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Who Should I Start for Week 18? Fantasy Football outlooks for Isaac Teslaa, Kyle Pitts Sr., Dalton Schultz, George Kittle, Michael Mayer, Tyler Warren, Juwan Johnson, Chig Okonkwo, Terrance Ferguson, Dawson Knox.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 18 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Isaac TeSlaa, Kyle Pitts Sr., Dalton Schultz, George Kittle, Michael Mayer, Tyler Warren, Juwan Johnson, Chig Okonkwo, Terrance Ferguson, Dawson Knox. 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:
George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (ankle) remains on an excellent track to play on Saturday against the division-rival Seattle Seahawks in the Week 18 regular-season finale, according to David Lombardi of The San Francisco Standard. General manager John Lynch said on KNBR Radio on Wednesday that he'd be "very surprised" if Kittle didn't play in a game that will decide the No. 1 seed going into the NFC postseason.
The 32-year-old veteran didn't practice at all last week and was ruled out for the Sunday night win over the Chicago Bears. He returned to a limited practice on Tuesday, though, and should play this weekend, barring a setback over the next two days. It's great news for a Niners offense that looked unstoppable in Week 17 on its way to putting up 40-plus points against Chicago. Despite a tough matchup, Kittle will be a must-start TE1 in fantasy if he's active in Week 18.
Isaac TeSlaa, WR, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa has caught touchdowns in four of his last five games, and he needs to be rostered in any leagues with a Week 18 fantasy championship. With the Lions now mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and Amon-Ra St. Brown seemingly banged up late in the team's Christmas Day loss to the Vikings, TeSlaa should see additional run against a Bears defense that just allowed almost 500 yards in a Monday Night loss to the 49ers.
On the season, Chicago has been the fourth most favorable fantasy matchup for opposing wide receivers, and with TeSlaa currently rostered in less than a quarter of redraft leagues, he is one of the first names fantasy managers should be checking the waiver wire for ahead of any meaningful Week 18 games.
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.
Michael Mayer, TE, Los Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders third-year tight end out of Notre Dame, Michael Mayer, stepped in for the injured Brock Bowers (knee) on Sunday and dominated, hauling in nine of his 10 targets for 89 yards. The 10 targets were the most on the team, with Tre Tucker with the second most at six targets. With Bowers landing on the Injured Reserve and set to miss the rest of the 2025 season, Mayer will have an opportunity to continue to showcase his skill set for one more game before the regular season is over.
Entering Week 18, Mayer will be in the low-end TE1 conversation against the Kansas City Chiefs, who also have had their fair share of injuries. The biggest question to monitor with Mayer would be whether Geno Smith (ankle) or Kenny Pickett will be throwing him passes. Regardless, Mayer should dominate target share, and because of that, find himself as a valuable fantasy asset in most 12-team or larger leagues.
Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston Texans
Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz has been a solid PPR contributor this season, and he can be a great plug-and-play option in Week 18 if he's available on the waiver wire. Schultz and the rest of the Texans' starters will be playing in their Week 18 game against the Colts, according to coach DeMeco Ryans, since the team still has a chance to win the division. Schultz has a team-high 78 catches on the season for 704 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
He had three catches for 19 yards in the team's win over the Chargers, giving him at least three catches in 14 of his 16 games this season. Two of his touchdowns have come in the last three weeks as well, making him a strong option to play at tight end if you need a solution at the position for the season finale.
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 - Isaac Teslaa, Kyle Pitts Sr., Dalton Schultz, George Kittle, Michael Mayer, Tyler Warren, Juwan Johnson, Chig Okonkwo, Terrance Ferguson, Dawson Knox. 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 Isaac Teslaa, Kyle Pitts Sr., Dalton Schultz, George Kittle, Michael Mayer, Tyler Warren, Juwan Johnson, Chig Okonkwo, Terrance Ferguson, Dawson Knox:
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