Week 18 fantasy football rankings: Waivers, sleepers, starts ... and awards
SOURCE:The Athletic|BY:Jake Ciely
For the final time in 2025, Jake Ciely ranks players for the week ahead, and also shares his award winners of this fantasy football season.
Christian McCaffrey proved the naysayers wrong, setting a career high in carries while failing to miss a game. Kelley L Cox / Imagn Images
Maybe you’re here for the fantasy football awards. Maybe you’re just here for the fun of celebrating in the comments (or sharing your bad beats). Or maybe, just maybe, you’re crazy enough to play Week 18. Hey, I don’t mind a fun, one-off competition, but it won’t be easy. That’s what the notes will be about: which teams might start their stars, rest them, or even do a mix of both. Oh yeah, and as mentioned, I’m including some fun awards instead of fun ranks this week … though, I guess there are plenty of similarities between the two.
Week 18 Fantasy Football Rankings Notes, Starts, Sits
Potential Starts and Sits
Bears: With talk of the Eagles resting players, the Bears could choose the same, given that the only difference would be the No. 2 and 3 seeding. The Bears could look to get the easier matchup in hosting the Packers, or they could look to avoid a third matchup with Green Bay and get the Rams or 49ers instead. The latter feels like the bigger evil, but Luther Burden is already a question mark. If he suits up, you know he has Top 20 upside, and if he’s out, DJ Moore would be a must-start.
Bengals: They said everyone is a go. Whether that means the entire game is another story, especially with Tee Higgins battling concussions this year. There is a risk of Bengals starters coming out of the game early.
Bills: The Bills could get to the No. 5 seed with a Texans and Chargers loss, matching them up with the Steelers/Ravens winner. Whether they believe that’s enough incentive to play their starters the entire game is unknown as of today.
Chargers: Justin Herbert is sitting, and we can expect others to follow, especially with Omarion Hampton and Quentin Johnston only recently returning from injuries.
Colts: Riley Leonard will start the final game, and while the Colts will look to get a read on him for 2026, there is no guarantee Jonathan Taylor and others will play the entire game.
Cowboys: It wouldn’t be a shock to see Javonte Williams get rest, given he’s played banged up at times. Malik Davis would be in the RB2 conversation if Williams doesn’t play at all. That said, Davis is no guarantee (eye), which would mean Jaydon Blue time. Watch the offensive line news, too.
Eagles: Nick Sirianni will make things clear soon, but whether it’s the entire game or just part of it, we should expect Eagles starters not to play the full game.
Jaguars: The Jags have longshot odds to get the No. 1 seed, so it would appear they would go full bore, but with the Chargers laying down to the Broncos — still weird — the Jaguars might decide to pull starters early, especially if the game is out of hand.
Lions: Given Amon-Ra St. Brown’s injury situation this year, seeing him sit wouldn’t be a surprise. Isaac TeSlaa would be a Top 40 WR if so, but that also relies on Jared Goff being the quarterback.
Packers: With the Packers locked into the No. 7 seed, resting starters — particularly Josh Jacobs — would appear the prudent move.
Raiders: They’re down to Kenny Pickett and a litany of backups already. Ashton Jeanty couldn’t get a ton going against one of the worst run defenses in the league. Given the added risk of an early exit, Jeanty can’t rank higher than an RB2.
Rams: The Rams could move from the No. 6 seed to No. 5 with a win and a 49ers loss. That’s a big difference in matchups (Panthers/Bucs winner instead of Bears or Eagles). Davante Adams likely doesn’t play, but we could see the rest of the Rams play most of the game if the 49ers lose Saturday night.
Mini Waivers
Emanuel Wilson, GB: See above.
Audric Estime, NO: Consider him volume-reliant RB2 with a low floor — similar to Kimani Vidal before Hampton’s return.
Jacory Croksey-Merritt, WAS: This is what we waited for, right? Sigh. JCM is a Top 30 running back if Chris Rodriguez is out again.
Malik Davis and Jaydon Blue, DAL: See above.
Luther Burden, CHI: Does he need an explanation if healthy?
Parker Washington, JAX: I was wrong in the Jaguars getting back to Brian Thomas and Jakobi Meyers (more on BT7 below). Washington still carries risk but should be considered a WR2/3.
Isaac TeSlaa, DET: If ASB is out, Top 30.
Tre Tucker, LV: Volume!
Colston Loveland, CHI: As long as one of Rome Odunze or Burden is out.
Michael Mayer, LV: Volume, part deux.
Weather to Watch
NYJ at BUF: Honestly, not much of anything, anywhere … as of today. Buffalo will be cold every day with snow sandwiching Sunday, so there is a chance it spills into Sunday.
2025 Fantasy Football Awards
Finishing the fantasy football season with some extra special fun, it’s award time. I picked my favorite four players for each category and will announce the winners at the end. Of course, this is audience participation time, as I would love to hear your vote and/or any players you would have nominated.
Two NOTES: 1) I will avoid injuries (for the most part) since those can be game-changers. And 2) categories have the players listed alphabetically (by first name).
