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Who Should I Start for Week 18? Fantasy Football outlooks for Chris Rodriguez Jr., Troy Franklin, Raheim Sanders, Tyjae Spears, Saquon Barkley, Rashid Shaheed, Isiah Pacheco, Chuba Hubbard, Jawhar Jordan, Keaton Mitchell.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 18 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Chris Rodriguez Jr., Troy Franklin, Raheim Sanders, Tyjae Spears, Saquon Barkley, Rashid Shaheed, Isiah Pacheco, Chuba Hubbard, Jawhar Jordan, Keaton Mitchell. 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.
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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:
Troy Franklin, WR, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin saw another dropoff in snap share during the 20-13 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17. After posting an uptrend in snaps with 50% in Week 15 and 64% in Week 16, Franklin was only on the field for 38% of snaps in Week 17 despite not having to compete with rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant (concussion) for snaps.
Franklin still caught all four of his targets for a modest 17 yards and no touchdowns. The Broncos will host the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18, and Franklin will seemingly remain a volatile option until otherwise noted.
Raheim Sanders, RB, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns undrafted rookie running back Raheim Sanders was a popular waiver wire add in Week 17, with Quinshon Judkins (leg, ankle) lost for the year and Dylan Sampson's status uncertain heading into a divisional matchup with the Steelers. Sampson was eventually cleared to play despite his hand injury, and neither rookie was able to do much in a 13-6 win. Approaching a Week 18 matchup with the Bengals with no playoff implications, we've reached the point in the year where many teams opt to see what they've got in some of their unproven rookies.
Unfortunately, Sampson also fits into this category, so another frustrating split is entirely possible. However, if either back is given the majority of the work, Cincinnati has been the most generous defense to opposing running backs all season long, providing an opportunity for one final RB1 performance.
Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (illness) was a late inactive for the team's Week 17 Christmas loss to the Cowboys, clearing the path for rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt to put up 105 yards and two scores on the ground. With roster crunches ratcheting up during the fantasy playoffs, there's a real chance that Rodriguez may be available on some waiver wires this week, making him a must-add in any league with a Week 18 championship game.
While Croskey-Merritt has looked brilliant at times this year, Washington has repeatedly shown that, when healthy, they prefer Rodriguez to handle the majority of their groundwork. Rodriguez has cracked double-digit points in Half-PPR formats in three of his last six games played, and should slot in as a low-end RB2/flex in a plus matchup with the Eagles in Week 18.
Rashid Shaheed, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver/kick returner Rashid Shaheed (concussion) was listed as limited in Tuesday's practice session, according to Josh Dubow of The Associated Press. Shaheed is in the league's concussion protocol after suffering a concussion in the first quarter of Sunday's win over the Carolina Panthers. It's good news that the 27-year-old wideout was on the field on Tuesday, but he has some boxes to check before he can get cleared before Saturday night's big divisional matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
If Shaheed doesn't get cleared to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale, it would open up Cooper Kupp, Jake Bobo, Dareke Young, and AJ Barner for more targets in the passing game. When healthy, Shaheed is a boom/bust deep threat for Seattle, who has been hard to trust as a WR4/flex in fantasy. In his eight games with Seattle, he has 14 receptions on 25 targets for 186 yards and no touchdowns.
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 - Chris Rodriguez Jr., Troy Franklin, Raheim Sanders, Tyjae Spears, Saquon Barkley, Rashid Shaheed, Isiah Pacheco, Chuba Hubbard, Jawhar Jordan, Keaton Mitchell. 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 Chris Rodriguez Jr., Troy Franklin, Raheim Sanders, Tyjae Spears, Saquon Barkley, Rashid Shaheed, Isiah Pacheco, Chuba Hubbard, Jawhar Jordan, Keaton Mitchell:
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