The New Orleans Saints will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 18. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Saints and Buccaneers 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.
New Orleans Saints Week 18 Start-Sit Advice
Derek Carr, QB
Updated at 11:30 AM ET on Sunday, January 5
Carr is inactive for today's game.
Derek Carr had the potential to return this week for the Saints for reasons unknown, but his status shouldn’t be of concern in fantasy circles, given the carnage around him at the skill positions.
Even with talent coming in and out, Carr has failed to throw multiple touchdown passes in the majority of his games this season. That is going to render any pocket-locked signal-caller as close to useless.
I give him credit for trying to return to action and finish the season, but my fantasy bills aren’t paid on credit.
Spencer Rattler, QB
Spencer Rattler has completed 56% of his passes just once this season and has two more multi-interception games than he has multi-TD games. I’m not sure how much of his struggles we can put directly on him, but fantasy box scores don’t ask questions when it comes to who is to blame.
The Saints simply lack viable playmakers at every offensive level right now, and Rattler isn’t currently the type of elevating talent that can bring a below-average supporting cast into fantasy relevance.
If you’re not considering a single Saint, you’re a happier person as a result.
Alvin Kamara, RB
Updated at 11:30 AM ET on Sunday, January 5
Kamara is inactive for today's game.
Alvin Kamara has had a highly productive season (nine top-15 finishes) and is currently sitting at 1.2% over expectation for the year, his best mark since 2021. But the groin injury that has cost him time recently certainly has the potential to hold him out this week, thus leaving you without a big part of your regular-season run in your biggest matchup of the year.
Kamara will turn 30 years old in July, and while the pass-catching skills have aged well, I continue to think that we are on borrowed time with him as a weekly asset. The rushing efficiency is fleeting, to say the least (a career-high 20.2% of his carries have failed to gain yardage this season). If Kendre Miller can provide this franchise with confidence that he can be a two-down back, we could be looking at a hit-and-miss RB in an average offense that relies on check-down passes.
That’s not to say Kamara won’t be usable in 2025 (the Saints have an out if they want it in his backloaded contract), but I think there’s a good chance his ADP reflects more name value than projectable production this offseason.
Kendre Miller, RB
Last Updated Sunday at 11:30 AM
Miller is inactive for today's game
Kendre Miller is in concussion protocol, and while there was a chance he cleared in time, it wouldn’t have impacted your Week 18 decision-making in a significant way.
Miller has shown limited versatility in his limited NFL sample size and has not had a 20-yard gain on 80 career rush attempts. This offense is as inept as any in the league at this point in the season, and I don’t see that changing against a highly driven Buccaneers team.
The Saints brought in Clyde Edwards-Helaire ahead of Week 16, giving them a proven NFL player to further subtract from the value of Miller should he have been cleared in time for this game. I’m not sure that the running game in New Orleans holds any value. I’m even less confident in my ability to accurately assign the touch distributions, even if Miller were healthy.
You’re avoiding this offense at all costs; it really is that simple.
Chris Olave, WR
Updated at 11:30 AM ET on Sunday, January 5
Olave is inactive for today's game.
The Saints toyed with the idea of bringing Chris Olave (concussion) back last week after the star receiver got in full practice sessions on both Wednesday and Thursday, but they ultimately elected to keep him inactive.
The Saints have no motivation to put him in a position to make a significant impact on Week 18 matchups, and while he is certainly talented enough to do so, betting on it happening is dangerous in anything. If he were playing, the only spot would have been a contrarian DFS build.
Juwan Johnson, TE
Last Updated Sunday at 11:30 AM
Johnson is active for today's game
Juwan Johnson is a little too thin for me in redraft formats, but a player like this should have the interest of DFS players as a punt play at the position. He was able to earn 10 targets (34 routes) against the Raiders. I expect most to be worried about the involvement of Foster Moreau (five targets, TD), but I’m spinning that as a positive.
This offense has next to nothing when it comes to players who threaten the defense, and that means an awfully low-octane “attack.” We saw Johnson function as a regular in their passing game and that should continue as this unit lacks avenues to create big plays. No, my mind doesn’t change if we get a limited Chris Olave on the field, either.
The Bucs rank worse than the league average in both completion percentage and YAC to the tight end position. I don’t think it’s crazy to think that Johnson clears 8.5 PPR points for the fifth time in seven games or that he repeats his double-figure showing from last weekend.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 18 Start-Sit Advice
Baker Mayfield, QB
I encourage you to run through the ranking process this week and tell me on Twitter how many QBs you slot in ahead of Baker Mayfield.
Spoiler alert, it’s a short list.
