Making lineup decisions can be the most frustrating — or most rewarding — part of fantasy football. We’re to help you make those decisions with our fantasy start ’em/sit ’em picks.
It’s now Week 18. The fantasy football season is over for most. But there are people out there playing for something. Whether it’s a fun little bonus matchup, a fantasy grudge match, a punishment bowl, or anything else, let’s take a look at our top Week 18 start/sit plays.
Which Players Should You Start in Week 18?
Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots (vs. BUF)
I will caveat this with the fact that head coach Jerod Mayo did not shut down the notion of sitting Drake Maye this week. Obviously, if Maye does not play, you cannot start him. If he does, this looks like a spot where he should be able to have fun and really ball out.
Maye struggled against the Los Angeles Chargers last week, failing to reach double-digit fantasy points for the first time since being named starter. Before that, he was at 18 fantasy points in three straight games and four of his last five.
With the No. 2 seed clinched, the Buffalo Bills are going to rest starters this week. Despite clearly being the better team, the Bills’ backups are not better than the New England Patriots starters. Maye threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns against the Bills’ starters two weeks ago. He should be good for something similar, at worst, against the backups.
Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos (vs. KC)
If not for Jayden Daniels, there would be a strong case for Bo Nix to win Rookie of the Year. Despite losing two straight, the Denver Broncos QB hasn’t been to blame. Nix has posted at least 14 fantasy points in every game since Week 5. In his last two games, both losses, Nix reached 20+ fantasy points. He’s now thrown multiple touchdowns in six of his last seven.
One of Nix’s weaker outings came in Week 10 against the Kansas City Chiefs. But he played well, throwing for 215 yards and two touchdowns. He just didn’t run at all.
This week, Nix needs to lead his Broncos to victory to secure the final Wild Card spot. Meanwhile, the Chiefs will be resting starters with the top seed locked up. Nix has been great against the best the NFL has to offer. Now, he gets the benefit of his team fully motivated against an opponent with nothing to play for.
Kenny Pickett, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. NYG)
Once again, Week 18 really makes things challenging. Kenny Pickett left last week’s game after aggravating his rib injury. Already filling in for an injured Jalen Hurts, will the Philadelphia Eagles give Pickett a chance to start this week if he’s healthy enough to do so? Or will they hold him out as well?
Assuming Pickett does start, he will be throwing to backups. There’s no way we see A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith in this game. It remains to be seen whether Saquon Barkley goes after the single-season rushing record or rests up for the playoffs, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter hinting at the latter.
Even with the backups, though, Pickett should be a solid start against a New York Giants defense that really had its Super Bowl last week, eliminating the Colts from postseason contention.
Before getting hurt, Pickett had thrown for 143 yards and one touchdown, while rushing for a second via the tush push. He looked competent and more than capable of producing a useful fantasy effort against a weak opponent, should he get another opportunity.
Ray Davis, RB, Buffalo Bills (at NE)
There’s certainly elevated risk in starting a player playing with backups. But these are still NFL players.
The Bills are going to sit Josh Allen, James Cook, Khalil Shakir, and other key starters. It’s possible they rest literally everyone and both Ray Davis and Ty Johnson also get the day off. However, I expect them to give the rookie an extended opportunity to show what he can do.
We’ve already seen Davis in a feature role once. Back in Week 6, he made his lone start for an injured Cook. Davis touched the ball 23 times and totaled 152 yards. I like his chances against a Patriots defense allowing the seventh-most fantasy points per game to running backs.
Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants (at PHI)
Normally, we wouldn’t be starting running backs against the Eagles. In fact, Rico Dowdle was a sit last week for that exact reason. This is not a normal week.
The Eagles are going to be resting starters. That sets Tyrone Tracy Jr. up for a heavy workload against a defense that is not putting its best foot forward.
Tracy was back to dominating touches last week, handling 23 opportunities. The only reason he underwhelmed from a fantasy perspective was because he didn’t score. Look for the Giants to feed Tracy plenty in the final game of the season, as they have little incentive to do anything else. Against the Eagles’ backups, he should have a strong afternoon.
Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts (vs. JAX)
Joe Flacco once again turned the Indianapolis Colts’ passing attack into something resembling competency. It’s pretty funny how Flacco can fill in for Anthony Richardson and look moderately effective, but the instant he becomes the guy, it’s like he forgets how to play football.
