NFL Tankathon: How Will Week 18 Odds and Results Affect 2025 NFL Draft Order?

We've finally made it to the last NFL regular season game, and while some teams are scrapping in the playoff race, there is an entire other side of the league in a race for something else. Welcome back to the third edition of NFL Tankathon, where the worst of the worst try not to win another game.

There are several important matchups in Week 18 that could rearrange the 2025 NFL Draft order depending on their results. The interesting wrinkle this week is that these tankers are going against playoff teams and their backup quarterbacks, furthering their chance of an accidental victory.

The Pats will host the Bills with a chance to essentially lock up the No. 1 pick with a loss, while the Titans and Giants fight for positioning in the top-4 against opponents resting starters. Let's take a look at each team's chances and how they'll shift as they battle for the best draft pick.

NFL Tankathon: Draft Order if Season Ended Today

1. New England Patriots (3-13)
2. Tennessee Titans (3-13)
3. Cleveland Browns (3-14)
4. New York Giants (3-13)
5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12)
6. Carolina Panthers (4-12)
7. New York Jets (4-12)
8. Las Vegas Raiders (4-12)
9. Chicago Bears (4-12)
10. New Orleans Saints (5-11)

Click here for the latest NFL Week 18 Odds

NFL Tankathon: Week 18 Odds

Bills vs. No. 1 Patriots (+3.5)

The New England Patriots now hold the first spot after the Giants blew it last week, although they may be the only team not taking a quarterback in the front of the pack. They just got Drake Maye last year, and will likely use this pick on someone like Travis Hunter to bolster their skill positions. It's also possible that they trade down to No. 3 or No. 4 and still take Hunter while gaining draft capital.

The Pats will be going against Josh Allen for just one snap today, who is expected to continue his consecutive starts streak before bowing out for Mitch Trubisky. The Pats could definitely steal one from the Bills' backups, especially after going up 14-0 against the starters just two games ago. If they did, they can kiss Travis Hunter goodbye as they will slide down to the middle of the group.

Texans vs. No. 2 Titans (-1.5)

The Titans climbed into the No. 2 spot by way of another loss to the Jags and a Giants upset last week. It plays well for them, as they are desperately in need of a new QB after using Will Levis and Mason Rudolph all year, to no avail. The Titans are firmly in the hunt for Sanders and Ward, so they'll try to lose again today.

The Texans have said they are playing most of their starters, but this line indicates it may not be for very long. The oddsmakers don't have much confidence in those starters anyway, with the team very banged-up and skidding as we near the playoffs. The Texans will host a home playoff game, but early indications are that they might not even be favored against the Steelers or Chargers, with FanDuel giving the two road teams a -2 spread in hypothetical matchups.

This will likely be a close game, but the Titans should try very hard not to win by accident. This line has moved from Titans +2 to -1.5 over the last week, a bad bit of momentum for a team trying to stay in the No. 2 spot. Watch out for them in Nashville today which could seriously shake up this order.

No. 4 Giants (+2.5) vs. Eagles

To round out the lead group, we will touch on the New York Giants as they visit the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field today. The Giants started off last week in the top spot, before tumbling down to No. 4 after staging a massive upset against the Indianapolis Colts.

It was their first home win of the season and just third total, with Drew Lock playing lights out against a weak Colts defense. Joe Flacco and Indy couldn't quite keep up in the end, seeing their playoff hopes fade away in MetLife stadium. The Giants were bounced out of prime position for their troubles, casting doubt onto their potential quarterback pick at the top of the draft.

They will hope to accidentally climb back into the top-three today to have a better shot at Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, with the Titans and Browns also looking for a QB and sitting ahead of them. Giants fans will be rooting for the Titans to edge out a resting Texans squad in Nashville today, while also not trying to take down Kenny Pickett and the Eagles as a slight underdog. While the moral win would be nice, it would tumble their draft stock closer to the 10th pick than the 1st, and potentially doom them to repeat this atrocious season once again.

Other NFL Draft Tankers: Browns, Jags, Jets, Bears

The Browns already played yesterday, getting blown away by the Ravens in Baltimore. They have officially ended the season at 3-14 and as losers of their last six games, a flawless end from a tanking perspective. The Browns took probably the biggest dive on this last from a year ago, going from a playoff team to a top-3 draft pick. Injuries obviously played a massive role, but the offense was horrendous even before that. They are likely looking at Ward or Sanders to try and change the tide of the franchise after the Deshaun Watson deal. Assuming the Titans and Pats lose, they will stay in the No. 3 spot, but could move up with either of them winning.

The Jacksonville Jaguars won last week against the Titans for the second time in a month, moving their record to 4-12. They currently sit in the No. 5 spot behind the Giants, with them breaking the tie between all of the other 4-win teams. They are +3.5 underdogs against the Colts who have been eliminated, so they could certainly win that game. If they did, they'd take a big jump down towards the 10th pick.

The New York Jets will take on the Dolphins as a +100 underdog at home. They have some of the most uncertainty on this list, as the other tankers know exactly what position they are going for. The Jets have a lot of decisions to make with Aaron Rodgers and other failed stars on offense, and it's anyone's guess who they may try to draft at this point. If they win, they eliminate the Dolphins from the playoffs, but would also fall a bit lower than their No. 7 spot.

The Bears will visit the Packers at Lambeau Field today as a double-digit underdog, likely adding to their NFL-worst 10-game losing streak. Chicago is stuck in the 9th spot due to having the best strength of schedule of current opponent records, which is the first major tiebreaker outside of the head-to-head between these tanking teams. The Bears will hope some of their fellow list-mates win games today and get to five wins so that they can move out of draft pick purgatory.