Vikings vs. Lions Sunday Night Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Sam Darnold, Jared Goff, Aaron Jones, Jahmyr Gibbs, Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and more

Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em, and lineup advice for the Vikings vs. Lions on Sunday Night Football in Week 18 (2024). Detailed player breakdowns and matchup analysis.

With a small group of fantasy managers still battling it out for league championships, we have an excellent matchup for Sunday Night Football between two teams who are very capable of providing offensive fireworks. The Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions are set to square off in a Week 18 primetime matchup.

This one is for all the NFC marbles, as the Lions and Vikings meet on Sunday Night Football to decide the NFC North title and top seed in the playoffs. You won't find a Week 18 matchup with more serious postseason ramifications than this one.

We've enjoyed bringing you Sunday Night Football analysis all year long, focusing on who to definitely start, who is on the fence, and who should find the bench. Let's dive into this awesome Sunday Night matchup. You can also read all Week 18 Matchups for the entire slate. Good luck, RotoBallers!

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Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions - 8:20 pm ET

Spread: Lions -3.0

Total: 56.5

Matchups We Love:

QB Sam Darnold 

Sam Darnold has been on a roll in fantasy as of late, scoring over 20 fantasy points in five of the past seven games. During that span, Darnold has thrown 18 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Now, he gets a great matchup against a banged-up Lions secondary. Detroit has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks over the past month.

Vikings WRs 

Both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison should be in fantasy lineups. Jefferson is the current WR2 in PPR formats and has scored above 17 PPR fantasy points in four straight games. So, he'll be a must-start wideout against a Lions defense that has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing wideouts this season. That also makes Addison a strong WR2 play this weekend, considering he is the WR6 in PPR formats since Week 11.

Lions WRs

Fantasy managers are starting Amon-Ra St. Brown in Week 18. Minnesota has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to slot wideouts over the past six weeks. As for Jameson Williams, he will be a solid WR2 option. The Vikings have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing wideouts this season, and Williams has scored above 24 PPR fantasy points in back-to-back games.

Matchups We Hate:

TE T.J. Hockenson 

T.J. Hockenson will come in as a riskier TE1 option in Week 18 against the Lions. Detroit has given up the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends, and only three tight ends have scored in double figures in PPR formats against this defense this year. Given that Hockenson has also finished as a top-12 fantasy tight end just three times since Week 9, he's a low-end play this weekend.

Other Matchups:

QB Jared Goff

Jared Goff has been one of the best fantasy quarterback options in recent weeks, finishing with over 23 fantasy points in four straight games. Goff has also thrown multiple passing touchdowns in five straight contests. As a result, he'll be a solid QB1 play in a must-win game for the Lions in Week 18. He also finished as the QB10 the last time he faced this Minnesota secondary back in Week 7.

RB Aaron Jones

Aaron Jones is dealing with a quad injury, but assuming he plays in Week 18, he'll be a solid RB2 option against the Lions. Detroit has given up the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs over the past month, and running backs like Josh Jacobs (24.6 PPR fantasy points) and James Cook (26.3 PPR fantasy points) have had big games against this front seven in recent weeks.

Update: Jones is good to go for Sunday's game and is off the injury report. 

RB Jahmyr Gibbs

Although the Vikings have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, Jahmyr Gibbs will still be a strong RB1 option in Week 18. Gibbs has scored 25.4 PPR fantasy points and 26.3 PPR fantasy points in two straight games without David Montgomery. So, you're still starting the explosive running back in every format.

TE Sam LaPorta

Sam LaPorta has been one of the best tight-end options since Week 13. He has scored in double figures in PPR formats in five straight games and has finished as a top-7 fantasy tight end in three consecutive weeks. So, fantasy managers can trust him as a solid TE1 play this weekend against the Vikings.

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