With several teams locked in the playoffs before their Week 18 season finales and not having much to gain with another win, we can expect to see several starters on the sidelines for Sunday’s games. It’s better to leave them rested and fresh for the playoffs rather than expose them to potential injury.
Below is a look at some of the biggest names we can expect to miss Sunday’s games, not including players who were expected to miss out anyway due to injuries or other personal reasons, like Anthony Richardson, Brock Purdy or Tua Tagovaioloa.
Josh Allen
Buffalo Bills (chez Patriots)
Allen is weird because he’s going to play, but it won’t be for long. Allen will open the game for the Bills by simply extending his streak of consecutive starts to 115 games. After that, he will sit, as coach Sean McDermott plans to play a mix of starters and backups while he rests some players. Knowing this, I wouldn’t expect to see many key players like James Cook, Khalil Shakir and Pro Bowler Dion Dawkins either. Amari Cooper will also miss the match, despite being ruled out for personal reasons.
Saquon Barkley
Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Giants)
You’ve heard it before, but Barkley won’t get a chance to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing yards record because he’ll be playing in the Finals against his former team. And he’s not the only Eagle in this game. Jalen hurts remains out as he continues to progress through the concussion protocol, and other key starters like Also Brun, DeVonta Smith, Jalen Carter et Kill Darius are also listed as questionable to play.
Patrick Mahomes
Kansas City Chiefs (at Broncos)
Carson Wentz starts in place of Mahomes for the Chiefs, who have already locked up the AFC’s top seed. But quarterback isn’t the only position where KC rests key players. The other 10 starters also listed as questionable or out of the game include Chris Jones, Travis Kelce et Trent McDuffie.
Matthieu Stafford
Guaranteed a home playoff game as NFC West champions, the Rams aren’t too concerned about standings and are willing to sit Stafford with other starters. Head coach Sean McVay confirmed Puka Nacua, Cooper’s Coup et Kyren Williams are also sitting on this one.
This article was originally published on For The Win: Which NFL players will be out in Week 18? Here are all the big names you need to know.
