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Who Should I Start for Week 18? Fantasy Football outlooks for Colston Loveland, Hunter Henry, Chig Okonkwo, Michael Mayer, Brenton Strange, Kyle Pitts Sr., Taysom Hill, Dalton Schultz, Terrance Ferguson, Oronde Gadsden II.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 18 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Colston Loveland, Hunter Henry, Chig Okonkwo, Michael Mayer, Brenton Strange, Kyle Pitts Sr., Taysom Hill, Dalton Schultz, Terrance Ferguson, Oronde Gadsden II. 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:
Michael Mayer, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer had the most productive game of his NFL career in Week 17, hauling in nine of 10 targets for 89 yards in the 34-10 loss to the New York Giants. With star tight end Brock Bowers (knee) on injured reserve, Mayer will have a full workload for the remainder of the 2025 season. Mayer played 93% of the snaps in Week 17, had a 36% target share, and accounted for over 50% of the team's passing yards.
Quarterback Geno Smith threw for only 176 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions against the Giants, which will cap the tight end's upside if his struggles continue. With a tough matchup upcoming against the Kansas City Chiefs, who rank eighth in the NFL in fantasy points allowed to tight ends, Mayer will be a safe, high-volume option at the position in Week 18.
Hunter Henry, TE, New England Patriots
New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (knee) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's Week 18 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. Henry missed practice on Wednesday and was able to suit up for limited sessions on back-to-back days to finish out the week. The expectation is that the Patriots will play their starters with there still being a chance of them clinching the top seed in the AFC.
Henry has been one of the more reliable pass-catchers on the roster this season. He's scored a touchdown in back-to-back games, while hauling in nine receptions for 84 yards. Fantasy managers should consider Henry a TE1 for the upcoming matchup versus the Dolphins.
Taysom Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill landed on the fantasy radar in Week 17 after he concluded Week 16 with six targets (four receptions) for 36 yards, and 12 carries on the ground to go along with throwing a touchdown pass. All of this was good for 13.32 fantasy points, and Hill became a must-add because of his versatile skill set, but mostly because he was that involved as a running back. The 16 overall touches by a tight end are a cheat code in fantasy football, which is why he was added in so many leagues heading into Week 17.
As the week progressed, and Week 17 is in the books, it became clear that the Saints wanted to do right for the New Orleans fans and Hill (35 years old) and "send him off on a high note" considering it was their last home game of the season, because Audric Estime, who was expected to be in the lead back position in Week 16, rusehd 14 times for 94 yards (6.71 YPC) in Week 17. In comparison, Hill only rushed three times for zero yards and was not involved in the passing game at all (zero targets).
Hill was always a high-risk, high-reward play at the tight end position for Week 17, but now that he is back in his regular role of uncertainty and not as involved as a runner, he can return to the waiver wire as fantasy managers enter Week 18.
Terrance Ferguson, TE, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson will head into the Week 18 regular-season finale this weekend against the division-rival Arizona Cardinals as a legitimate streaming option at tight end for fantasy football managers. The 22-year-old found the end zone for the second straight contest in the Monday night loss to the Atlanta Falcons, catching two of his four targets for a season-high 54 yards and the trip to paydirt. In last week's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, he had three catches on four targets for 33 yards and his second score of the season.
Ferguson's touchdown reception in Week 17 was a 27-yard strike from quarterback Matthew Stafford when he was left all alone in the back of the end zone. Colby Parkinson remains heavily involved -- he outsnapped Ferguson 51 to 32 and caught six passes for 53 yards -- but Ferguson could certainly find the end zone for a third straight week this Sunday against Arizona.
Kyle Pitts Sr., TE, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. (knee) is coming off a disappointing showing against the Rams, and he now carries a questionable designation into Sunday's season finale against the Saints. Pitts has been a limited practice participant all week, which has not been uncommon for him down the stretch, and head coach Raheem Morris is optimistic about his availability for Week 18.
The Falcons have been eliminated from playoff contention, but they could indirectly determine the NFC South champion with a win, adding a level of motivation in a week when it can often be difficult to find. Fantasy managers still competing in Week 18 should feel comfortable starting Pitts against a Saints defense that has been middle-of-the-road at defending tight ends.
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 - Colston Loveland, Hunter Henry, Chig Okonkwo, Michael Mayer, Brenton Strange, Kyle Pitts Sr., Taysom Hill, Dalton Schultz, Terrance Ferguson, Oronde Gadsden II. 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 Colston Loveland, Hunter Henry, Chig Okonkwo, Michael Mayer, Brenton Strange, Kyle Pitts Sr., Taysom Hill, Dalton Schultz, Terrance Ferguson, Oronde Gadsden II:
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