Week 18 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Fantasy Football Lineup Decisions to Consider for Finales

We've reached the end of the road, fantasy fans. While DFS games will continue through the playoffs, the end of the NFL season brings with it the end of traditional leagues. Those still playing in Week 18 have one final chance to stake their claim for fantasy glory.

The final week of the regular season tends to be a tricky one, as many teams choose to rest key players in preparation for the postseason. Injured stars often sit in meaningless games, too. Of course, the unconventional nature of Week 18 can also allow second-tier stars to shine.

Let's dive into some of the best and worst matchups of Week 18 to sort out who to trust and who to avoid in point-per-reception (PPR) play.

Quarterback

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

Saints QB Tyler Shough

Start: Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints won't have much to play for in Week 18, but they might have an opportunity to spoil things for the Carolina Panthers. The Saints will visit the Atlanta Falcons, who can hand the Panthers the NFC South title with a win if Carolina loses on Saturday.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need a win on Saturday and a Saints win on Sunday to claim the division.

Regardless of how the divisional race plays out, New Orleans will want to finish its season with a fifth straight win and a victory over a divisional opponent. That will likely require another big outing from Tyler Shough, who has topped 17 fantasy points in five straight games.

While the Falcons defense looked good against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, it's been average over the course of the season, surrendering 16.9 fantasy points per week to opposing QBs.

Sit: Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield was a strong fantasy option early in the season, but a shoulder injury and some bad overall offensive play have caused him to slide.

Mayfield has fallen short of 15 fantasy points in four of his last six games and could struggle again in Saturday's must-win game against Carolina. The Panthers have surrendered the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs this season.

Running Back

AP Photo/Jack Dempsey

Broncos RB RJ Harvey

Start: RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos

Like the Buccaneers, and unlike the Saints, the Denver Broncos have plenty to play for in Week 18. A victory will earn them the AFC's No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

That should provide a good situation for RJ Harvey, who has topped 18 fantasy points in back-to-back weeks.

The Broncos are set to host the rival Los Angeles Chargers, who have surrendered the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs. However, L.A. has already announced that it will rest at least some starters, including quarterback Justin Herbert. Denver should call on Harvey early and often to close out this one.

Sit: Woody Marks, Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are already headed to the postseason and can steal the AFC South if the Jacksonville Jaguars stumble this weekend. However, running back Woody Marks will be hard to trust against the Indianapolis Colts.

Marks should again lead Houston's backfield, but the emergence of Jawhar Jordan is problematic. Marks logged 20 touches in Week 17 but still tallied just 8.5 fantasy points.

The Colts, meanwhile, have surrendered the 10th-fewest fantasy points to opposing RBs.

Wide Receiver

AP Photo/Ryan Sun

Giants WR Wan'Dale Robinson

Start: Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants

Since Malik Nabers went down with a season-ending ACL injury, Wan'Dale Robinson has done an admirable job of filling the No. 1 receiver role for the New York Giants. Robinson has already topped 1,000 yards for the first time in his career, and he's surpassed 15 fantasy points in three of his last five games.

Robinson is coming off a 22.3-point performance and has averaged 13.6 fantasy points per game this season.

On Sunday, the Giants will host the Dallas Cowboys in an NFC South grudge match. No team has surrendered more fantasy points to opposing wide receivers than Dallas.

Sit: Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mayfield's recent poor play makes it difficult to trust any Buccaneers receivers against Carolina this week. The Panthers have surrendered the ninth-fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs this season.

It'll be especially hard to trust rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka. While the Ohio State product was a fantasy star early in the year, he's faded with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both back in the lineup.

Egbuka has failed to reach double-digit fantasy points in six of his last seven games.

Tight End

AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper

Patriots TE Hunter Henry

Start: Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

The New England Patriots have already clinched the AFC East. However, they're still fighting for playoff seeding and can take the AFC's No. 1 seed with a win and a Broncos loss.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye also has one last opportunity to pad his resume for this year's MVP race.

Expect Maye to target tight end Hunter Henry frequently against the Miami Dolphins this week. Henry has logged 29 targets over his last five games and has topped 13 fantasy points in consecutive weeks.

The Dolphins have surrendered the third-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season.

Sit: Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering a winner-take-all battle with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night. A victory will give them the AFC North crown, while a loss will send them home until 2026.

In past years, such a scenario would mean a big role for tight end Pat Freiermuth. However, he hasn't regularly been a high-volume target with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Even with DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III out last week—and fellow tight end Darnell Washington injured—Freiermuth fell short of 10 fantasy points.

Freiermuth hasn't reached double-digit fantasy points since Week 12 and is likely to fall short again this week. Baltimore has surrendered the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing TEs.

*Fantasy scoring information from FantasyPros.