Week 18 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint (2025)

January 3, 2026

Who should I start or sit for fantasy football in Week 18 of the 2025 season? Andrew's potential fantasy football busts to avoid in Week 18 fantasy football lineups.

For some teams, Week 18 is like the preseason. For others, it's win or go home.

That's why most fantasy leagues end their season in Week 17. If you're still playing, however, we have you covered.

Below, we sort through the stats and find 10 fantasy football busts, or players who may disappoint, for Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season. Good luck, RotoBallers!

Matthew Stafford (QB, LAR) vs. Arizona

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay says his starters will play in Week 18. The question is, how much will they play? Because the betting market (Rams -7.5) doesn't seem to be buying it. If the starters were playing an entire game, the Rams would be double-digit favorites over a lowly Arizona team, losers of eight straight.

There's also a scenario that the Rams are locked into the NFC's sixth seed before their game kicks off. If San Francisco beats Seattle on Saturday night, Los Angeles has nowhere to move. Why would McVay risk the health of his MVP candidate?

Obviously, the matchup here is fantastic. Arizona has allowed 37 or more points in five of its eight losses in this streak. But it's more likely that Stafford plays a series or two, if at all, than racking up touchdowns in this NFC West duel.

Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston (WR, LAC) at Denver

We already know quarterback Justin Herbert won't play against the Denver Broncos. Coach Jim Harbaugh said as much. He didn't, however, specify whether the list of resting players would extend past his franchise signal caller.

On the flip side of this matchup, the Denver Broncos have everything to play for. A win secures them a week off next week, while the rest of the playoff teams do battle.

So, you can expect Denver's great defense, especially their pass rush, to play. The Los Angeles Chargers' offensive line is a turnstile. The Texans picked up five more sacks on Herbert last week, and the unit has the worst pass-block win rate in football.

Trey Lance won't have time in the pocket, and isn't remotely close to the playmaker that Herbert is. That'll be a downgrade across the board for the offense, notably the top wide receivers, Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston.

Of note, Keenan Allen is six receptions away from a $750K contract incentive. If he plays, the passing game could be funneled in his direction.

Michael Pittman Jr. (WR, IND) at Houston

The Houston Texans have plenty to play for. The Indianapolis Colts, not so much.

That's why the quarterback change was made. 44-year-old Philip Rivers doesn't have to put his body on the line anymore. Rather, it will be sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard, who was more known for his rushing ability than passing in college.

The Texans can still win the AFC South with a win over Indianapolis and a Jacksonville loss to the Titans. So, the league's best scoring defense (16.6 points per game allowed), which also allows the second-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this season, will be on the field. Against a rookie quarterback making his first start. Yikes.

That's a downgrade across the board, whether you're rostering Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Tyler Warren, or Jonathan Taylor. Volume will keep Taylor in lineups. The pass-catchers? Not so much.

Ashton Jeanty (RB, LV) vs. Kansas City

A repeat offender on the list, Ashton Jeany's brutal late-season schedule continues.

The Kansas City Chiefs' defense, with nothing on the line, gave Denver a chance to win last week. The Broncos didn't score their go-ahead touchdown until 1:45 left in the game, and only finished with 20 points.

Oddsmakers are anticipating another AFC West low-scoring affair. The line is set at 36.5, with Kansas City as a 5.5-point favorite. That gives the Raiders an implied total of 15.5.

The Chiefs still allow the sixth-fewest fantasy points to the position. Jeanty had just seven touches in his go-around with the Chiefs. The number won't be that low again, but his efficiency shouldn't be better than the 3.7 yards per carry he's entering with.

Rico Dowdle (RB, CAR) at Tampa Bay

The Carolina and Tampa Bay matchup is one of the rare ones that matter for both teams in Week 18. A win for Carolina, and they're winners of the NFC South and the conference's four seed. A win for Tampa Bay, plus an Atlanta loss to New Orleans, gives the Buccaneers the final playoff spot.

However, despite the competitive game, Rico Dowdle's outlook isn't looking as fun. With the re-emergence of Chuba Hubbard taking carries away from Dowdle, the latter has been held under 60 rushing yards in seven straight games.

