NFL Week 18 player props: Who's going to finish strong?

Maybe Antonio Brown bailed on the Buccaneers because he had "Rob Gronkowski anytime touchdown" too. Sure, Tom Brady fed his buddy as we thought he would, just never for a touchdown. Meanwhile, Keenan Allen gave Justin Herbert comfort via a touchdown but couldn't get over his yardage total. The right idea but wrong results means we end up 4-6 last week to bring us to 98-74-2 on the season.

Here are our player props for Week 18.

Carson Wentz under 28.5 pass attempts

The Colts must win to get into the playoffs, and the Jaguars need to lose to get the first overall pick. So I think we know how this game goes. The Colts will look to Jonathan Taylor early and late.

With the Jaguars more than willing to play a vanilla defense, there's no reason for Indianapolis to do anything crazy by relying on Wentz to sling it. The Colts haven't thrown the ball more than 28 times since November in a shootout with the Buccaneers.

There's also the strong chance that Wentz doesn't need to play the fourth quarter with the game in hand and playoffs looming.

Ben Roethlisberger under 226.5 passing yards

Good for Ben Roethlisberger to get his fond farewell in Pittsburgh on Monday. However, it couldn't have come soon enough for the Steelers legend. The writing is on the wall with yard totals of 148, 159, and 123 in the last three games. Yes, the Ravens' secondary has been getting worked lately, but Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, and Matthew Stafford are much more capable at this stage than Big Ben.

Ryan Tannehill over 214.5 passing yards

I don't expect the Texans to just roll over and let the Titans take the top seed in the AFC. Their general poor play will help Tennessee accomplish that. Whether it's the Titans coming out firing early or needing to show some urgency late, Tannehill will be required to pick apart Houston's awful secondary.

Jaret Patterson anytime touchdown (+240)

Washington would like to accomplish two things this weekend: According to Ron Rivera, they'd like to play their young players more. And thanks to Giants coach Joe Judge's "clown show organization" comments, I'll presume they also want to beat the brakes off of New York.

Patterson had 12 carries and five targets last week and found himself in the end zone for the second time in three games. The rookie tailback will have 60 minutes of opportunity and, at +240, he's worth including as a medium-shot touchdown bet.

Rob Gronkowski over 65.5 receiving yards

Gronkowski's stats might look like this Sunday: seven receptions, 85 yards, three touchdowns.

Why the oddly specific stat line? Because those are the totals Gronk needs to trigger half-million-dollar bonuses for each stat. But while the first two are certainly doable thanks to his usage last week, no touchdown in Week 17 means there's a good chance he'll fall short in the last stat. This means the other marks are even more important, and Brady has a history of going out of his way to get his guys paid in the last game.

Gronkowski is +110 to score, and if you can find markets for him to score two-plus or even three-plus - with Mike Evans on a bigger guaranteed deal and the other big-name pass-catchers either injured or self-ejected - those are worth a sprinkle.

Stefon Diggs over 6.5 receptions

Sean McDermott is ruthless. Either late in games against inferior opponents or struggling division rivals in the last game of the season, the Bills pad stats and keep the starters in until there's no life left in the opponent. Stefon Diggs needs six catches to trigger a contract incentive. I think McDermott and Josh Allen go out of their way to get Diggs the money, and if so, we'll get it too.

Mac Jones under 214.5 passing yards

Call me crazy, but I'm not convinced that Jones finishes this one in Miami. With a playoff game on the schedule next week, there's a chance Bill Belichick sees the Bills beating up on the Jets and takes Jones out late. Even if he doesn't, the Dolphins have had success confusing young quarterbacks with their pre-snap looks and creative blitzes.

Matt Ryan over 214.5 passing yards

Ryan plays well against the Saints' defense. It helps that the Falcons' lack of a running game and the quarterback frequently being forced into a duel with Drew Brees forces Ryan to do it himself. While the latter no longer exists, the former still did in the first meeting, when Ryan threw for 343 yards.

Tyler Lockett over 56.5 receiving yards

Russell Wilson is finally healthy and has a run game all of a sudden. That opens things up down the field for Lockett who, in his last four games against the Cardinals, has averaged more than seven catches and an eyelash under 100 yards per game.

Elijah Mitchell over 68.5 rush yards

Mitchell returns just in time for the playoffs, which means he gets the tailback workload in a do-or-die game for the 49ers. San Francisco's run game has been at its best with Mitchell getting the majority of the carries (27 carries, 91 yards versus the Rams earlier this season).

Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.