**Patrick Star
(Most frustrating — seemingly always screwing up and making things worse)**
DK Metcalf, WR, PIT: It started way better than it ended, as Metcalf had four double-digit games to six single-digit ones before slapping a fan and getting suspended for Weeks 17 and 18. Plus, Metcalf chipped in a nice 6.2 points to slap his managers in the face, too, for Week 16.
Josh Jacobs, RB, GB: The RB12? If you had him, you know why. After playing through injuries for half the season and still putting up Top 10 numbers, Jacobs aggravated his injury in Week 16. The capper? Coming off the injury report altogether only to score 0.8 in the championship — if you even survived — for 6.6 points across the final two weeks of playoffs.
Kenneth Walker, RB, SEA: Partly because I know people would bring him up (those who stopped reading/listening late in August while he was hurt, haha) and partly because he had more single-digit scores (10) than double-digit (6) despite regularly looking better than Zach Charbonnet.
Ladd McConkey, WR, LAC: The only time McConkey had consecutive double-digit scores was the Week 5-8 run. Oh, and two games of 3.0 and 3.6 with 12.3 sandwiched in for the playoffs.
Rescue Ranger(s)
(Waiver wire MVP)
Harold Fannin, TE, CLE: Popped off a few times early on, but David Njoku spoiled consistency, then from Weeks 13-17 (mostly with no Njoku), Fannin was the No. 3 tight end with 13.4 FPPG, behind only Trey McBride and Kyle Pitts.
Matthew Stafford, QB, LAR**:** QB3 in points and FPPG, and while his Week 17 performance hurt managers and his MVP odds, it was only his sixth game failing to score 17+ points and merely his fourth under 20.9 points since Week 3.
Michael Wilson, WR, ARI: It finally happened! Not only did Wilson come up huge with Marvin Harrison out, but he scored 13.9+ in all but two games since Week 10. Wilson ranked WR3 overall and in FPPG during that span after never topping 7.6 previously, which boosted him to WR22 on the season.
Rico Dowdle, RB, CAR: One of the best two-game performances we saw at any position, as Dowdle posted 30.9 and 31.9 in back-to-back weeks thanks to a Chuba Hubbard injury. Dowdle posted five more double-digit scores after that, or four more than Hubbard, despite both playing each week.
Megatron
(Least valuable — tries to succeed and just fails anyway)
Brian Thomas, WR, JAX: Technically, injury played a part with Thomas’ wrist and his tentativeness playing through it. Nevertheless, we have to include him as it was also the lack of rapport with Trevor Lawrence and Liam Coen usage (sending BT7 deeper more often, and Lawrence hitting the slot and midfield before even looking deeper). Thomas had four double-digit scores all year, and managers often had to talk themselves out of starting him, given the upside.
Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN: Turns out, quarterbacks do matter for Jetta. Even as a non-fan of J.J. McCarthy, I didn’t expect this, nor did anyone, since Nick Mullens supported Jefferson as a Top 5 wideout. The thing that makes this worse? Carson Wentz gave us hope, with Jefferson averaging 12.9 FPPG with him — not Top 5, but top-end WR2 production. Then Wentz got hurt, and Jefferson had two more double-digit scores the rest of the way with five games of 5.7 or fewer points.
Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL: Yes, injuries factor in, but we have to talk Jackson given his Round 2 cost (ADP: 24, QB2). Jackson finished QB20 overall and QB19 in FPPG despite his MVP start pre-injury. In his first game back, it appeared everything would be fine, which is why he’s in this category, because we gave him a pass after Week 10 … then another after Week 11 because “bad matchup too” … then another after the Jets. We started benching Jackson … FINALLY … then he looks like classic LJax running the ball against the Steelers. So, back into lineups for Week 15 and, well, meh, followed by an early exit for him and fantasy managers in the playoffs in Week 16.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, MIN: So, soooo bad that most forgot Hock was a sixth-rounder (64) and TE5 in drafts. Forget what the quarterbacks did to Jefferson, Hockenson had one game over 8.9 points (13.4) and six under 4.0 points.
Gummiberry Juice
(Value MVP — crazy power up)
Chris Olave, WR, NO: Given the lackluster quarterback play — or whatever everyone expected it to be — Olave fell to WR35 in drafts, 78th overall. Part of that was Olave’s lost 2024 season, too, but Olave was already a value before Tyler Shough took over. With just two single-digit games after Week 5 and the second-most WR playoff points (71.2), Olave finished as WR6 overall and WR7 in FPPG.
Drake Maye, QB, NE: Even if you were team “Maye for breakout of the year,” you didn’t see him finishing as QB2 and as the NFL MVP favorite (after Week 17). Maye wasn’t a massive QB-only discount as QB12, but that’s still great value, and even more was his ADP of 105 overall. You know how many single-digit scores Maye had? Zero. Or, two fewer than Josh Allen.
Javonte Williams, RB, DAL: Injuries and lackluster performance since said injuries led to Williams being RB37 and 103rd overall in ADP.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, SEA: I really wanted to put JSN in the next category, but you’ll see why he barely missed, and with keeping each category to four nominees. Smith-Njigba inexplicably fell to the end of the third round with an ADP of 35 — the 14th WR. Even with Sam Darnold’s inconsistency — particularly late in the year — JSN finished behind only Puka Nacua in points and FPPG, with one single-digit score and five of 22 or more.
