Week 18 Healthy Scratch Averages 2025

[Heffay72]

I thought week 18 healthy scratches were limited to playoff teams?

[Goodell]

I thought week 18 healthy scratches were limited to playoff teams?

We probably need to write up something very detailed ahead as a guide. Every year it seems something odd happens in the final week, whether it's some teams listing rested guys as out and others as doubtful or many players only playing one drive, etc. Who knows what'll happen ahead in future week 18s. I think being playoff-bound and resting was the general spirit of the discussion and coach's decisions on resting players. As things are, I believe we only have playoff-bound players on the list. That's good toward the change intention. But what if we get a situation in the future like Cincy with a stud QB and perhaps they get eliminated just before their Week 18 game (like if Denver had a gametime before theirs this year) and they aren't playoff bound but they bench him anyway because it's a meaningless game being just eliminated by other game results. Then we'd certainly get people crying for him to have a bye average since he's a healthy scratch too. Week 18 seems to get more crazy every year for playing time and stats issues as sim teams perhaps need wins that final week and wouldn't be resting their guy like he was in reality.

I think it's worked out well toward intentions, but perhaps we'll better clarify details of the rule to guide us for crazy happenings ahead.

[Goodell]

Added some Bills to the list Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox and Greg Rousseau as healthy scratches coach's decisions on playoff-bound team resting starters.

[Heffay72]

Amari Cooper should be on that list too.

[Goodell]

Would like some other thoughts on that. It's all more reasons to hate week 18 stat messy-ness. I didn't add him initially because it wasn't just a going to play except resting game, but instead sounds like something maybe he would miss no matter what for personal reasons and seemed like might be more than just one game (and possibly even playoff games) at times potentially. Seemed different than guy on the sidelines on winning team not suited up for coaching decision on playoff bound team. We'll have to try to draft some detailed specifics for as many situations as we can so it's all black-and-white no subjective calls or helping some teams and hurting others favoritism.

AS things are unless changed, it's kind of a half-and-half win. Since he's not "out" on injury list he's not market out in terms of grade impact. So he'd have that already just by not being "out". With zero stats and initially not in our week 18 averaged game list to add average stats, he'd have no stats in update. That's more driven by QB completions as if tons of those it gives people catches beyond their stats as someone has to catch a QB's completion. I think his average is only a couple catches so not massive average game help.

I don't know a ton about his situation other than quick glance at articles that he might have even missed multiple games including playoff game but sounds like will be back for playoff game now. I'm kind of a mixed mind on that without researching more or getting more feedback seeing where most were on it, but initially it felt different than a healthy player is available and would have played except coach decision sat him on bench. To me, felt more like wouldn't have played week 18 in reality and different from our other averaged game situations.

[Heffay72]

Ya I don't know much either. I heard if the game mattered he would have been there. Leave him off, don't matter to me

[Sharkbait]

Now that season is over I thought I would post my thought. 2 years I was screwed when Lamar and CMC sat in week 18 and therefor they became out in my playoff matchup which I ended up losing to a team a beat twice in the regular season.

I also lost my week 18 matchup, which to me it is what it is. But I don’t think we need to change the regular season injury report. Only change the playoff matchups when players are sitting which otherwise would have played.

Baltimore and San Fran had real life byes, so the injury report was not updated for my playoff matchup. To me these are the only subjective changes which are needed.

Another fix, wait for the two bye teams to come
Back into play and use their updated injury reports. Both Lamar and CmC played once they came back. Would just need to operate one week behind the first week.