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Who Should I Start for Week 18? Fantasy Football outlooks for Omarion Hampton, Brenton Strange, AJ Barner, George Pickens, Dallas Goedert, Oronde Gadsden II, Mark Andrews, Trey McBride, Isiah Pacheco, Josh Oliver.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 18 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Omarion Hampton, Brenton Strange, AJ Barner, George Pickens, Dallas Goedert, Oronde Gadsden II, Mark Andrews, Trey McBride, Isiah Pacheco, Josh Oliver. 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:
Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers rookie first-round running back Omarion Hampton (ankle) missed a second straight day of practice this week on Thursday. Hampton spent time on Injured Reserve earlier this year after fracturing his ankle. The 22-year-old hasn't had a setback that we know of, so this could just be the Chargers being cautious as they look to get their players healthy going into the playoffs next week.
The Chargers already announced that they will sit quarterback Justin Herbert for the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Denver Broncos, and Hampton could join him on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Kimani Vidal (neck) upgraded to a full practice on Thursday. The Bolts' backfield is in flux, to say the least, with Hassan Haskins working his way through the concussion protocol. Check back on Friday, but all signs are pointing to Hampton being held out in Week 18.
Isiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Across 13 games this season, Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco has recorded 563 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 137 touches. The 26-year-old has not recorded more than 34 rushing yards in a game or scored a rushing touchdown since Week 8. However, Pacheco maintains a consistent role in the Kansas City offense, averaging over 11 touches per game over the last three weeks. Pacheco appears to have wrestled the RB1 role for the Chiefs away from fellow back Kareem Hunt, as he's earned double the touches of Hunt over that same three-game period.
Kansas City has been consistently chasing points during its ongoing five-game losing streak, which limits opportunities to run the football. However, the Chiefs could have a chance to play with a lead in their Week 18 matchup against the lowly Las Vegas Raiders. In fantasy leagues with 10 or more teams, Pacheco could be a running back worth targeting on the waiver wire heading into Week 18.
Brenton Strange, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange has been inconsistent, but he has a chance to be serviceable against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17. Strange hasn't been the most targeted, but since returning from injury in Week 12, he has had decent involvement in the Jaguars thriving offense. He did manage 93 yards in Week 12 and a touchdown each in Weeks 13 and 16, but his overall season numbers don't stand out in any way.
However, in a plus matchup and a week with plenty of injured tight ends, Strange is certainly startable. Fantasy managers can do better, but can also do much worse than Strange, who might be an injury replacement for injured studs Brock Bowers (knee) and George Kittle (ankle) for numerous fantasy managers in their Week 17 fantasy championships.
Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride caught 10 of his 13 targets for 76 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's Week 17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. McBride continues to be the top-scoring tight end in fantasy football this season, and he widened the gap between himself and the rest of the tight end position on Sunday afternoon. Along the way, he also set a new NFL record for most catches by a tight end in a single season.
It's safe to say that McBride is the best and most dependable tight end in the league. He should continue to be deployed as a high-end TE1 in a pass-heavy game approach against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18. He also figures to be the first tight end off the board (and a potential first-round pick) in 2026 fantasy football drafts.
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 - Omarion Hampton, Brenton Strange, AJ Barner, George Pickens, Dallas Goedert, Oronde Gadsden II, Mark Andrews, Trey McBride, Isiah Pacheco, Josh Oliver. 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 Omarion Hampton, Brenton Strange, AJ Barner, George Pickens, Dallas Goedert, Oronde Gadsden II, Mark Andrews, Trey McBride, Isiah Pacheco, Josh Oliver:
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