Scrooge McDuck
(Overall Best, MVP, GOAT … of 2025)
Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL: Robinson’s massive Week 17 wasn’t just one for the ages, it also helped Robinson narrowly edge out Christian McCaffrey for most FPPG (23.9) from Weeks 11-17 (CMC had 23.8). Even with Tyler Allgeier frustrating us at times and two single-digit scores (Weeks 8 and 10), Robinson was more than worth the conversation as the first pick in drafts.
Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF: Remember the injury concerns? CMC doesn’t, nor do his managers, as McCaffrey seemingly sucked the life force from half of his team to stay healthy with 1.4 more FPPG (22.3) than second place, Jonathan Taylor, and nine games of 20+ points. In fact, if you only took CMC’s receiving line, you’d have RB20 (179.0 points).
Puka Nacua, WR, LAR: As mentioned with JSN, they were the only two wideouts with just one double-digit score all year (playing a full season). In fact, Nacua had more games with 19+ points (seven) than games under 15 points (six). Nacua scored a ridiculous 96.1 points from Weeks 14-16, all but guaranteeing his managers a spot in the playoffs and championship game. It’s a testament to Nacua that his 13.2-point Week 17 was a major disappointment.
Trey McBride, TE, ARI: Sure, McBride was TE2 in drafts, but he came at a full-round discount from Brock Bowers, which would have been the tiebreaker if it were at all close. Instead, McBride scored 100 more points (242.9), and if you take out missed time for Bowers, McBride still had 3.3 more FPPG (15.2). In fact, McBride had 84.9 more points than second place, Kyle Pitts, and 2.4 FPPG more than George Kittle, who missed six games. McBride would not only rank WR4 overall and WR5 in FPPG if he were a wide receiver, but he would also rank as RB8 overall and in FPPG.
Award Winners
Patrick Star: I really wanted to pick Jacobs, given his playoff letdown of epic proportions, but Walker’s rollercoaster season continued to tempt managers to see him as a “must-start RB2,” only to continually frustrate and even cause losses. That was too much to ignore. Kenneth Walker
Rescue Ranger: I almost said Stafford, but QB is a bit easier to find waiver replacements, and Fannin gets a cheat-code boost by likely being waivered twice, or more. Plus, it’s hard to ignore a tight end advantage, especially when he was TE3 for the most crucial stretch. Harold Fannin
Megatron: Sheesh, let’s just call them all Decepticons. You can argue for any, and I’d have no issue with it, but I’m going with Jefferson. He was a Top 5 pick as WR2 or 3 and finished as WR28 overall and WR40 in FPPG (9.1), behind McConkey (welp, 9.2), Alec Pierce, Michael Wilson, Jauan Jennings, and, well, 35 others. Justin Jefferson
Gummiberry Juice: JSN had a 2.6 FPPG gap to the third place WR, Maye was 0.6 over Stafford, Olave was Top 10, and Williams an RB1. I want them all, like Pokémon, but given the pure value, position consistency, replacement cost, and other names around them, when it comes down to Williams and Maye, it’s gonna be Maye! (I hope you heard Justin Timberlake in your head just now). Drake Maye
Scrooge McDuck: You can easily pick any of the four. CMC was back to GOAT status, Robinson was hot on his heels and better in the second half, Nacua neared Ja’Marr Chase’s 2024 season, and McBride gave you a massive tight end advantage. Picking them apart, McBride was TE6 overall and TE7 the first five weeks with 8.3 in Week 14 and 4.7 in Week 16. Nacua was WR10 overall and WR13 in FPPG from Weeks 10-13. Robinson had two dud-ish games (judging by MVP standards) with good-not-great games in Weeks 12 and 14, plus the duds coming during bye-heavy weeks (14 teams across three weeks) when you need studs to pick up the slack. McCaffrey had one single-digit score and one other under 15.2. I mean, it’s CMC people. I was going to go McBride if not for at least one of Week 14 or 16, but that’s rough timing, and again, he needed Jacoby Brissett to truly unlock his ceiling. McCaffrey was killing it from Day 1 and never stopped. Christian McCaffrey
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Week 18 Fantasy Football Rankings
🚨HEADS UP🚨
There is no perfect widget out there, sadly, still. I know many view this on your phone, but 1) use the rankings widget on a PC/laptop/etc. if possible or 2) open in your phone’s browser, especially for Android users, to get the scrolling to work (or Android people can try a two-finger scroll).
ECR = “Expert” Consensus Ranking (which isn’t updated by everyone consistently, so take with a grain of salt).
Updated regularly, so check up to lineups locking.
Jake Ciely is rankings: Fantasy Football, Fantasy Baseball, candy, movies, video games, cereal... anything! Truly, Jake is a ranking prodigy. Oh, he's also the senior fantasy writer for The Athletic, an award-winning analyst and loves DuckTales. Make sure you #CheckTheLink and #BanKickers ... woo-oo! Follow Jake on Twitter @allinkid
