Week 18 Start or Sit (QB, RB, WR, TE) | Fantasy Football

We’ve done it. The final week of the 2023-24 fantasy football season is upon us, but for most of you, your league has already wrapped up and crowned a champion. If that was you, congratulations; If you came up short, good try; If you failed to make the postseason, boo! And if you placed dead last, fire up that hot needle, and let’s get that “I’m a Loser” buttcheek tattoo underway! *farting noise* However, if you are still competing, we’re here to assist with your weekly start vs. sit needs. There might be a championship on the line or a last-place punishment you’re desperately hoping to avoid. So, without further ado, let’s get into the analysis of names like Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, Najee Harris, and more. Week 18 start or sit advice begins right now.

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Week 18 Start or Sit

Quarterback

START: Trevor Lawrence (ECR: QB10) and Gardner Minshew (ECR: QB12). If Lawrence suits up this week, he will be a solid play on a Jaguars team that desperately needs to win (or tie) in Week 18 to qualify for the postseason. Not only is the team on the other sideline, the Titans, playing for nothing except the role of spoiler, but Lawrence was limited in practice on Thursday and trending towards suiting up against a Tennessee squad that ranks 10th-worst in the league with 7.4 yards allowed per attempt. Meanwhile, Minshew and the Colts also need a win (or tie) to make playoffs and match up against the third-worst pass defense in the NFL in yards allowed per attempt (7.8). Both teams should be emptying the tank and leaning heavily on their respective signal callers.

SIT: Tua Tagovailoa (ECR: QB8). Not only do we have zero confirmation regarding Tua’s status for Week 18, but the Bills have been elite on defense, particularly through the air, during their current winning streak. Over the last four games, the Bills have surrendered the second-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. On the season, Buffalo’s 17 passing touchdowns allowed are tied for the fewest in the league. With his status in the air and the Bills playing for more than the Dolphins are.

Running Back 

START: Najee Harris (ECR: RB 28). Harris has finished inside the top-18 running backs in half-PPR each of the last two games (vs. CIN, @SEA), peaking at RB6 overall in Week 17. Although he hasn’t seen a target since Week 14, Harris has received 46 carries (23.0 avg) across the previous two matchups while finding the end zone three times. This week’s opponent, the Ravens, sport the NFL’s top pass defense but have allowed the sixth-most yards per carry (4.5) in the league this season. And as mentioned in other blurbs, the Steelers are playing for a lot more than the Ravens in Week 18.

SIT: Ty Chandler (ECR: RB21). I’m not sure why Chandler is ranked so highly for Week 18, but perhaps it’s because the vast majority of leagues have ended, and many experts mailed it in. But Chandler is not an RB2 for the sport’s final session. He has finished outside the top 30 running backs each of the last two weeks while seeing just 21 combined touches. That provides very few avenues to top-24 RB production against a Lions defense that ranks fourth-best in the league in yards allowed per carry (3.7).

Wide Receiver

START: Gabe Davis (ECR: WR32). There aren’t many receiving options to feel bullish about outside the top 25 this week, but Davis is one player who provides some optimism. He has been very feast or famine in the second half of the campaign, but this week’s matchup against the Dolphins looks more like feasting time. Davis is just two weeks removed from a four-catch, 130-yard showing with one touchdown at the Chargers. The Dolphins are allowing 7.1 yards per attempt to go along with 25 passing scores this year — the ninth-highest mark in the NFL. Plus, the Bills in all likelihood need a win this week to be playoff-bound.

SIT: DeAndre Hopkins (ECR: WR17). I’ve seen Hopkins listed as a recommended start on some sites for Week 18, but I don’t see the upside. The Cardinals’ season is over, while the Jaguars have everything to play for and more. In the last three weeks, Hopkins has finished outside of the top 28 receivers each game while failing to find the endzone a single time. In two of those three games, he ranked outside of the top 75 fantasy receivers and combined for four catches. Avoid.

Tight End

START: Dalton Kincaid (ECR: TE12). The tight end position is a bit thin this week, but Kincaid provides some of the best upside outside of the top-six options. And if you’re still playing fantasy football in Week 18, that should be all you’re concerned about searching for ceilings rather than floors. As mentioned in the Davis blurb, the Dolphins matchup is certainly intriguing from a matchup perspective. Miami is also without arguably its best defensive player and has a playoff berth clinched. Fresh off a four-grab, 87-yard performance last week (TE7), Kincaid should be a useful play yet again.

SIT: Darren Waller (ECR: TE9). The Waller experiment simply has not worked out in New York in 2023. Although his finish as TE16 last week was his best since Week 7, it marked his fourth-consecutive active contest finishing outside of the top 15 at the position. Yes, the Eagles’ defense is suspect at best right now, but don’t expect this to be much of a battle as Philly rights the ship (to a degree) heading into the postseason.