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Who Should I Start for Week 18? Fantasy Football outlooks for Brock Purdy, Tyler Shough, Jaxson Dart, Caleb Williams, Bo Nix, Sam Darnold, Malik Willis, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Marcus Mariota.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 18 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Brock Purdy, Tyler Shough, Jaxson Dart, Caleb Williams, Bo Nix, Sam Darnold, Malik Willis, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Marcus Mariota. 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:
Malik Willis, QB, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (shoulder) has been spectacular stepping in for Jordan Love (concussion), who missed most of the Week 16 contest due to injury, and was ruled out for the Week 17 matchup. In the Week 17 matchup, where Willis played the whole game against the Baltimore Ravens, he completed 18 of 21 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 60 yards and scoring twice on the ground, good for 31.52 fantasy points. He was the overall QB3 on the week, and put a lot of great film on tape, and potentially played himself into a nice contract during the offseason, considering he is an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this upcoming spring.
Regardless, Willis' value is on the rise, and for those still competing for a Week 18 championship, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur made it clear that Love is the team's starting quarterback when healthy, so Willis' starting will be contingent on Love's availability for Week 18. Willis himself also injured his shoulder in Week 17 and is listed as questionable, so something else to monitor as the Week 18 games approach. If neither quarterback can go, Clayton Tune would likely be in line to start Week 18 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (back) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, and head coach John Harbaugh said "he looked good," according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. Jackson suffered a back contusion in the Week 16 loss to the New England Patriots and didn't suit up for last Saturday's win over the Green Bay Packers. However, with the Ravens having a shot to win the AFC North this Sunday night by beating the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers, the team is now optimistic that Jackson can return in Week 18.
The 28-year-old two-time MVP's status is worth monitoring the rest of the week, but as of now, it looks like he's angling to make his return. Jackson has not looked like his elite dual-threat self in 2025, though, while battling through multiple lower-body injuries. He enters Week 18 play tied for the QB16 ranking with 17.5 fantasy points per game.
Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was masterful again in Sunday night's 42-38 win over the Chicago Bears, completing 24 of 33 passes for 303 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception while adding six carries for 28 yards and two more scores on the ground. Purdy threw a pick-six on his first pass attempt of the game, but was dialed in after that, producing his second straight game with five total touchdowns after his career performance last week in Indianapolis. The 26-year-old signal-caller has played in only eight games this season due to an early-season turf-toe injury, but he has still managed to rack up 23 total touchdowns and is averaging 26.5 fantasy points per game.
San Francisco will take on the Seattle Seahawks at home on Saturday to decide the NFC West and the No. 1 seed in the conference in Week 18. Fantasy managers should expect Purdy to come back to Earth in that one against a tough defense.
Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart completed 22 of his 30 pass attempts for 207 passing yards during Sunday's Week 17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He also rushed for 48 yards, took two sacks, and didn't turn over the football. The rookie didn't score any touchdowns through the air, but he did add two rushing touchdowns. Dart continues to showcase an impressive tendency to scamper into the end zone; he has 13 passing touchdowns and nine rushing touchdowns through 11 games. The Ole Miss product's willingness to put his body on the line for big plays will always cause managers to hold their breath, but you can't argue with the results so far.
Dart has been one of the best rushing quarterbacks in the NFL this year, and he could make a late push for Rookie of the Year while scoring touchdowns and limiting turnovers. It doesn't look like New York will rest any key starters in Week 18, so Dart should be a low-end fantasy QB1 with all of the Giants' top weapons at his disposal.
Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough continues to get better with more playing time. For the second straight week, the 26-year-old threw for over 300 yards in the Week 17 win over the Tennessee Titans. Shough went 22-for-27 passing on Sunday for a season-high 333 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in the 34-26 win. He added six rushing yards on four attempts.
The second-rounder out of Louisville has latched on to star receiver Chris Olave, but beyond him, he doesn't have a lot of experienced options, which makes his rise in the second half of the 2025 season that much more impressive. In 10 games (eight starts), Shough has completed 67.8% of his pass attempts for 2,125 yards, nine TDs, and five interceptions, adding 152 rushing yards and two more touchdowns. In the season finale this weekend against Atlanta, Shough will be a popular streaming option in fantasy as he looks to close out his rookie campaign on a high note.
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 - Brock Purdy, Tyler Shough, Jaxson Dart, Caleb Williams, Bo Nix, Sam Darnold, Malik Willis, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Marcus Mariota. 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 Brock Purdy, Tyler Shough, Jaxson Dart, Caleb Williams, Bo Nix, Sam Darnold, Malik Willis, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Marcus Mariota:
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