Fantasy Football Outlook: Jonathan Taylor, Jared Goff, Rachaad White, Jalen Hurts (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

Jonathan Taylor: Since returning to the lineup, Taylor has played 59-62% of the snaps with zero pass game involvement (one target per game). He has averaged 19.5 rushing attempts and 69.5 rushing yards per game. Among 65 qualifying backs, Taylor ranks 31st in missed tackles forced per attempt and 30th in yards after contact per attempt. Taylor is fadeable on this two-game slate. With these small slates, you have to make a stand with certain players, and I lean that fading Taylor is the way to go. Houston has been a brick wall against rushing. Since Week 12, they have allowed the third-lowest explosive run rate and the second-fewest rushing yards per game while boasting the highest stuff rate in the NFL. Taylor will be one of if not the most popular play on this two game slate. I’ll have him on a few teams, but I’ll definitely be below the field.

Jared Goff: Goff had no problems posting an efficient outing last time against Minnesota, completing 75% of his throws for 257 yards and a score. Three touchdowns went to the ground game, which sapped all of Goff’s upside, but this is still a secondary matchup that he can take advantage of through the air. Goff has five games with at least 20 fantasy points and two above 25 points, so the ceiling is there. Goff ranks sixth in passing yards per game, 11th in yards per attempt, ninth in passer rating, and 11th in CPOE. The Vikings’ secondary has been exposed. Since Week 12, they have allowed the 12th-most passing yards per game, the seventh-highest passer rating, and the third-highest CPOE.

Rachaad White: The last time these two teams met, White had 23 touches, 106 total yards, and 19.6 PPR points. With another 85 rushing yards, White can cross the 1,000 rushing mark for the season. He’s had at least 20 carries in four of the last five games and should be in line for 20-25 carries this week. White has averaged 19.6 touches and 90.4 total yards this season. He is fourth in snap share, seventh in opportunity share, third in weighted opportunities, and seventh in red zone touches. Since Week 12, Carolina has allowed the fourth-highest rushing touchdown rate, the second-highest missed tackles per attempt, and the highest yards after contact per attempt. White is a smash play this week.

Jalen Hurts: Hurts remains the QB2 in fantasy, but it has been driven by his production with his legs and not his arm. He ranks first in red zone carries, third in rushing yards, and first in rushing touchdowns. Since Week 11, among 33 qualifying quarterbacks, he ranks 24th in yards per attempt, 25th in passer rating, 24th in CPOE, and 16th in highly accurate throw rate. Hurts can have a day with his legs again while flashing some upside with his arm. The last time he faced the Giants, he had 7.9 yards per attempt while tossing for 301 yards and a score. The Giants will pose a challenge for him, though. Since Week 12, they have ranked 16th in passing yards per game while holding passers to the seventh-lowest CPOE, the eighth-lowest passer rating, and the third-fewest passing touchdowns.