NFL Week 18 Practice Squad Power Rankings: Huge roster evaluation opportunity for the eliminated teams

Everything right now is NFL playoffs, NFL playoffs, NFL playoffs. And rightfully so. We’ll all be transfixed on the postseason for the next month, but let’s not forget about the current 12 clubs already eliminated from playoff contention. They’re in a weird spot. There’s still one game left in the regular season but we wouldn’t necessarily fault anyone in any of those organizations if they’ve shifted focus to free agency or the NFL Draft. 

And while it may be dubbed a “meaningless” game for those dozen teams, it’s far from that in reality. It’s another contest of valuable roster evaluation, and you can bet every single coach and player on a club eliminated from postseason contention desperately wants to win in the regular-season finale. 

The eliminated teams should absolutely be giving as many opportunities as possible to players on their respective rosters this weekend. I get if a team doesn’t want to send out a practice squad elevation in a contest that impacts playoff seeding. And a player who thrives in, say, his first opportunity of the season this Saturday or Sunday will probably not see the field in the playoffs for one the teams already locked into their spot. 

With all that in mind, the final Practice Squad Power Rankings of the 2023 season will only feature players on clubs eliminated from postseason contention. 

Before I get to Week 18’s rankings, we didn’t have any Week 17 PSPR elevations. And that’s cool. We already saw the number of elevations exceed my main goal — which was averaging at least one call-up per week. The Call-Up Tracker is at 26 entering the final week of the regular season. 

And let’s not forget to once again pay homage to Practice Squad Power Ranking alums like Saints TE Juwan Johnson, 49ers wideout Jauan Jennings, Cardinals center Hjalte Froholdt and Giants receiver Isaiah Hodgins (among many others) who have all graduated to become…

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Author : Chris Trapasso

Publish date : 2024-01-05 13:42:53

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