It’s so short that I’m not even sure it’s technically a “list.” Mayfield has 12 top-10s this season, and half of those finishes have been top-fives. He threw for 325 yards and four scores along with three interceptions in a Week 6 trip to New Orleans.
Chris Godwin was heavily featured in that contest while Mike Evans was held in check, something that obviously can’t happen this week, but with Jalen McMillan emerging (one target in that first game, six Buccaneers were more involved) and Marshon Lattimore now a Commander, I can’t think of any reason to bench Mayfield.
That’s a lie. The two reasons are Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels as they are the only two QBs I have ranked ahead of him this weekend.
Bucky Irving, RB
Updated at 11:30 AM ET on Sunday, January 5
Irving is active for today's game.
Bucky Irving has three straight games with 15+ carries and multiple catches — the only thing I find myself thinking following every Tampa Bay game is “Why did they not give him the ball even more?”
Last week, he joined Saquon Barkley as the only player this season with BOTH a 30+ yard run and 30+ yard reception in multiple games. Being on that sort of shortlist is impressive, and he looks the part with each passing week.
The Saints’ rush defense ranks 30th in both EPA and success rate — is it possible that we haven’t seen his best? You’re playing Irving anywhere you can and loving the ability to do so. He’s going to be an expensive back this summer, and I’m tempted to pay whatever price the market determines is acceptable.
I love what Irving brings to the table, and that feeling is only magnified when the Bucs are a heavy favorite, something that caps Rachaad White’s snaps.
Rachaad White, RB
Let’s call it what it is: Rachaad White is a complementary back. He was fantasy gold last season and at points through the first half of the season, but those days are very much behind us with the Bucky Irving era officially underway.
Buccaneers RBs Week 17 participation rates:
- Bucky Irving: 54.1% snap share and 20.2 expected points
- White: 36.5% snap share and 4.6 expected points
- Sean Tucker: 20.3% snap share and 5.5 expected points
Over the past two weeks, White has as many targets as carries (nine), and while I think he holds value in the right spots (a spot that we might get access to during the postseason), I don’t think this is one of those spots with the Bucs installed as a 13.5-point favorite.
The Saints haven’t reached 20 points in a game since coming out of their Week 12 bye and are unlikely to compete at a high level this week. White is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry this season when not facing the Panthers or Falcons this season — neither of those teams are on the opposing sideline this week, so in a run-centric script, give me all of Irving’s touches and nothing but scraps for White.
Jalen McMillan, WR
I never want to be the one to heap expectations on a rookie, but I’m going to heap expectations onto a rookie.
Do I believe that Jalen McMillan is the next Amon-Ra St. Brown? To be honest, no, but I didn’t believe Amon-Ra St. Brown would be Amon-Ra St. Brown, so I like following interesting statistical threads like this.
No matter what you think the future holds for J-Mac, there’s no denying that he is uncovering at a high rate right now. The rookie has caught a touchdown pass in four straight games (the longest streak by a rookie since Lee Evans in 2004), all of which have yielded top-20 production at the position.
We will sort out the target hierarchy of this offense next season when at full strength, but in terms of projecting Week 18, McMillan is seeing enough usage to feel comfortable in starting as the Bucs profile as one of the better offensive bets this week.
Mike Evans, WR
Updated at 11:30 AM ET on Sunday, January 5
Evans is active for today's game.
I don’t value the “Player A is close to a financial bonus” narrative, especially since the Buccaneers are more concerned with a playoff berth than anything. That said, when those incentives align with the team’s best interest, I think there’s a good chance to make everyone happy on Sunday.
Evans is five catches and 85 yards away from a $3 million bonus, an 11th straight 1,000-yard season, and likely a divisional title. We are talking about a player who has four multi-end-zone target games this season, bringing his total to 10 over his past 28 contests.
Few players have been able to marry scoring consistency with target volume for a decade-plus the way Evans has and there is absolutely no reason to run from him this weekend in a matchup that no longer features Marshon Lattimore.
Cade Otton, TE
Last Updated Sunday at 11:30 AM
Otton is inactive for today's game
Cade Otton (knee) was inactive last week, and the Buccaneers’ offense crumbled without him. Oh wait, no, it didn’t. They dropped 48 points and averaged 7.4 yards per play.
He’ll be out again this week. Otton had his moment in the fantasy sun as the Bucs sorted out a rash of receiver injuries, but that time is long gone now, with Jalen McMillan looking very much like an asset for years to come.
Otton’s fantasy numbers and usage rates have fallen off a cliff whenever Mike Evans is on the field. It’s something to keep an eye on next season.