Who Should I Start for Week 18? Fantasy Football outlooks for Tony Pollard, Chase Brown, James Cook, Michael Pittman Jr., Kyle Williams, Jaylen Wright, De'Von Achane, Kareem Hunt, Raheim Sanders, Adonai Mitchell.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 18 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Tony Pollard, Chase Brown, James Cook, Michael Pittman Jr., Kyle Williams, Jaylen Wright, De'Von Achane, Kareem Hunt, Raheim Sanders, Adonai 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:
De'Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (shoulder) is listed as doubtful to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival New England Patriots on Sunday, according to David Furones of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Head coach Mike McDaniel left the door open slightly for Achane to play this weekend, but fantasy managers shouldn't be holding out hope.
Miami is likely to play it safe in a game that doesn't mean anything for them. Jaylen Wright should be in line to lead the team's backfield in touches on Sunday, with Achane unlikely to play, and rookie Ollie Gordon II should also have an elevated role. Achane was easily Miami's most consistent offensive weapon in 2025. He'll finish the 2025 campaign as a top-10 fantasy RB with 1,350 rushing yards, eight touchdowns, and a league-leading 5.7 yards per carry on 238 rushing attempts. He added 67 catches for 488 yards and another four TDs on 85 targets in the passing game.
Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (illness) was under the weather this week and missed the first two practices. He returned to a full session on Friday, though, and has been removed from the Week 18 injury report. The Chiefs could opt to rest Isiah Pacheco in the regular-season finale against the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders, which would put Hunt in line for lead-back duties to close things out.
Hunt should only realistically be considered for starting fantasy lineups this weekend if Pacheco is ruled out on Sunday. The 30-year-old has taken on more of a secondary role in the Chiefs' backfield of late, having not seen double-digit carries in any of the last three games. He was the team's preferred option in the backfield for most of the season, though. Hunt has 158 carries for 597 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in 16 games, adding 15 receptions for 122 more yards and a TD through the air.
Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (illness) returned to practice on Friday and will play on Sunday in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Cleveland Browns, according to Ben Baby of ESPN. Brown's availability for this weekend was in question after he missed the first two practices of the week due to illness. The 25-year-old will be ready to roll on Sunday, though, as he seeks the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career.
He heads into the final weekend of the regular season with 219 carries for 947 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground, adding a career-high 65 catches on 82 targets for 419 yards and four more touchdowns. Brown has been money for fantasy managers down the stretch and needs to remain in all starting lineups against Cleveland. In the season opener against the Browns, Brown had 21 carries for 43 yards and a touchdown.
Raheim Sanders, RB, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns running back Raheim Sanders has seen an increased role in recent weeks after Browns RB1 Quinshon Judkins (leg, ankle) suffered season-ending lower leg injuries in Week 16. After Judkins went down, Sanders recorded 11 carries for 42 yards and looked like the team's lead back for the remainder of Week 16. However, Browns running back Dylan Sampson returned from calf and hand injuries in Week 17, cutting Sanders' usage. In Week 17, Sanders racked up just 21 yards rushing on eight carries.
With Sampson functioning as Cleveland's primary receiving back and Trayveon Williams soaking up backfield work as well, the Browns appear to be operating with a full-on backfield committee. Even in a favorable matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals in Cleveland's regular-season finale on Sunday, Sanders carries limited upside. Fantasy managers are safe to avoid Sanders 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 - Tony Pollard, Chase Brown, James Cook, Michael Pittman Jr., Kyle Williams, Jaylen Wright, De'Von Achane, Kareem Hunt, Raheim Sanders, Adonai 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 Tony Pollard, Chase Brown, James Cook, Michael Pittman Jr., Kyle Williams, Jaylen Wright, De'Von Achane, Kareem Hunt, Raheim Sanders, Adonai Mitchell:
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