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Who Should I Start for Week 18? Fantasy Football outlooks for Luther Burden III, Audric Estime, Kenneth Gainwell, Ashton Jeanty, Malik Davis, Tee Higgins, Chris Olave, Emeka Egbuka, Josh Jacobs, Jayden Reed.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 18 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Luther Burden III, Audric Estime, Kenneth Gainwell, Ashton Jeanty, Malik Davis, Tee Higgins, Chris Olave, Emeka Egbuka, Josh Jacobs, Jayden Reed. 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:
Luther Burden III, WR, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III (quad) was listed as a full practice participant on Thursday's injury report after being limited in practice on Wednesday due to a quad injury. Barring a setback, the 22-year-old appears to be trending towards playing in Week 18 against the Detroit Lions. With Bears wideout Rome Odunze (foot) sidelined by a foot injury in recent weeks, Burden III has emerged as a breakout player in his team's offense.
Across three games played without Odunze since Week 14, Burden III has recorded 18 catches for 289 yards and a touchdown on 22 targets. Odunze has yet to practice this week, so he could be trending towards missing his fifth straight contest in Week 18. If active, Burden III profiles as a high-end fantasy WR2 in a favorable matchup against Detroit on Sunday.
Audric Estime, RB, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints running back Audric Estime carried 14 times for 94 yards and a touchdown in Week 17's 34-26 victory over the Tennessee Titans. After a confusing Week 16, where tight end Taysom took most of the rushing attempts, Estime took over and had the best game of his young NFL career. With Alvin Kamara (knee/ankle), Kendre Miller (ACL), and Devin Neal (hamstring) all missing significant time, Estime stepped up, playing 80% of the snaps. In comparison, backup Evan Hull played 18%, and Hill played only 14%.
They face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 18, who rank middle-of-the-pack against running backs this season. However, this could be Hill's final game as a Saint, and his usage on the goal line and in other key situations could cap Estime's ceiling in Week 18. In a meaningless game for the Saints, look for Hill to have a proper send-off against the Falcons, whom he has dominated in his NFL career.
Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (illness) has been ruled out for Week 18's matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. According to Saints reporter Nick Underhill, Olave had a blood clot detected in his lung and is currently at the hospital, where he is doing well. Olave's career season ends with 100 receptions on 156 targets for 1163 yards and nine touchdowns, ranking him WR6 in PPR formats.
With Olave out, look for Kevin Austin Jr. and Mason Tipton to step up, while tight ends Juwan Johnson and Taysom Hill will have big roles as well. While the Saints eye their fifth straight win against the Falcons in Week 18, they'll have to do it without their best offensive weapon.
Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed has now played in four games since returning from collarbone and foot injuries that sidelined him for nearly three months. The 25-year-old has provided modest production in that stretch, hauling in 16 receptions for 162 yards on 17 targets. From a playing time perspective, Reed has mostly functioned as Green Bay's WR3 behind Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, which limits his production upside.
However, the Packers are now locked into the number seven seed in the NFC playoffs heading into their Week 18 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay could choose to rest starters or limit their playing time in the season's final week, which might provide Reed with a pathway to more opportunities. In PPR fantasy leagues with 12 or more teams, Reed could be a player worth targeting on the waiver wire.
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 - Luther Burden III, Audric Estime, Kenneth Gainwell, Ashton Jeanty, Malik Davis, Tee Higgins, Chris Olave, Emeka Egbuka, Josh Jacobs, Jayden Reed. 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 Luther Burden III, Audric Estime, Kenneth Gainwell, Ashton Jeanty, Malik Davis, Tee Higgins, Chris Olave, Emeka Egbuka, Josh Jacobs, Jayden Reed:
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