RADIO
Who Should I Start for Week 18? Fantasy Football outlooks for C.J. Stroud, Trevor Lawrence, Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Quinn Ewers, Drake Maye, Bryce Young, Trey Lance.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 18 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like C.J. Stroud, Trevor Lawrence, Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Quinn Ewers, Drake Maye, Bryce Young, Trey Lance. 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:
Trey Lance, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are choosing to rest starting quarterback Justin Herbert for the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday in Denver against the division-rival Broncos, which opens the door for backup Trey Lance to make his first start of the season. Head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed on Monday that Lance will start against the Broncos and their strong defense. The 25-year-old former third overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers back in 2021 out of North Dakota State will be making just his sixth start in the NFL.
There is an opportunity for Lance, but we won't be expecting much from him in his first start of the year for various reasons. For one, the Chargers' banged-up offensive line is unlikely to be able to protect him consistently against a Broncos D that leads the league in sacks. Additionally, the Bolts could be resting other key offensive skill players besides Herbert. Lance should be considered a desperation low-end QB2 in superflex leagues this weekend.
Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has a chance to get his team to the playoffs, as he looks to bounce back from a rough outing last week against the Seahawks. He only managed 54 passing yards and also threw an interception in tough weather conditions in his team's Week 17 home loss. The 8-8 Panthers can still win the division, though, if they knock off the Buccaneers in Tampa on Saturday afternoon. Carolina will also make the playoffs even with a loss if the Falcons beat the Saints on Sunday.
Young and the Panthers just faced and beat the Bucs in Week 16, with the QB throwing for two touchdowns and 191 yards in the 23-20 victory. On the season, Young has 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while averaging 183 passing yards per game. If he can duplicate his Week 16 performance, he is a streaming option in two-QB leagues, although the tough matchup on the road keeps him from being a strong play in single-QB formats.
Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye completed 19 of his 21 pass attempts for 256 passing yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions during Sunday's Week 17 win over the New York Jets. He also rushed for 22 yards and took just one sack. The former No. 3 pick arguably had the best game of his young career. This was his first outing with at least four passing touchdowns, and he also became the first quarterback in NFL history to complete 90% of his passes while throwing for at least 250 yards and five touchdowns.
Fascinatingly, Maye put together this performance despite being pulled from the game in the middle of the third quarter. In case there was any doubt, Maye reminded fantasy managers that he is a high-end QB1 and should be started in all leagues. That remains true heading into Week 18 against the Miami Dolphins.
Quinn Ewers, QB, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers threw his first two touchdown passes in a Week 17 upset win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, going 14-for-22 passing for 172 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in his second NFL start. The 22-year-old seventh-rounder from Texas added four rushing attempts for five yards. Ewers threw for 260 yards in his first start last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, but he threw no TDs and two picks. He wasn't exceptional on Sunday against Tampa, but he managed to avoid turning the ball over, with his touchdown passes going to receiver Theo Wease Jr. and tight end Greg Dulcich.
To close out the year, he'll get the division-rival New England Patriots on the road as the Dolphins look to spoil New England's chances of earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs. Ewers should be considered as nothing more than a low-end QB2 option in his first meeting with the Pats.
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 - C.J. Stroud, Trevor Lawrence, Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Quinn Ewers, Drake Maye, Bryce Young, Trey Lance. 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 C.J. Stroud, Trevor Lawrence, Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Quinn Ewers, Drake Maye, Bryce Young, Trey Lance:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
