The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Denver Broncos in Week 18. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Chiefs and Broncos skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 18 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Kansas City Chiefs Week 18 Start-Sit Advice
Carson Wentz, QB
Wentz will start Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Broncos. With the Chiefs having clinched the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed, head coach Andy Reid noted Wednesday that “it wasn’t a hard decision” to rest starting QB Patrick Mahomes in Week 18.
“I’ve been through it before,” Reid added. “I’m not too worried. It gives the other guys an opportunity to grow.”
In this case, Wentz will get the starting nod, with Chris Oladokun presumably in line to be elevated from the practice squad to serve as Kansas City’s No. 2 QB versus Denver.
Wentz — who has played nine total snaps all season –is headed for his first extended action since Week 18 of 2023, when his former Rams squad faced a similar scenario heading into the regular-season finale and opted to rest normal starter Matthew Stafford.
With the Chiefs holding out and/or restricting the workloads of other top playmakers and linemen, it will limit Wentz’s fantasy appeal for Week 18. To make things more unpredictable, NFL Network’s Peter Schrager suggested that Kansas City may even turn to Oladokun to relieve Wentz at some point in the contest.
Patrick Mahomes, QB
Updated at 2:55 ET on Sunday, January 5
Mahomes is inactive for today's game.
It’s almost eerie how similar, despite a variety of injuries and moving pieces, Patrick Mahomes’ stat line looks to what he did last regular season (2023 is on top, 2024 is below):
With Xavier Worthy coming on strong late in the season and Hollywood Brown nearing full strength, there’s plenty to like about Mahomes’ prospects in postseason formats. Add in Rashee Rice returning to action, and I’d imagine there will be little hesitation in going back to No. 15 next season when the draft season is here.
As for Week 18, the Chiefs have everything locked up and no reason to overextend a nucleus of skill position players who have essentially all been banged up at one point or another this season.
I won’t have him ranked as a Tier 1 option at the position next season like I did entering this season, but with the best pass-catching core he’s ever had, I’m viewing 4,000 yards through the air and 30 total touchdowns as something of a floor – that’s not something many can claim.
Isiah Pacheco, RB
Updated at 2:55 ET on Sunday, January 5
Pacheco is inactive for today's game.
Isiah Pacheco is very clearly being managed, and I highly doubt that a smart organization like the Chiefs relents on that plan in a meaningless Week 18 game.
Isiah Pacheco’s usage since his return:
- Week 14: 47.7% snap share and 16 touches
- Week 15: 37.3% snap share and 14 touches
- Week 16: 32.9% snap share and 10 touches
- Week 17: 34.5% snap share and six touches
I think there may be a nice buying window for Pacheco in playoff-based fantasy leagues, and I’d encourage you to go that route — unless you play in such a league with me. If that’s the case, carry on.
Kareem Hunt, RB
Updated at 2:55 ET on Sunday, January 5
Hunt is active for today's game (Not expected to play).
As mentioned, the Chiefs are locked into the AFC’s top seed, and that means we could see the usage spread out all over the place to irregular names. As for Kareem Hunt, he won’t be playing in Week 18.
Hunt has run for a score and is operating as the head of a committee with Isiah Pacheco right now, something that feels more like a way to get to the finish line of the regular season than it does a sustainable plan for the NFL’s second season.
With Pacheco back in the mix, Hunt is averaging 10.2 touches per game. I view that as a ceiling case, and that’s not the type of ceiling I make a habit of investing in.
Hunt’s snap share, last four games:
- Week 14 at Chargers: 30.8%
- Week 15 at Browns: 37.3%
- Week 16 vs. Texans: 45.7%
- Week 17 at Steelers: 48.3%
Kansas City struggled to move the ball on the ground in the first meeting with Denver (Hunt: 14 carries for 35 yards), making this a tough backfield to feel good about the backups.
Realistically, I’m fading the NFL’s best team in all regards this weekend.
DeAndre Hopkins, WR
The Chiefs have yet to really extend DeAndre Hopkins (he’s topped out at a 63.1% snap share and has been held under 50% in three straight), and I don’t see that changing with nothing of substance on the line.
That’s a lie. Hopkins pockets a $500,000 bonus with a touchdown, so maybe they work to get him there, but that’s an awfully thin line to walk, especially since Mahomes isn’t going to be playing.
We have only gotten some clarity on Kansas City’s plans for playing time ahead of time — that has me fading all of their players under the assumption of rational coaching principle.
