Fantasy Football Week 18: Who's Playing and Who's Resting?

  

If you’re wondering which NFL games matter in Week 18 or which NFL teams are resting starters in Week 18, you’ve come to the right place.

Motivation Matters In Week 18

Week 18 fantasy football is a different beast. Understanding every team’s motivation level is just as important as breaking down the matchups.

Some teams need to win to keep their seasons alive. Some teams have already clinched a playoff spot and have nothing to gain in Week 18. Many teams have been eliminated from postseason contention and might want to get a look at younger players in the finale.

Here’s a quick look at the teams that need to win in Week 18 and teams that we know will rest starters. 

 

Teams That Need To Win Week 18

These teams are fully motivated to win in Week 18:

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons need to beat the Panthers and have the Buccaneers lose to the Saints to win the NFC South.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens win the AFC North with a win over the Browns or a Steelers loss. Baltimore is currently a 19.5-point favorite over Cleveland.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals make the playoffs as the No. 7 seed if they beat the Steelers and the Broncos and Dolphins lose.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos clinch the AFC’s No. 7 seed with a win over the Chiefs. A loss plus a win by the Dolphins or Bengals eliminates Denver.

Detroit Lions

The Lions win the NFC North and get the No. 1 seed with a win over the Vikings. A loss drops them to the No. 5 seed.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins get the No. 7 seed with a win over the Jets plus a Broncos loss.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings win the NFC North and get the No. 1 seed with a win over the Lions. A loss drops them to the No. 5 seed.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers win the NFC South with a win over the Saints. A loss plus a Falcons win eliminates Tampa Bay.

 

Teams That Will Rest Starters Week 18

These teams have confirmed that they will rest at least some starters in Week 18:

Buffalo Bills

The Bills are locked into the No. 2 seed.

HC Sean McDermott said Monday that QB Josh Allen will be out there for a “very, very short-lived amount of time” to continue his consecutive starts streak. QB Mitchell Trubisky will take over from there.

We don’t expect RB James Cook to play much, if at all. It’s unclear what the WR and TE rotations will look like.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have clinched the No. 1 seed.

HC Andy Reid said Monday that QB Carson Wentz will start. So no Patrick Mahomes.

RB Isiah Pacheco has been ruled out with his rib injury. RB Kareem Hunt and TE Travis Kelce are listed as doubtful. Don't expect WRs Xavier Worthy, DeAndre Hopkins, or Marquise Brown to play much, if at all.

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams could lock up the No. 3 seed with a win, which would likely mean a Round 1 game against the Commanders. A loss coupled with a Buccaneers win drops the Rams to the No. 4 seed and a meeting with the Lions/Vikings loser.

Despite that, the Rams will sit QB Matt Stafford, RB Kyren Williams, and WRs Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.

QB Jimmy Garoppolo will get the start, and RB Blake Corum figures to handle most of the backfield work. Stay away from the WR corps in fantasy lineups.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are locked into the No. 2 seed and will rest starters.

QB Jalen Hurts has been ruled out, while RB Saquon Barkley and WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are listed as doubtful.

QB Kenny Pickett (ribs) is listed as questionable but didn't practice all week. We're expecting QB Tanner McKee to get the start.

RB Will Shipley (concussion) is listed as questionable but was a full-go in the final two practices of the week. He should be cleared for this one and figures to operate as Philadelphia's lead back.

    

Motivation For The Rest Of The Teams

That’s 12 teams that are relatively cut and dry. How about the other 20?

Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of each team’s Week 18 motivation:

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens will be going all out to win the AFC North.

The Browns have nothing to play for but aren't expected to limit their healthy players. QB Bailey Zappe will make his first start of the season, but QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson might also play.

“If guys are able to play this week, they’ll play,” HC Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday.

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Bengals need a win to keep their season alive.

The Steelers won’t have a chance to win the AFC North if the Ravens win earlier on Saturday. But a loss to the Bengals plus a Chargers win would drop Pittsburgh to the No. 6 seed. That’d mean a Round 1 game against the Ravens, rather than the Texans.

So we’re currently expecting Pittsburgh to play to win this game regardless of the Ravens outcome. HC Mike Tomlin hasn’t said anything about his plans.

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Panthers were eliminated weeks ago and are expected to play their regulars on Sunday.

“Our mentality as a team is to finish strong,” HC Dave Canales said Monday.

Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys

The Commanders clinched a playoff spot with their Week 17 win over the Falcons. But they need to beat the Cowboys to lock up the No. 6 seed. That’d land them a Round 1 game against the Buccaneers or Rams, rather than the Eagles as the No. 7 seed.

“We’re gonna work our asses off to keep the No. 6 seed,” HC Dan Quinn said Wednesday.

