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Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

Before we get to the final Waiver Wire Pickups for the season, a quick note on playoff seeding:

Four teams have clinched their playoff position:

• Kansas City (No. 1)
• Buffalo (No. 2)
• Houston (No. 4)
• Philadelphia (No. 2)

The Chiefs, Bills, and Eagles are expected to rest starters. The Texans sound likely to play starters initially, but guys like C.J. Stroud and Joe Mixon might not play a full game.

In Buffalo, Ty Johnson and Ray Davis could be startable.

RB Carson Steele has a chance to start in place of Isiah Pacheco. But he’d do so with Carson Wentz – against a Denver team that needs a win to lock up the No. 7 seed.

In Philly, HC Nick Sirriani could opt to rest Saquon Barkley in favor of Kenneth Gainwell. Or maybe it’ll be the Will Shipley show – if he can clear the concussion protocol in time. 

The message here: Avoid the headache and end your fantasy season in Week 17.

If you must set a lineup for Week 18, though, continue on. And be sure to check Shark Bites for fantasy football news on injuries, expected playing time, and more.

*Blind bid recommendations have been removed for the suggested pickups below. Use up any remaining funds as you see fit.

Quarterback

Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers

Wilson struggled against the Chiefs on Christmas, throwing for 205 yards and no TDs. He did run for 55 yards and a score, however. 

He closes the regular season with a much easier matchup against the Bengals’ 28th-ranked QB defense.

 With WR George Pickens back at his disposal, Wilson could be a low-level Week 18 spot starter if you are missing your usual QB.

Joe Flacco, Indianapolis Colts

The Colts were eliminated from postseason contention with Sunday’s loss, which might make it more likely that QB Anthony Richardson sits out the finale. The second-year QB is reportedly dealing with “very serious” back spasms. 

If Flacco starts vs. the Jaguars' 32nd-ranked QB defense, he could be in play. That game is in Indianapolis, so weather won’t be a problem.

Josh Dobbs, San Francisco 49ers

Brock Purdy left Monday’s game against the Lions with a nerve issue in his elbow.

Dobbs came in for him, completed three of four passes for 35 yards, and finished the drive with a 7-yard rushing TD.

The 49ers showed plenty of fight despite being out of playoff contention, so even a Dobbs-led team should put up a fight against the Cardinals this week.

Dobbs’ rushing ability makes him a deep-league QB option if you have Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts.

Running Back

Khalil Herbert, Cincinnati Bengals

Herbert handled all four RB carries in OT Saturday – after RB Chase Brown injured his ankle late in the fourth quarter. 

If Brown misses the regular-season finale vs. the Steelers, Herbert would be looking at 12+ touches, putting him on the RB3 radar. 

Brown is dealing with a high ankle sprain and is unlikely to play this week in a must win game.

Cam Akers, Minnesota Vikings

Aaron Jones should be able to play through his quad contusion in the Week 17 showdown vs. the Lions. But Akers is worth stashing until we know for sure that Jones will be available. 

Akers out-touched RB Ty Chandler 8-5 on Sunday and would be at least a RB3 option if Jones misses Week 18.

 Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals 

Neither Trey Benson nor Carter wound up being a Week 17 fantasy option, but Carter could be back on the menu in Week 18 after RB James Conner aggravated his knee injury in Saturday’s loss to the Rams. 

Benson has been placed on IR and will miss Week 18, so he is out for the game

If Conner also missed, Carter would be the clear favorite for work. He out-touched RB DeeJay Dallas 15-1 vs. the Rams.

Snagging Carter for your bench may be worthwhile while you keep an eye on the injury report.

Jaleel McLaughlin, Denver Broncos

McLaughlin was emerging as Denver’s lead ball carrier before a quad injury cost him Week 16. He returned for Saturday’s game vs. the Bengals and led the team with 10 carries and 69 rushing yards. 

McLaughlin is up to 4.7 yards per carry on the season and will be the best bet among Broncos RBs for this weekend’s must-win game vs. the Chiefs. 

Kansas City figures to rest some defensive starters in that one.

Antonio Gibson, New England Patriots

Although he didn’t draw the start, Gibson out-carried RB Rhamondre Stevenson 12-2 in Saturday’s loss to the Chargers. 

Each guy saw 1 target. 

Gibson averaged 5.3 yards per carry against Los Angeles and is at 4.6 for the season – well ahead of Stevenson’s 3.9. 

The Patriots might stick with Gibson as their lead back for next weekend’s finale vs. the Bills’ 30th-ranked RB defense. 

Buffalo could rest some defensive starters in that one, so Gibson has RB3 upside.

Miles Sanders, Carolina Panthers

Sanders hasn’t played since Week 10 due to an ankle injury. But HC Dave Canales recently suggested the veteran should suit up for Week 18.

“Miles has been cleared,” Canales said. “Last week, he was cleared to be able to play, so I’m really looking forward to getting him back on the field for practice this week. He was cleared later in the week, so it really wasn’t enough time to get him back into the flow of things for this week, but really looking forward to opening that window and getting him back out there.”

Jonathon Brooks and Chuba Hubbard are out, while Mike Boone and Raheem Blackshear underwhelmed in limited action on Sunday. So it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sanders handle lead-back work at Atlanta.

Wide Receiver

Marvin Mims, Denver Broncos

Mims exploded for an 8-103-2 receiving line in Saturday’s wild game against the Bengals. 

That might go down as the biggest outing of Mims’ career, but his usage had been on the rise. 

He averaged 4.0 targets and 1.8 carries over his last six games prior to Week 17. Mims topped 50 total yards in three of those six games. 

Deep-leaguers could do worse in Week 18 than Mims against a Chiefs defense that is resting most of its starters.

Olamide Zaccheaus, Washington Commanders

Here’s your PPR WR6 and WR11 over the past two weeks. Those games have turned up a total of 13 catches, 155 yards, and 3 TDs.

His target shares in those games: 22% and 27%.

HC Dan Quinn said the team won’t rest starters this week against Dallas, so we should see another four quarters from Zaccheaus and Jayden Daniels.

Kevin English, Senior Analyst

Kevin brings 15 years of experience as a fantasy analyst and mid-stakes competitor across various formats (redraft, best ball, dynasty, DFS). His work has been featured on The Mercury News, Rotoworld, and FantasyPros.