For the remaining fantasy football managers competing, the 2025 championship has arrived! With one matchup left to make or break your season, this is my most important round of picks yet. Let’s break down my start/sit Week 18 fantasy football picks.
Quarterbacks
Start ‘Em: Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys) at New York Giants
Out of playoff contention? No problem for fantasy managers with Dak Prescott, the Cowboys’ gunslinger is finishing strong.
Dak is fresh off a 22.7-point performance in which he racked up north of 300 total yards, torching a weak Commanders secondary. It was the sixth time in Prescott’s last seven games he’s scored at least 19 points.
In Dallas’ last game of the year, he should keep the momentum rolling. The Giants surrender the sixth-most fantasy points to QBs per game, giving Dak strong QB1 value.
Sit ‘Em: Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. Carolina Panthers
It’s been a rough finish to the 2025 campaign for Baker Mayfield, to say the least.
Tampa’s signal caller has thrown a whopping eight interceptions over the team’s last eight games. As you would imagine, that has drastically capped his fantasy ceiling. Mayfield threw for 346 yards against Miami and still didn’t score 20 fantasy points thanks to a pair of picks.
Baker has failed to hit the 20-point mark in six of his last seven contests. Carolina, other other hand, has allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. That’s not a recipe for success heading into a must-win matchup.
Running Backs
Start ‘Em: Rhamondre Stevenson (New England Patriots) vs. Miami Dolphins
Speaking of finishing strong, in a year full of ups and downs, that’s exactly what Stevenson is doing. New England’s “RB2” isn’t operating like one. In reality, the veteran starts virtually every game, and while he doesn’t typically see as many touches as TreVeyon Henderson, he makes the most of them.
Stevenson is fresh off a monstrous 27.2-point outing against the Jets. He only saw 13 total touches, but he turned them into 102 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The dual-threat power back has scored double-digit fantasy points in four straight outings. This week, he takes on a Dolphins squad that allows the tenth-most fantasy points to opposing backs. Fire Stevenson up as a strong RB2 in the final week of the regular season.
Sit ‘Em: Jaylen Warren (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Baltimore Ravens
Warren has remained quite involved in Pittsburgh’s offensive attack, despite the recent emergence of Kenneth Gainwell as arguably the league’s best receiving back.
The problem? Not only are the Steelers struggling to move the ball, but they now head into a must-win game without DK Metcalf or Darnell Washington. The Ravens are going to stockpile the line of scrimmage, send pressure, and force Aaron Rodgers to throw to beat them. That will likely result in expanded opportunities for Gainwell, and a decrease in usage for Pittsburgh’s “starter”. Warren profiles as a touchdown-dependent RB3/FLEX.
Wide Receivers
Start ‘Em: Stefon Diggs (New England Patriots) vs. Miami Dolphins
Diggs has been one of my starts of the week at wide receiver in two straight contests, and I’m sticking with New England’ WR1.
After fading into fantasy obscurity in the second half of the season, Diggs has bounced back with two massive performances against the Ravens and Jets. Across those contests, the veteran hauled in 15 of 16 targets for 239 yards and one touchdown.
A matchup with the Dolphins could mean blowout territory, but that’s exactly what happened last week and Diggs still managed 22.1 points. He’s a high-end WR2 in Week 18.
Sit ‘Em: Courtland Sutton (Denver Broncos) vs. Los Angeles Chargers
This is an interesting spot.
Jim Harbaugh has already announced that L.A. will be resting its starters with the AFC West no longer up for grabs. However, Denver still needs to play its starters enough to secure the win. That could mean one quarter, one half, or even the full game if Trey Lance proves to be a competent fill-in for Justin Herbert.
Realistically, I find it hard to believe Sutton will see significant reps in the second half of this game. With the fantasy championship on the line, you want to start a receiver who will likely be on the field for the duration of the contest. Sutton is a touchdown dependent FLEX for this matchup.
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Tight Ends
Start ‘Em: Dawson Knox (Buffalo Bills) vs. New York Jets
There’s always a chance Buffalo sits all of their starters for this contest, but with the Chargers resting their 1s, all the Bills need is a win to avoid the Patriots in Round 1. As things currently stand, all signs point to McDermott playing his starters, which would result in an immensely favorable matchup for Dawson Knox.
The veteran has taken the TE1 title back from Dalton Kincaid down the stretch, playing a significant role in Buffalo’s passing attack. With Kincaid potentially sidelined for this outing, Knox should be looking at five-to-seven targets and potentially multiple red zone targets against one of the worst defenses in the league. Even if the younger tight end suits up, I’d still start Knox with confidence.
Sit ‘Em: Tyler Warren (Indianapolis Colts) at Houston Texans
As incredible as Warren has been for the Colts all season, his rookie season has ended in anticlimactic fashion.
The Penn State product has failed to scored double-digit fantasy points in four straight games. Warren has remained involved from a target perspective, but he’s not racking up yardage or finding the end zone.
Whether it’s Riley Leonard or Philip Rivers under center in Week 18, it’s hard to feel good about Warren’s prospects against the NFL’s best defense. Houston has everything to play for, as a win locks them into a matchup against Baltimore or Pittsburgh, which is far more favorable than facing the Patriots or Jaguars. There are options with better upside than the rookie this week.
Those are my start/sit Week 18 fantasy football picks! Stay tuned for more start/sit Week 18 positional analysis over the coming days.
