Jets vs. Dolphins odds, NFL Week 18 injury report: Spread jumps toward Miami and total shrinks with Joe Flacco starting at QB for New York

No Week 18 spread has jumped around more this week than Sunday's New York Jets at Miami Dolphins matchup, and it's because of the starting quarterbacks situation. The spread at Caesars Sportsbook pinballed back to Dolphins -3 this morning with the news that Mike White is out for the Jets and veteran Joe Flacco will get the call with Zach Wilson as his backup. The total also has been affected.

White missed Weeks 15-16 with a ribs injury and didn't look great in last Sunday's 23-6 loss in Seattle that eliminated the Jets from playoff contention, throwing two picks in the loss. Still, there was no indication White was hurting again until he was downgraded to limited in Thursday's practice and now has been ruled out.

It's frankly somewhat shocking the Jets aren't starting Wilson if they think the former No. 2 overall pick is at all part of their future. This is a meaningless game for them, and Flacco definitely isn't the future. One Jets beat writer did speculate Wilson may have started if the team's offensive line were healthier.

Flacco started the first three games of the season while Wilson was recovering from a preseason knee injury and went 1-2. The former Super Bowl MVP last saw the field on Dec. 11 in Buffalo when White left briefly with his ribs injury. Flacco is completing 58.2% of his passes for 902 yards, five TDs and three picks this season.

Amazingly, with two touchdown passes on Sunday, he would finish as the team leader despite playing only five games. Wilson leads with six in his nine outings. At age 37, it's possible this is the final NFL start of Flacco's career, although he surely would get a backup job next season if he continues to play.

Miami, on a five-game skid like New York, needs a win and New England loss in Buffalo on Sunday (Bills are -7) to earn the AFC's final wild-card spot. The last time the Dolphins made the playoffs when needing help from other teams in the final week was in Dan Marino's final season in 1999.

Tua Tagovailoa is out with another concussion. Of the three games Tua has missed this season, the Dolphins haven't finished with the same quarterback they started with in any of them -- and they lost all three. Teddy Bridgewater is iffy with a dislocated pinky finger on his throwing hand. If the swelling goes down enough and he can grip the ball, he'll start.

Otherwise, it will be seventh-round rookie Skylar Thompson. He started Oct. 16 against Minnesota but was knocked out with an injury. Thompson replaced an injured Bridgewater early in Miami's 40-17 loss in New Jersey in Week 5 and threw for 166 yards and a pick. Overall, the former Kansas State star has completed 40 of 74 passes for 382 yards, a TD, three picks and five sacks.

With all the QB uncertainty, the spread has dropped from an open of 41 to 37. That's now the lowest number on the Week 18 board.

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