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Who Should I Start for Week 18? Fantasy Football outlooks for Luther Burden III, Tyler Shough, Woody Marks, Kyle Monangai, Colston Loveland, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jaxson Dart, Oronde Gadsden II, Shedeur Sanders, Isaac Teslaa.
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, Tyler Shough, Woody Marks, Kyle Monangai, Colston Loveland, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jaxson Dart, Oronde Gadsden II, Shedeur Sanders, Isaac TeSlaa. 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:
Luther Burden III, WR, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III (quad) suffered a quad injury on the last play of the game in his team's Week 17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers that will require additional testing. However, initial reports indicate that the injury is not thought to be serious, which could give Burden III a chance to play in his team's Week 18 match against the Detroit Lions. Before getting hurt, Burden III had a massive game against San Francisco, hauling in eight catches for 138 yards and a touchdown on nine targets.
With Bears wideout Rome Odunze (foot) sidelined by a foot injury, Burden III has emerged as an integral part of his team's passing game. Across three games played without Odunze, Burden III has recorded 18 receptions for 289 yards and a score on 22 targets. Given that they already have the NFC North crown locked up, Chicago could choose to be cautious with Burden III and hold him out of Week 18. However, he would profile as a must-add player off the waiver wire if further reporting indicates he's healthy enough to play.
Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough continues to get better with more playing time. For the second straight week, the 26-year-old threw for over 300 yards in the Week 17 win over the Tennessee Titans. Shough went 22-for-27 passing on Sunday for a season-high 333 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in the 34-26 win. He added six rushing yards on four attempts. The second-rounder out of Louisville has latched on to star receiver Chris Olave, but beyond him, he doesn't have a lot of experienced options, which makes his rise in the second half of the 2025 season that much more impressive.
In 10 games (eight starts), Shough has completed 67.8% of his pass attempts for 2,125 yards, nine TDs, and five interceptions, adding 152 rushing yards and two more touchdowns. In the season finale this weekend against Atlanta, Shough will be a popular streaming option in fantasy as he looks to close out his rookie campaign on a high note.
Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart completed 22 of his 30 pass attempts for 207 passing yards during Sunday's Week 17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He also rushed for 48 yards, took two sacks, and didn't turn over the football. The rookie didn't score any touchdowns through the air, but he did add two rushing touchdowns. Dart continues to showcase an impressive tendency to scamper into the end zone; he has 13 passing touchdowns and nine rushing touchdowns through 11 games.
The Ole Miss product's willingness to put his body on the line for big plays will always cause managers to hold their breath, but you can't argue with the results so far. Dart has been one of the best rushing quarterbacks in the NFL this year, and he could make a late push for Rookie of the Year while scoring touchdowns and limiting turnovers. It doesn't look like New York will rest any key starters in Week 18, so Dart should be a low-end fantasy QB1 with all of the Giants' top weapons at his disposal.
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.
Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden found the end zone for the first time since Week 8 during Saturday's loss to the Houston Texans. The rookie tight end was able to salvage his fantasy value with a one-yard touchdown. He finished the game with three receptions on six targets for 32 yards and the one score. His value has been inconsistent this season, and it's not going to get any better in Week 18 in the regular-season finale on the road against a tough Denver Broncos defense.
The Chargers are expected to rest most of their starters in Week 18, which includes quarterback Justin Herbert. Backup Trey Lance will take over under center, which will be a downgrade for the entire offense. It's unclear how much Gadsden is going to play, and having a backup QB throwing the rock around isn't going to do him any favors. Fantasy managers are better off looking elsewhere for TE help in Week 18.
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, Tyler Shough, Woody Marks, Kyle Monangai, Colston Loveland, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jaxson Dart, Oronde Gadsden II, Shedeur Sanders, Isaac Teslaa. 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, Tyler Shough, Woody Marks, Kyle Monangai, Colston Loveland, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jaxson Dart, Oronde Gadsden II, Shedeur Sanders, Isaac Teslaa:
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