That’s a dangerous principle to follow with regularity, but I break it out in Week 18 because of the increased guesswork we are forced to do.
Hollywood Brown, WR
Everything about Hollywood Brown’s usage since debuting for the team has been great and if there was a word bigger than great, I’d use it here.
Two games: 34 routes and 15 targets
If that is the sort of usage we are going to get during the playoffs, Brown could prove to be a league winner for those in playoff pools. I’m a little skeptical that we see elite usage sustained over the next month (Xavier Worthy’s role is on the rise and “Playoff Kelce” is likely to be unleashed at some point), but I’d still take a shot on him in a league like that.
For Week 18, I wouldn’t be surprised if Brown lasted longer than the primary regulars on this offense in an effort to get him into game shape, but you’re asking a lot from him if you plan on rolling him out there.
You could have talked me into Flexing Brown if we were going to get three or four quarters from Patrick Mahomes, but with that not being the case, I’m looking elsewhere for my Flex spot.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR
If you told me some things didn’t happen, I’d believe you. These things happened so long ago that my memory faded, and I could easily be convinced it was a dream. Dinosaurs, the newspaper, the Miami Dolphins last playoff victory, things like that.
I think we’ve hit the point where JuJu Smith-Schuster’s breakout game for the Chiefs is now one of those things. Back in Week 5, he caught seven balls on 29 routes for 130 yards, and we all wondered if he could be the knockoff version of Rashee Rice for this offense.
Not even close.
He’s turned 149 routes into eight catches and 80 yards since then. Given the version of Smith-Schuster that we see these days, you could easily sell me on that nice day in early October when he carved up the Saints as a self-created image that never actually occurred.
Xavier Worthy, WR
Stop me if you’ve heard this before — I like where things are headed for the Chiefs as we conclude the regular season and get ready for the playoffs.
Last week, Xavier Worthy joined Saquon Barkley as the only rookie in NFL history with nine targets and multiple rush attempts in three straight games. Not bad company and a clear sign that Andy Reid is getting a handle on the chess pieces at his disposal.
This makes me all sorts of bullish on Worthy’s stock in postseason formats and for 2025. His role will take some adjusting when Rashee Rice returns to action, but not for this week. Reid has spent all season slow playing Worthy’s usage; why would he put the rookie in harm’s way for a meaningless game?
The kicker is that even if Reid were to put Worthy on the field, are we sold he produces? This offense will look different with nothing on the line, and Worthy was held to just a single catch on 37 routes when these two teams met in Week 10.
The Broncos are playing for everything, while the Chiefs are more interested to see how the seeding around them shakes out. Sell any short-term Worthy shares, but buy moving forward past Week 18 in whatever capacity you can.
Noah Gray, TE
Updated at 2:55 ET on Sunday, January 5
Kelce is inactive for today's game.
Noah Gray enters the week ranked fourth among 34 tight ends (minimum 40 targets) in PPR points per target this season, behind only Mark Andrews, George Kittle, and Tucker Kraft. He’s the next man up with Kelce not playing.
Even with Mahomes out as well, Gray is worthy of a look in weekly formats. Remember that Kelce went 8-64-1 in the Week 10 matchup against the Broncos.
Travis Kelce, TE
Updated at 2:55 ET on Sunday, January 5
Kelce is inactive for today's game.
Was a vintage Travis Kelce Week 17 performance (8-84-1 in Pittsburgh) a sign of things to come? It’s certainly possible (it was just 12 months ago when he posted a 32-355-3 playoff stat line), but we will need to wait a little longer to see, as he won’t be playing this weekend with the No. 1 seed locked up.
Noah Gray enters the week ranked fourth among 34 tight ends (minimum 40 targets) in PPR points per target this season, behind only Mark Andrews, George Kittle, and Tucker Kraft. He’s the next man up.
Even with Mahomes out as well, Gray is worthy of a look in weekly formats. Remember that Kelce went 8-64-1 in the Week 10 matchup against the Broncos.
Denver Broncos Week 18 Start-Sit Advice
Bo Nix, QB
Bo Nix held his own in a Week 10 showdown with these Chiefs; now, the script flips. Instead of being a road underdog against a defense as talented as any, he’s a home favorite against a unit that will likely manage the reps of its starters.
Bo Nix has been clutch when it matters most. He's 15-of-19 this season in the final two minutes of fourth quarters this season (78.9%, best in the league). 🎯 pic.twitter.com/IC2fW64KSV
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 29, 2024
The skill set is fun and the upside is obvious, but how about the usage?
