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Who Should I Start for Week 18? Fantasy Football outlooks for Brock Purdy, Baker Mayfield, Bo Nix, Jacoby Brissett, Justin Herbert, Caleb Williams, Sam Darnold, Lamar Jackson, Jordan Love, Marcus Mariota.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 18 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Brock Purdy, Baker Mayfield, Bo Nix, Jacoby Brissett, Justin Herbert, Caleb Williams, Sam Darnold, Lamar Jackson, Jordan Love, Marcus Mariota. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 18. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Fantasy Football Matchup Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 18:
Jacoby Brissett, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett went 21-for-37 for 212 yards with two touchdowns in his team's 37-14 Week 17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Arizona's pass-happy offense stalled despite going against a bottom-tier pass defense. Brissett threw for under 215 yards and finished outside of QB1 territory for a second straight week, marking the first time since taking over the offense.
From Week 6 to Week 15, Brissett was the QB3 overall in all fantasy football and averaged 21.2 fantasy points per game. The 33-year-old veteran has averaged 14.05 fantasy points over his last two games. Brissett seems to have found himself in a valley with his play during the fantasy football playoffs, but he will look to climb out of it in Week 18 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was masterful again in Sunday night's 42-38 win over the Chicago Bears, completing 24 of 33 passes for 303 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception while adding six carries for 28 yards and two more scores on the ground. Purdy threw a pick-six on his first pass attempt of the game, but was dialed in after that, producing his second straight game with five total touchdowns after his career performance last week in Indianapolis.
The 26-year-old signal-caller has played in only eight games this season due to an early-season turf-toe injury, but he has still managed to rack up 23 total touchdowns and is averaging 26.5 fantasy points per game. San Francisco will take on the Seattle Seahawks at home on Saturday to decide the NFC West and the No. 1 seed in the conference in Week 18. Fantasy managers should expect Purdy to come back to Earth in that one against a tough defense.
Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said on Monday that quarterback Justin Herbert won't play on Sunday in the Week 18 regular-season finale on the road against the division-rival Denver Broncos, according to Kris Rhim of ESPN. Harbaugh said that other starters with "the most bruises" and need "the most healing" won't play either. Herbert has been playing through a fractured left hand for weeks, but he's been practicing in full and hasn't missed any time.
The Bolts are electing to give the 27-year-old signal-caller some extra rest before the start of the postseason. With Herbert sitting this Sunday, backup Trey Lance will be thrust into a starting role, and it remains to be seen what other offensive skill players the Bolts might rest. With a win this weekend, the Broncos would clinch the top seed in the AFC and a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said on Monday that quarterback Lamar Jackson's (back) status for Sunday's game at the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18 is "to be determined," according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. "I think we'll know a lot more on Wednesday," Harbaugh said. Jackson was sidelined in Week 17 in the win over the Green Bay Packers due to a back contusion that he suffered in the Week 16 loss to the New England Patriots.
The Ravens obviously want the two-time MVP available in a winner-take-all showdown for the AFC North this Sunday night, but Jackson's status will be determined later this week. The 28-year-old was feeling better late last week, but he missed practice all week. If Jackson is unable to play against the Steelers, Tyler Huntley would make another start after going 16-for-20 for 107 yards and a touchdown against the Packers, adding 60 rushing yards on eight carries
Marcus Mariota, QB, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said on Monday that it would be "a stretch" for quarterback Marcus Mariota (hand, quadriceps) to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. The Commanders aren't closing the door on Mariota playing, but with Washington eliminated from the playoffs, it's unlikely.
It means that veteran journeyman QB Josh Johnson is lined up to make a second straight start to close out the 2025 season. The 39-year-old went 15-for-23 passing 198 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in the Christmas Day loss to the Dallas Cowboys last Thursday. Mariota is not moving at full speed yet after suffering multiple injuries in the Week 16 loss to the Eagles. He didn't practice at all last week and shouldn't be counted on for fantasy managers still playing for a title in Week 18.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 18 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Brock Purdy, Baker Mayfield, Bo Nix, Jacoby Brissett, Justin Herbert, Caleb Williams, Sam Darnold, Lamar Jackson, Jordan Love, Marcus Mariota. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 18.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 18 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 18 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 18 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 18 for Brock Purdy, Baker Mayfield, Bo Nix, Jacoby Brissett, Justin Herbert, Caleb Williams, Sam Darnold, Lamar Jackson, Jordan Love, Marcus Mariota:
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