The Buccaneers are giving up the seventh-fewest rushing yards per game to running backs this year. They're beatable when teams utilize running backs in the passing game, which the Panthers failed to take advantage of two weeks ago. Dowdle had 29 rushing yards (3.2 yards per carry) and four catches for 14 yards in the last matchup.

Dak Prescott (QB, DAL) at New York Giants

Here are the things Dak Prescott has to play for in Week 18:

His team has been eliminated from the playoffs, and he has already set the all-time franchise passing record. He's five touchdowns away from tying the all-time passing touchdowns record for the Cowboys, something he will easily achieve next season.

Jerry Jones said earlier this week that Prescott will start, but hinted that he wouldn't finish the game. Whether that's one drive, one quarter, or one half, we don't know. Either way, he's too risky to start, even in this great matchup.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on @1053thefan said, "We're gonna start Dak" Sunday at New York. But he sounded like Prescott might not play the entire game. "How we use Dak, let's make that part of the gameplan that we won't talk about."

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 30, 2025

Speaking of the matchup, Prescott has won 14 straight games against the Giants. That's the second-longest streak over one opponent ever, trailing Bob Griese's 17. It may be up to Joe Milton III to keep that streak alive.

Mark Andrews (TE, BAL) at Pittsburgh

It's been a rough go after a rough go for Mark Andrews against the Steelers.

In 12 career games against Pittsburgh, Baltimore's top tight end is averaging 4.1 catches for 43.7 yards and has just one touchdown. In Week 14, he caught just one of his five targets for nine yards.

Granted, it hasn't been smooth sailing for Andrews outside of Pittsburgh games recently, either. He's topped out at 8.7 PPR points (four for 47 against Cincinnati) in the last six weeks. He totaled two catches or fewer in four of those contests.

Lamar Jackson appears ready to return to the lineup for the winner-take-all game, but his presence hasn't made an impact on Andrews' stock over the last month.

Christian Watson (WR, GB) at Minnesota

For starters, Watson is, by nature, a boom-or-bust wide receiver. He also tore his ACL in Week 18 last season and subsequently missed the team's Wild Card loss. Head coach Matt LaFleur noted that in a press conference on Sunday, when debating resting some players.

“I think you’re leaning on past experiences and certainly it was a tough lesson a year ago in regards to what we lost going into the Wild Card round." - Matt LaFleur

With Malik Willis (shoulder) also not 100%, Green Bay is going full rest mode and starting Clayton Tune. Players resting may or may not include Watson, but it's hard to imagine him playing a full allotment of snaps.

Minnesota has also allowed just one touchdown to a receiver since Week 9, and allows the fewest fantasy points per game to the position on the season.

Bucky Irving (RB, TB) vs. Carolina

The high-value touches have evaporated for Bucky Irving. He has 176 touches this season. Not a single touch has come inside the five-yard line.

The goalline role has gone to Sean Tucker. Rachaad White is still averaging 43% of the snaps. It's a messy backfield.

That's not to say that Irving isn't getting volume. He had 19 carries against the Panthers just two weeks ago. But they held him without a catch and kept him out of the end zone, so he finished with a meager 7.1 PPR fantasy points. He's been under 8.5 points in each of the last three games.

19 carries for 71 yards seems more like his ceiling than his floor.

Josh Allen (QB, BUF) vs. New York Jets

Josh Allen was active in Week 18 last season, when the Bills had little to play for. If you don't remember how it went, here's a refresher.

Quick day at the office for Josh Allen 😅

📺: #BUFvsNE on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/ry8n2spUHh

— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025

That was his lone snap of the game. Allen has started 122 consecutive games for the Bills. That's the longest active streak among quarterbacks.

It's a stat that's obviously important to him, so we could see a repeat this season. The Bills need help to move out of the seven seed in the AFC. If things stay the same, they'd draw the Patriots on Wild Card Weekend. That's not a worst-case scenario, given they beat them just a few weeks ago.

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