- Cam Newton (2011)
That is your full list of rookie QBs since 2000 with more games than Nix with at least 20 rushing yards and 30 passing attempts. Nix has done it in each of his past three games and has clearly earned Sean Payton’s trust when it comes to this team’s fate.
The rookie has been producing all season long, and we could see him post a big fantasy number with Denver’s season on the line.
Audric Estimé, RB
I think there’s a world in which Audric Estimé is a rosterable handcuff next season, but we can deal with that when we get there — he doesn’t matter right now. He led the Broncos with 53 rushing yards (14 carries) in the Week 10 loss at Arrowhead, though weekly production/role has yet to prove sticky in Sean Payton’s offense this season.
Estimé is being used ahead of Javonte Williams on the ground but without the sort of splash-play potential that Jaleel McLaughlin has flashed regularly. When this game kicks off, we will be more than two months removed from the rookie’s last run that gained more than 10 yards, and if the volume is going to be an obstacle, the lack of chunk gains is damning.
I anticipate this backfield being more straightforward in 2025 than it has been at any point this season, and that means not losing track of Estimé, even after a very underwhelming first season. Betting on this offense is something I’m not going to hesitate to do in the mid to late rounds this summer, and Estimé is a part of that.
Jaleel McLaughlin, RB
This is why you pay attention to trends all season long, even if your matchups are meaningless — breadcrumbs. Jaleel McLaughlin has continued to look like the best back Denver has on its roster, and while the snap share isn’t reflecting that, everything else does.
Broncos RBs production, Week 17:
- Javonte Williams: 36.7% snap share and zero carries
- Audric Estimé: 30% snap share and 0% of carries gained 10+ yards
- Jaleel McLaughlin: 23.3% snap share and 40% of carries gained 10+ yards
That’s right. In a win-and-in situation, Denver’s RB leader in snaps played wasn’t trusted with a single carry while the third man on the totem pole was making chunk plays left and right.
The second-year back out of Youngstown State gained yardage on all 10 of his totes last week and looks like a big play waiting to happen every time he is handed the ball. I never want to paint with a broad brush at this point, but McLaughlin is very likely to be on my list of players to whom I have the highest exposure in 2025.
Williams is playing out the final year of his contract, and I’ve got confidence that his passing-game usage can be absorbed by McLaughlin (86.9% career catch rate). He’s not likely to be the second coming of Alvin Kamara, but we know that Sean Payton’s offense can support a very strong fantasy backfield. With the pieces seemingly falling into place, I’m going to be investing earlier than most find comfortable here.
Before we get to those glory days, however, we have to deal with one more week of this nonsensical three-way committee that renders all parties unreliable. McLaughlin, for maybe the seventh straight game, will be my highest-ranked Bronco RB. That’s enough to warrant Flex conversation in what is always a tough-to-judge Week 18.
Javonte Williams, RB
At this point, it’s clear that the Broncos are sold on a three-headed committee. Williams has led the backfield in snap share in consecutive games, and he has a whopping 13 touches total to show for it.
Over the past month, the pending free agent has more catches (11) than rush attempts (10), putting him in a tough spot to be consistent. There are spots where a PPR manager can identify that role as advantageous due to the projected game script, something that I don’t think will be the case this week given the Chiefs’ lack of motivation.
Jaleel McLaughlin has passed the statistical and eye tests that no one else in this backfield has, and he projects as the better back in a positive game script if not the better option in all scenarios. Williams is only 24 years old, and while we are now looking at two straight inefficient seasons, his growth as a pass catcher and experience as a bell cow could result in a 2025 bounce-back campaign — but not in Denver and not likely this weekend.
McLaughlin is going to be a heavy stance for me heading into next season and is my preferred Bronco back this week. That said, playing any of them this week, even in a game that they need, is risky. Williams’ PPR role can get him into an ugly Flex discussion but not with much confidence.
Courtland Sutton, WR
After reaching 70 yards receiving in six straight games, Courtland Sutton hasn’t cleared 55 in three straight, but he’s bailed you out with a score in two of those games.
That sort of decline should have your attention for the postseason, but I’m not close to sweating it this weekend. Despite the limited returns recently, Sutton has remained heavily involved (115+ air yards in four of his past five games) and didn’t struggle to generate looks in Week 9 against a full version of this Chiefs defense (32.1% target share, 70 yards, and a touchdown).
I currently have him sitting just outside of my WR1 tier this week, and that could easily change (three top-six finishes this season) as we gather more information about what Chiefs are/aren’t going to take the field.