Week 18 can be a tricky as playoff teams oftentimes opt to pull their starters in preparation for the postseason. There are also teams that will have nothing to play for in Week 18. If your Fantasy Football season runs through Week 18, that means you're going to need to remain in lockstep with the latest roster updates throughout the week to know who will be available.
We don't recommend playing into Week 18 but thankfully, Jamey Eisenberg has all the Start 'Em & Sit 'Em insight you'll need to make sound decisions at quarterback ahead of Week 18. And don't forget to check out Heath Cummings' quarterback preview for more help with matchup notes, numbers to know and more. Plus check out Heath's Week 18 projections over at SportsLine.
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QBs to Start
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Fields has made things tough on the Bears front office since Chicago owns the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. He's played great down the stretch -- in Fantasy and reality -- and earned the right to be the Bears quarterback in 2024. He's scored at least 26.5 Fantasy points in three of his past four games, including two in a row, and he should have another standout performance in Week 18 against the Packers. Two of the past three quarterbacks against Green Bay have scored at least 26.2 Fantasy points, and Fields should follow suit. He's got top-five upside in Week 18.
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Stroud's first 20-point Fantasy outing of his career came against Indianapolis in Week 2 when he scored 25.5 points. He passed for 384 yards and two touchdowns that day, and hopefully he can have a repeat performance in Week 18. The Colts just allowed Aidan O'Connell to score 24.3 Fantasy points in Week 17, and that's now two quarterbacks in the past four weeks to reach at least that total. Stroud hasn't been great on the road this season, but he did score 21 Fantasy points in his last complete away game at Cincinnati in Week 10. This game has huge playoff implications for both teams, and I expect Stroud to have a strong game to likely lock up the rookie of the year award.
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My only concern with Goff is that the Lions decide to pull him off the field at some point. Detroit still has the chance for the No. 2 seed in the NFC, and Dan Campbell said the Lions would play their starters as normal. But if Campbell finds out the Cowboys are well ahead of the Commanders then Goff could get benched. Hopefully, before that possible scenario, Goff has destroyed the Vikings. He didn't have a great Fantasy outing at Minnesota in Week 16 with just 16.3 Fantasy points, but now he's at home. Goff has scored at least 20 Fantasy points in five of seven games in Detroit, and two of the past three quarterbacks against Minnesota have scored at least 22.9 Fantasy points. Goff could be a top-five Fantasy quarterback in Week 18.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Carr is playing his best football of the season coming into Week 18 with 10 touchdowns and two interceptions in his past four games while completing 73 percent of his passes. He's also scored at least 19.6 Fantasy points in three games in a row, and the Saints are still alive for the NFC South title or a Wild Card spot. Carr only scored 10.9 Fantasy points at Atlanta in Week 12 with no touchdowns and an interception, but he passed for 304 yards. Two of the past four quarterbacks against the Falcons have scored at least 24.1 Fantasy points, and Carr should have another strong performance in Week 18.
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The last two games that Taylor started and finished he scored at least 20.8 Fantasy points. He reached that total in Week 17 against the Rams, and he had 11.4 Fantasy points in the second half against the Eagles in Week 16 when he replaced Tommy DeVito. He should give you production with his legs -- he's run for at least 21 yards in each of his past five significant appearances -- and Philadelphia is No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. I like Taylor as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.
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Smith only scored 17.8 Fantasy points against Arizona in Week 7, but I expect him to do better in the rematch. He's scored at least 21.3 Fantasy points in two of his past three games, with both of them on the road, and the Seahawks need to win this game to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Cardinals have also allowed three quarterbacks in a row to score at least 25.2 Fantasy points, and Smith should have the chance for a standout season finale on the road.
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QBs to Sit
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Tagovailoa has scored 18.9 Fantasy points or less in four games in a row, and now he's dealing with a shoulder injury coming into Week 18. His offensive line is a mess, Jaylen Waddle (ankle) is banged up and Tagovailoa only scored 15.9 Fantasy points at Buffalo in Week 4. He only has one game with at least 20 Fantasy points against the Bills in six career meetings, and Buffalo has held four quarterbacks in a row to 17.1 Fantasy points or less, including Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott over that span. I don't have high expectations for Tagovailoa in Week 18.
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Lawrence is expected to play in Week 18 after missing Week 17 against Carolina with a shoulder injury. I'm concerned about him being at 100 percent, and he could struggle once again. He's scored 16.7 Fantasy points or less in each of his past two outings against Baltimore in Week 15 and Tampa Bay in Week 16. The Titans have also allowed just one quarterback to score more than 14.9 Fantasy points in their past four games, and Tennessee would love to play spoiler in this game to knock Jacksonville out of the playoffs. Now, Lawrence did score 36.2 Fantasy points against the Titans in Week 11, but I'm worried about his shoulder injury in the rematch.
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Howell will start again for the Commanders in Week 18, but I'm not sure he's even a good starting option in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. Howell hasn't scored 20 Fantasy points in a game since Week 11, and he's combined for 17.2 Fantasy points in his past three outings against the Rams, Jets and 49ers. He was benched in two of those games, and this has been a disastrous finish for the second-year quarterback. He scored 17.3 Fantasy points at Dallas in Week 12 when he passed for 300 yards, no touchdowns and one interception and ran for 13 yards and a touchdown, and this Cowboys defense has been tough on opposing quarterbacks all season. In their past four games, Dallas has limited Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, Tua Tagovailoa and Jared Goff to 17.9 Fantasy points or less in each outing.
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