The Cowboys have nothing to play for. Here was HC Mike McCarthy on his plans on Wednesday:

“This is the time you think about all positions. We want to make sure that we have information on all our young players. But we’re not really looking to answer those kind of questions right now. I’d like to be in a position where everybody plays — I think that would be practical, but how we make that happen and how we put together the gameplan is what we’ll be doing over the next 36 hours.”

It sounds like we could get some shenanigans from the Cowboys, but we do expect RB Rico Dowdle to play his usual role.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Friday night that QB Trey Lance is expected to get "significant reps" in this one.

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers

The Bears have nothing to play for but are expected to play their regulars.

“Every healthy veteran will play this week,” interim HC Thomas Brown said Monday.

The Packers dropped to the No. 7 seed with last week’s loss. But they can climb back to No. 6 with a win coupled with a Commanders loss.

“We’re playing to win this game. I don’t see our approach changing,” HC Matt LaFleur said Monday. “We didn’t play the cleanest game a week ago. I think there’s value to going out there and playing well this week.”

RB Josh Jacobs said Thursday, though, that he doesn't expect to handle a full workload. That makes me wonder if other key Packers could play limited snaps and/or get pulled early.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts

Both of these teams have been eliminated.

“I don’t necessarily use this week as developmental for anybody,” HC Doug Pederson said Wednesday. “I think you still go in and try to win the game and the guys that are healthy play. But, if there’s somebody that’s dressing that’s a younger player, you might want to get him in and see what he can do.”

Expect regular usage for WR Brian Thomas Jr. and RBs Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby.

HC Shane Steichen hasn’t revealed anything about his plans for this week.

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots

The Bills have clinched the No. 2 seed and are expected to rest starters. (See above.)

The Patriots have been eliminated and clinch the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with a loss.

HC Jerod Mayo has said that he’ll be playing to win this game, but it’s possible that we see some funky stuff from the Patriots.

QB Drake Maye is listed as questionable with a right hand issue. Mayo said “it’s still all up in the air” when asked whether QB Joe Milton will get reps this week.

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

The Giants have nothing to play for, but HC Brian Daboll hasn’t mentioned sitting any regulars this week. Expect rookies Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy to play their usual roles.

The Eagles are locked into the No. 2 seed and will rest starters. (See above.)

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Saints have been eliminated and QB Derek Carr (hand) and RB Alvin Kamara (groin) won't play.

The Bucs’ season is on the line on Sunday, so they’ll be going all out.

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans

The Texans are the toughest team to project this week. They’re locked into the No. 4 seed, but HC Demeco Ryans said he’ll play starters for at least some of Sunday’s game.

#Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said current plan for #Titans game is to have everyone ready to play that can go @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/hWWeFzPC7g

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 30, 2024

We could see the starters play just a series or two – or the entire game. It’s a situation to try to avoid in season-long leagues. You could consider taking a shot on Texans in DFS tournaments.

The Titans have been eliminated from postseason contention for a while. The biggest question here is RB Tony Pollard, who missed last week and needs 83 more rushing yards to earn a $250,000 incentive.

“If Tony Pollard is healthy enough to play and feels good to play, then you let him go,” HC Brian Callahan said Wednesday. “He wants to play. He feels pretty good today. We’ll see how the week goes.”

Pollard is listed as questionable.

San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals

Both of these teams have been eliminated.

QB Brock Purdy will miss this game with an elbow injury; QB Josh Dobbs gets the start.

WR Deebo Samuel (rib, wrist) has been ruled out, while TE George Kittle (ankle, hamstring) is listed as questionable. He could held out of this meaningless game.

RBs James Conner (knee) and Trey Benson (ankle) won’t play, but the Cardinals are otherwise expected to play their regulars.

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos

This is the biggest motivation mismatch of the week, with the Chiefs resting starters and the Broncos needing a win to clinch a playoff spot.

The Broncos are 10.5-point favorites as of Saturday morning.

Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams

The Seahawks were eliminated from postseason contention last week.

HC Mike Macdonald said Wednesday that he has no plans to play backup QB Sam Howell this weekend, so we should expect the Seahawks to play all their regulars.

We hit on the Rams situation at the top of this article. 

Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders

The Chargers are in an interesting spot. They can climb from the No. 6 seed to the No. 5 seed with a win and a Steelers loss. That’d mean a Round 1 matchup vs. the Texans, rather than the Ravens.

But the Steelers play on Saturday night. If they beat the Bengals, the Chargers’ game on Sunday afternoon will be meaningless. So it’s possible that they end up resting starters. HC Jim Harbaugh hasn’t said anything about his plans.

The Raiders have nothing to play for but are expected to play their regulars.

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets

The Dolphins need a win to keep their playoff chances alive.

The Jets have been eliminated for a while.

“The plan is to stick with our current depth chart for Week 18,” interim HC Jeff Ulbrich said Monday.

QB Aaron Rodgers still needs one more passing TD to become the fifth player to reach 500.

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions

Both teams will be going all out in this game for the NFC North crown.