Wide Receiver (WR) Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Week 18 (2025)

Matt's wide receiver (WR) fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks for Week 18 of 2025. His WR lineups advice for Week 18 fantasy football start/sit decisions.

While some fantasy managers have an eye on the future, some have unfinished business here in Week 18.

Not all fantasy leagues are created equal. Some leagues are still going here in Week 18, whether it is head-to-head matchups or a total points setup, champions will be crowned this week.

Let's dive into RotoBaller's Week 18 wide receiver starts and sits.

Week 18 Starts - Potential Fantasy Football Booms

Stefon Diggs - WR, New England Patriots vs Miami Dolphins

Stefon Diggs is exactly what Drake Maye needed to assert himself not only as an elite fantasy option but as an MVP candidate as well. Against the lowly Jets last week, Diggs was targeted on six occasions, resulting in six receptions, 101 yards receiving, a touchdown, and 22.1 fantasy points. It marked the second week in a row in which Diggs produced 22 or more PPR fantasy points.

Over the last two weeks, Diggs posted a 74.7% route participation rate and 239 receiving yards. Only Chris Olave and Parker Washington have more receiving yards in that span. In these two games, Diggs earned a 23.3% target share, a 22.6% air yards share, and 35.9% of the Patriots' total receiving yards.

The last time Diggs faced the Dolphins (Week 2), he was working his way back from an ACL injury and was held to four receptions for 32 yards, but he was targeted on five occasions. Since then, Miami has been one of the more generous defenses in terms of fantasy production to the wide receiver position.

STEFON. DIGGS. MOSSED.

📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/oTFYIoKSg3

— z - New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 28, 2025

Diggs also has some incentives at play this week, needing eight more receptions to earn a $500,000 bonus and 130 receiving yards to cash in on another $1,000,000.

Over the Dolphins' previous five contests, their secondary has yielded 62 receptions, 798 receiving yards, and seven touchdown receptions. The seven touchdowns are the sixth-most over that period.

Wan'Dale Robinson - WR, New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys

Against the Raiders, Wan’Dale Robinson saw 14 targets, caught 11 passes for 113 yards, and averaged 10.3 yards per reception. While this week’s game seems meaningless, the Giants remain invested.

The great thing about PPR scoring formats is that a receiver such as Wan'Dale Robinson can be a borderline WR1 in fantasy despite only four touchdowns on the season. On a points-per-game basis among receivers to suit up in at least 12 contests, only 11 receivers are averaging more fantasy points than Robinson's 13.6.

Since Week 12, Robinson has averaged 17 fantasy points per game, ninth among receivers; in that span, Dallas allows 41.9 fantasy points per game. You see the potential here.

Over the course of the last six Cowboys contests, opposing receivers have totaled 1,137 receiving yards on 80 receptions. Only the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens have conceded more receiving yards to the wide receiver position, while the nine touchdowns allowed are second only to the Green Bay Packers.

Wandale Robinson running free for 36 yards!

NYGvsLV on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/UgXn4oA50T

— NFL (@NFL) December 28, 2025

Fun Fact: Robinson became the shortest wide receiver in NFL history to record 1,000 receiving yards in that game against the Raiders last week. You have to love that when it happens in a contract year.

DJ Moore - WR, Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions

Luther Burden III was a consideration for this spot; however, after being carted off the field at the end of the San Francisco game with a quad injury and requiring further tests this week, an alternative selection was necessary. Burden averaged 2.82 yards per route run—the highest for any rookie wide receiver with at least 50 targets since 2011—and had been performing well.

Last week, DJ Moore’s status was up in the air due to illness, but the Bears receiver managed to battle through it and at least earn himself a participation trophy, hauling in one pass for seven yards as Burden and Colston Loveland were the primary options in the passing game.

With Burden unlikely to play and Moore with a full week to get healthy, the expectation is that Moore will once again be the primary option for Caleb Williams against a Lions secondary that has produced some favorable fantasy finishes among wide receivers in recent weeks.

Since Week 12, no team is allowing more fantasy production to the position than the Lions, who are surrendering 42.6 fantasy points per game over their previous six contests. In those six games, Detroit has allowed 79 receptions on 123 targets (9.19 yards per target) for 1,129 yards and seven touchdowns. They have also allowed 101 yards on the ground and a touchdown to opposing receivers over that time.

Week 18 Sits - Potential Fantasy Football Busts

Jerry Jeudy - WR, Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals

At first glance, the Bengals' defense appears to be a promising matchup for fantasy managers. However, the statistics show that although the team has allowed the sixth-most passing yards to date, over the last six games, this has not necessarily translated into strong fantasy production for wide receivers.

Since Week 12, the Bengals have allowed a league-low 20.2 fantasy points per game to opposing receivers, holding the position to four total touchdowns in six contests. In that timeframe, the secondary has allowed a modest 571 receiving yards on 39 receptions, which somehow feels like I had made those numbers up, but I assure you I have fact-checked them.

As for Jerry Jeudy and his fantasy outlook this week, despite 10.4 fantasy points last week thanks to hauling in five of the seven intended targets thrown in his direction and the 54 yards receiving that resulted, Jeudy is a hard pass. The 7.3 fantasy points per game Jeudy is averaging this season have him sitting at WR69, and since Week 11, he hasn’t been much better, checking in at WR60, averaging 7.0 fantasy points per game.

Opting for Chimere Dike presents greater upside than selecting Jeudy. In hindsight, starting Jeudy in the flex position last week would have been preferable to choosing Taysom Hill; I’ll eat the loss on that one.

Jayden Reed - WR, Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

Much of Jayden Reed's outlook this week hinges on who is under center when the Packers take the field against the Minnesota Vikings. Last week, Jordan Love missed the game due to a concussion, and with Malik Willis out there slinging the ball all over the field, Reed was the intended target on just four occasions. Late in the game, Willis exited with a shoulder injury, and Clayton Tune took over. It wasn’t good.

Early in the week, it is believed that both Love and Willis will be available to play, which is better for Reed, but if you go back to Week 16, when Love was calling plays, Reed’s three targets were equal to that of Luke Musgrave and fewer than Christian Watson (six) and Romeo Doubs (six). As good as the Packers offense can be, being the third wheel isn’t great for fantasy.

What’s even worse than being the third wheel is being the third wheel against a Vikings secondary that has conceded 671 yards receiving to the position over the last six games and is allowing the third-fewest fantasy points per game (22.1) over that period.

Mathematics is not difficult. If a receiver is struggling to produce, is not better than the third option, and faces a particularly challenging matchup in fantasy, it is necessary to refrain from selecting him.

Terry McLaurin - WR, Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles

Who will start for the Commanders against the Eagles—Marcus Mariota or Josh Johnson? Does it matter?

In the previous matchup between the Eagles and Commanders, Mariota completed seven of 14 passes for 95 yards, while Johnson completed five of nine passes for 43 yards. These statistics do not support strong consideration for including Terry McLaurin in fantasy lineups this week. Although McLaurin averaged 17.7 yards per reception, he finished with three receptions.

Since returning to the lineup in Week 13, McLaurin is averaging 13.3 fantasy points per game, which has him sitting as the WR26 in fantasy, suggesting his value is more of a WR3 or flex option at this time. While you may feel that a flex is a safe play for McLaurin, I will caution that the Eagles have allowed 735 receiving yards over their last six contests and have surrendered just one touchdown reception on 95 targets since Week 12. That works out to roughly 22.8 fantasy points per game, the fourth-fewest.

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