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Who Should I Start for Week 18? Fantasy Football outlooks for Jake Tonges, Colby Parkinson, Colston Loveland, Harold Fannin Jr., Travis Kelce, Taysom Hill, Darren Waller, Tyler Higbee, Isaiah Likely, Grant Calcaterra.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 18 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Jake Tonges, Colby Parkinson, Colston Loveland, Harold Fannin Jr., Travis Kelce, Taysom Hill, Darren Waller, Tyler Higbee, Isaiah Likely, Grant Calcaterra. 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:
Jake Tonges, TE, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers fourth-year player out of California, Jake Tonges, stepped in for the injured George Kittle (ankle) on Sunday Night Football in Week 17 and made the most of it. He earned himself an impressive nine targets, hauled in seven of them for 60 yards, and scored a touchdown. When given the opportunity in 2025, considering Kittle has now missed seven games this season, Tonges has made the most of it, and Tonges should remain in the low-end TE1 conversation for Week 18 if Kittle does, in fact, miss the game.
Week 18 is a pivotal matchup for the 49ers, as they take on the Seattle Seahawks for the division and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Important to note: Kittle practiced on Tuesday, which Tonges' fantasy managers should keep an eye on. Regardless, Tonges has proved this season that he belongs in the NFL and is worth a look in dynasty formats, as he is soon to be a Restricted Free Agent. He's hauled in 34 of his 46 targets for 293 yards and five touchdowns in six games started.
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (groin) is not expected to practice on Wednesday, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. Fannin Jr. was forced to exit early from Cleveland's Week 17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers after re-aggravating an existing groin injury. The 21-year-old rookie has recorded 72 catches for 731 yards and six touchdowns on 107 targets across 16 games this season. He's displayed growing chemistry with Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, recording four touchdown catches across six games since Sanders took over as Cleveland's starter in Week 12.
Fellow Browns tight end David Njoku (knee) has not played since Week 14 due to a knee injury and will also miss the team's practice on Wednesday, so Cleveland could be shorthanded at the position in Week 18 against the Cincinnati Bengals. If both Fannin Jr. and Njoku are unable to go, the Browns will likely split tight end reps between Blake Whiteheart, Brenden Bates, and Sal Cannella in Week 18.
Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland had one of his best games of the season in Week 17 against the San Francisco 49ers, recording six catches for 94 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets. With Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (foot) sidelined by a foot injury, Loveland's role in the Chicago offense has grown in recent weeks. He's now recorded at least five targets in six straight games and logged three touchdown grabs in that stretch.
Additionally, Chicago wideout Luther Burden III (quad) suffered a quad injury in Week 17 that could put his status for Week 18 in question, further opening an opportunity for Loveland to climb the team's pass-catching pecking order. The Bears are locked into either the number two or number three seed in the NFC regardless of their result in Week 18 against the Detroit Lions, so they may be inclined to rest Odunze and Burden III to make sure both players are ready to go for the playoffs. In fantasy leagues with 12 or more teams, Loveland profiles as a player to target on the waiver wire.
Colby Parkinson, TE, Los Angeles Rams
Across 14 games this season, Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson has recorded 39 receptions for 372 yards and six touchdowns on 49 targets. The 26-year-old has seen his role in the Rams' offense grow in recent weeks. Over his last four games, Parkinson has hauled in 16 catches for 181 yards and three touchdowns on 23 targets. He's also played at least 78% of his team's offensive snaps in each of his last three outings.
The Rams have been without star wide receiver Davante Adams (hamstring) for two straight games, and there's a chance Adams remains sidelined for Los Angeles' Week 18 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals as well. Without Adams, Parkinson has a chance to function as one of the primary targets for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in the red zone. Parkinson carries streamer appeal in Week 18 against Arizona and could be a player worth targeting on the waiver wire for fantasy managers in leagues with 12 or more teams.
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 - Jake Tonges, Colby Parkinson, Colston Loveland, Harold Fannin Jr., Travis Kelce, Taysom Hill, Darren Waller, Tyler Higbee, Isaiah Likely, Grant Calcaterra. 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 Jake Tonges, Colby Parkinson, Colston Loveland, Harold Fannin Jr., Travis Kelce, Taysom Hill, Darren Waller, Tyler Higbee, Isaiah Likely, Grant Calcaterra:
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