RADIO
Who Should I Start for Week 18? Fantasy Football outlooks for Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, Drake Maye, Josh Allen, Kirk Cousins, Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Aaron Rodgers, Geno Smith, J.J. McCarthy.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 18 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, Drake Maye, Josh Allen, Kirk Cousins, Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Aaron Rodgers, Geno Smith, J.J. McCarthy. 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:
Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will start Sunday's Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival New York Giants, according to Todd Archer of ESPN. However, Prescott is not sure if he will play the whole game, with the expectation being that Joe Milton III will get some action to close out the year. The Cowboys plan to play their starters this weekend, but it looks like they might not play a full game, which obviously now makes Prescott a shaky QB1 option for anyone still playing for a fantasy championship in Week 18.
Prescott is having one of the best seasons of his career, and he's been especially efficient of late. The 32-year-old veteran currently leads the league in completions (397), passing attempts (589), passing yards (4,482), and yards per game (280.1) in 16 starts. This news makes Prescott much more risky in the season finale.
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (hand) upgraded to a full practice on Thursday after being limited on Wednesday. McCarthy did not play in the Christmas Day win over the Detroit Lions in Week 17 due to a hairline fracture in his right hand. However, after putting in a full practice on Thursday, the second-year signal-caller is trending towards returning to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Green Bay Packers on Sunday. McCarthy's return would send Max Brosmer back to the bench.
If McCarthy is active this weekend, he'll try to end his 2025 season on a strong note after plenty of ups and downs in what was essentially his rookie campaign. At best, McCarthy should be considered a low-end QB2 option in superflex fantasy leagues if he suits up against the Packers.
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (foot) has yet to practice this week, and ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that "it is now setting up for (Allen) to rest" during Buffalo's Week 18 matchup against the New York Jets. Allen has been playing through a lingering foot injury, and would almost certainly be suiting up if the game had more serious playoff implications, but Buffalo is locked into an AFC Wild Card spot and can only impact its seeding with a win over the Jets. Across 16 games this season, Allen has completed 69.3% of his pass attempts for 3,668 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
He's also been a force with his legs, rushing for 579 yards and 14 touchdowns on 112 attempts. If Allen does indeed sit out in Week 18, veteran quarterback Mitchell Trubisky would be in line to make the start for the Bills. Trubisky has appeared in 12 games over the last two seasons for Buffalo, but has not started a game since the 2023 season, when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has a chance to get his team to the playoffs, as he looks to bounce back from a rough outing last week against the Seahawks. He only managed 54 passing yards and also threw an interception in tough weather conditions in his team's Week 17 home loss. The 8-8 Panthers can still win the division, though, if they knock off the Buccaneers in Tampa on Saturday afternoon.
Carolina will also make the playoffs even with a loss if the Falcons beat the Saints on Sunday. Young and the Panthers just faced and beat the Bucs in Week 16, with the QB throwing for two touchdowns and 191 yards in the 23-20 victory. On the season, Young has 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while averaging 183 passing yards per game. If he can duplicate his Week 16 performance, he is a streaming option in two-QB leagues, although the tough matchup on the road keeps him from being a strong play in single-QB formats.
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will play in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Cleveland Browns on Sunday, according to head coach Zac Taylor. Although both teams are eliminated from the playoffs, Taylor said starting Burrow gives the team the best chance to win, and the Bengals are trying to close out a disappointing 2025 season with a three-game winning streak. Since Week 11, Cincy's offense ranks fourth in the league in third-down conversions and is sixth in red-zone efficiency. On the defensive side of things, the Bengals rank eighth in the NFL in third-down conversions and are 12th in red-zone efficiency.
In the Week 17 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Burrow went 24-for-31 passing for 305 yards, two touchdowns, and no picks. Burrow has made only seven starts in 2025 due to a turf-toe injury that required surgery, but he's now gone over 300 passing yards in back-to-back games with six TDs and no picks. Burrow will have a challenge to make it three straight 300-yard games to close out the year in Week 18 against a stout Browns defense.
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 - Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, Drake Maye, Josh Allen, Kirk Cousins, Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Aaron Rodgers, Geno Smith, J.J. McCarthy. 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 Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, Drake Maye, Josh Allen, Kirk Cousins, Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Aaron Rodgers, Geno Smith, J.J. McCarthy:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