Flacco threw for 330 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions last week. His performance perfectly encapsulates the Flacco experience.
#Colts WR Michael Pittman on what’s missing in must-win games:
“That’s a complex question that I don’t really have a direct answer for. …”
Does he think he can win big in Indy? “Yeah, I mean, we’ve had our fair share of big wins here, too, and it just didn’t happen today.” pic.twitter.com/kYtU0lKQWn
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) December 30, 2024
Most importantly, Flacco revived Michael Pittman Jr.’s dead fantasy value. Pittman caught nine of 10 targets for 109 yards and his first touchdown since Week 6.
With the Colts no longer in playoff contention, there’s no incentive to bring back an injured Richardson. Flacco is likely going to start the final game of the season. Given how many key players won’t be playing this week, Pittman looks quite appealing against a Jacksonville Jaguars defense allowing the seventh-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers.
Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions (vs. MIN)
This is being written before Monday Night Football. However, it doesn’t really matter what the Detroit Lions do on Monday night. Nothing short of an injury to Jameson Williams would push me off recommending him strongly for Week 18.
It’s exceedingly rare to find a Week 18 matchup with stakes for both teams, let alone one where both teams are really good. This Lions-Minnesota Vikings Sunday Night Football showdown is easily one of the highest-stakes final-week games in NFL history.
De facto playoff games where the loser is eliminated technically would be higher stakes, but the winner of this game is the No. 1 seed in the NFC, while the loser has to go on the road as a Wild Card. Those are pretty significant implications.
Williams has been a volatile fantasy asset all season. When these teams last met, it was a 31-29 thriller. Yet, Williams caught one pass for minus four yards.
In Week 18, though, we embrace the volatility. Williams remains the Lions’ WR2 and has seven games of at least 13 fantasy points on the season, including three over 20. The Vikings allow the most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Fire up Williams with confidence this week.
George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. CIN)
The NFL’s decision to have the AFC North teams play on Saturday is a very curious one. They are gambling that Mike Tomlin cares about chasing the No. 5 seed … and so will I.
Tomlin is notorious for putting his players in harm’s way unnecessarily. He plays starters in the preseason more than any other head coach. He consistently leaves his starters in games very much decided deep into the fourth quarter. Look no further than Najee Harris handling a staggering five carries on the Steelers’ final drive last Wednesday while they were trailing by 19 points with under four minutes to play in their third game in 11 days.
The Baltimore Ravens are expected to obliterate the Cleveland Browns (based on Vegas’ early spread) on Saturday afternoon. That will clinch the division and mean a Pittsburgh Steelers win over the Cincinnati Bengals would only benefit them in clinching the No. 5 seed, earning them a trip to Houston as opposed to a trip to Baltimore.
If Tomlin is going to play his starters when there is no benefit at all, I suspect he will do so when there is a moderate one.
The Bengals have every incentive to win to force the Broncos and Miami Dolphins to both try on Sunday to secure the final Wild Card spot. But it won’t matter. The Bengals have been one of the worst defenses all season. When these teams last met, George Pickens caught three passes for 74 yards and a touchdown in a 44-38 shootout. Expect another high-scoring affair, as that is what the Bengals do.
Pat Freiermuth, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. CIN)
We are doubling down on the Steelers against the Bengals. Pat Freiermuth has actually been pretty reliable as of late. He’s scored at least 11 fantasy points in four of his last five, including posting his best game of the season against the Bengals in Week 13.
In that game, Freiermuth caught six passes for 68 yards and a touchdown, and it was no fluke. The Bengals allow the second-most fantasy points per game to tight ends.
With the Steelers likely trying to secure the No. 5 seed, we could see another shootout like the 44-38 one from five weeks ago. Given Freiermuth’s recent usage, he is a solid option on a week where several top tight ends are not playing.
Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons (vs. CAR)
It’s admittedly risky to trust Kyle Pitts. His playing time has been slashed over the past month, going from around a 75% snap share player to being in the 40s in each of the past three games. But Pitts did have four catches for 44 yards last week and he caught Michael Penix Jr.’s game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
The Atlanta Falcons need to win this game and hope the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose to win the division. No team allows more fantasy points per game to tight ends than the Carolina Panthers.
