Arizona has allowed the ninth-highest yards per attempt, the most passing touchdowns, and the highest passer rating and CPOE.

James Conner: Conner has been crushing it. He needs only 110 rushing yards to hit 1,000 rushing yards for the season, which is amazing considering how much time he missed this season. Since Week 13, he has averaged 21.6 touches and 109.8 total yards. Conner looks like he hasn’t lost anything from his prime, and you can easily argue that he is still firmly in the prime of his career. He has been electric this season, ranking 12th in explosive run rate, seventh in missed tackles forced per attempt, and eighth in yards after contact per attempt. Seattle’s run defense continues to stink it up. Since Week 12, they have allowed the most rushing yards per game and rushing touchdowns while also giving up the fifth-highest explosive run rate and the third-highest yards before contact per attempt.

Trey McBride: With Kyler Murray under center, McBride has remained a weekly volume monster. Since Week 10, among 46 qualifying tight ends, he ranks first in target share (25.2%), second in YPRR (2.26), and first in first-read share (30.1%). These are elite WR1 volume/usage stats. In the same timeframe, McBride ranks fourth in fantasy points per route run.

Tony Pollard: Pollard has been a terrible disappointment this season, but he’s in play in Week 18. The matchup is amazing. Since Week 8, he has averaged 17.1 touches and 69.9 total yards. The last time he faced Washington, he had 19 touches and 103 total yards (one score). Since Week 8, among 50 qualifying backs, he ranks ninth in explosive run rate and 16th in yards after contact per attempt. Pollard’s tackle-breaking numbers have improved as the season has worn on. Since Week 12, Washington has allowed the third-most rushing yards per game, the fourth-most rushing scores, and the third-highest yards after contact per attempt.