Yes, it does. I was in 17B on 867 LAX-HKG on July 19th and slept quite well.

I found that the man in 17A was able to leave his seat without having me retract the legrest.

I've had 15A before, and as much as I enjoy all that extra room, I can't tuck my briefcase against the back of 14A, so it was a little extra hassle getting stuff mid-flight. I think many people don't mind the tradeoff though, myself included.

Hope this works out better than your Row 18 experience.