Even though the Falcons should be able to lean heavily on Bijan Robinson against the worst run defense in the NFL, the combination of the quality matchup plus the lack of other appealing options makes Pitts a worthy start this week.
Brenton Strange, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. IND)
Hopefully, you can do better than Brenton Strange this week. The young tight end did not catch a single pass against the Tennessee Titans last week. But, there were extenuating circumstances.
First, the Jaguars were playing in a downpour. Mac Jones only attempted 22 passes and 10 of them went to elite WR1 Brian Thomas Jr.
The game environment should be better this week against a Colts defense that just let the Giants score 45 points.
The Colts have been a great matchup for tight ends all season, allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to the position. Strange is more of a desperation streamer, but he’s viable.
Which Players Should You Sit in Week 18?
Aaron Rodgers, QB, New York Jets (vs. MIA)
It’s very difficult to find a QB to recommend to sit on a week where so many are already sitting. Telling you to sit Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes doesn’t exactly help — you don’t need anyone to tell you to sit players who are likely not playing.
Let’s go with Aaron Rodgers, who just threw for 112 scoreless yards and two interceptions against the Bills.
Before the game, a report came out that Davante Adams wanted to catch Rodgers’ 500th touchdown pass. Well, Rodgers didn’t throw any touchdowns. Will he even play this week to chase that milestone? I think so. But the New York Jets may pull him for Tyrod Taylor once he gets there.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins still need to win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. They’ve allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, making Rodgers a very difficult start this week.
Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. NO)
It is officially over for Rachaad White. I genuinely believe the downfall of his career has begun. White won’t bounce out of the league because he is a good pass blocker and receiver, but head coach Todd Bowles has had enough.
White played 36% of the snaps last week, his lowest snap share of the season. That came on the heels of Bowles expressing his frustrations with White’s game-losing fumble against the Dallas Cowboys.
Simply put, Bucky Irving is a superior talent in every facet of the game, except maybe pass-blocking. There was no more ceremonial start; no more switching drives. It was all Irving, except when he was tired/in obvious passing situations.
At home against a New Orleans Saints team that will struggle to generate any offense, the Bucs are not going to be in obvious passing situations very often. This is going to be another week of Irving seeing the lion’s share of the work
Had the Bucs not completely blown out the Panthers, White would have finished the day with maybe a total of two touches. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he literally touched the ball zero times this week. Not only is White a sit this week, but I don’t think he will ever return to his previous level of fantasy relevance again.
Alexander Mattison, RB, Las Vegas Raiders (vs. LAC)
The Las Vegas Raiders have now won two straight and are genuinely playing hard. It might not be enough to save Antonio Pierce’s job, though. A big issue is he really just doesn’t seem to have any plan … ever. Look no further than how Pierce has handled this backfield since taking over.
There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to when Pierce decides which replacement-level RB he wants to push as his lead back. Suddenly, it’s Ameer Abdullah, who out-touched Alexander Mattison 21-11 last week.
Now, Mattison finds himself in a backup role against a Chargers defense chasing the No. 5 seed which allows the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. Mattison is not a good option this week.
Jerry Jeudy, WR, Cleveland Browns (at BAL)
Against a good Dolphins pass defense, Jerry Jeudy had a monster game last week. Dorian Thompson-Robinson unsurprisingly did not play well, but he remained laser-focused on his WR1. Jeudy earned a staggering 18 targets, catching 12 for a Jarvis Landry-ian 94 yards. This came one week after he saw just three targets against a far worse Bengals pass defense.
This week, I expect an absolute demolition by the Ravens. I expect this to be so bad that even garbage time won’t save Jeudy.
The Ravens need to win to clinch the division. They are nearly three-touchdown home favorites.
Early in the season, the Ravens had the worst pass defense in the NFL. Recently, they’ve been far better. Over their last three games, the Ravens are allowing the seventh-fewest passing yards per game. You don’t want any Browns this week.
Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys (vs. WAS)
Since returning from his two-game absence, Jake Ferguson has been quite underwhelming. He’s scored under 7.0 fantasy points in three of his last four and has not scored a touchdown all season.
This week, the Cowboys will be playing out one final game of what could be the end of the Mike McCarthy era in Dallas. It wouldn’t totally shock me to see Trey Lance end up with significant burn, if not get the start.
The Washington Commanders allow the 14th-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. Do not start Ferguson this week.