Alright so last night I hammered out my Week 18 sits and starts guide. Honestly, this late in the season? Total nightmare. Feels like walking through a minefield blindfolded. Teams resting starters, surprise scratches, backups getting snaps – absolute chaos. Here’s how I wrestled with it this time.
Diving into the Mess
Started with QB first. Lamar Jackson? Baltimore locked up the 1 seed, right? Yeah, no shot he plays a full game, maybe just a series or two. Can’t trust him. So I looked hard at guys fighting for playoff spots or pride. Derek Carr against Atlanta? Falcons defense got shredded lately, and Saints gotta win to maybe sneak in. Felt solid sliding him into a Start spot.
Then RBs… oh man, RBs. Kyren Williams been a monster for me – and lots of managers – all year. But Rams clinched, no way they risk him. Automatically moved him to the Sit list. Painful, but obvious. Needed replacements. Chuba Hubbard? Panthers stink, but that guy gets force-fed the ball every damn week even when they’re losing. Volume play? Yeah, wrote him down as a sneaky Start.
The Wrinkle Nobody Likes
Found myself staring at teams with nothing to play for. Like, the Browns resting Flacco? Okay, gotta downgrade Amari Cooper big time. Don’t care how good he is, if his QB is PJ Walker throwing ducks? Nah. Crossed him off my potential Starts. Same with anyone facing a team sitting starters – those defenses suddenly look soft. Dolphins-Bills game was a headache. Both teams could rest guys depending on earlier results. Whole thing felt like gambling on injuries before they happen.
Made a quick list of traps – guys who look good on paper but the situation screams danger:
- Cooper Kupp: Rams resting everyone. No brainer sit.
- Ravens Defense: Starters sit, Steelers gotta win? Recipe for disaster.
- Any Chief not named Pacheco maybe: Reid loves resting guys, especially if Buffalo loses earlier.
The “Why Am I Doing This?” Tangent
Halfway through, this wave of frustration hit me. Been playing fantasy for 10 years. Why does Week 18 still suck this bad? Feels less about skill and more about guessing which coach decides to bench his star player. Like that one year I started Aaron Rodgers in Week 17, Packers already locked in… dude played ONE drive. Lost my semifinal by 2 points because of it. Still bitter. Commissioner refused to change the playoff schedule. Still bitter about that too. Absolutely useless. Last season’s championship? Got decided when my opponent’s kicker, whose team was out of it, kicked six field goals in a meaningless game. Six! Pure dumb luck.
Anyway… back to this week.
Pulling the Trigger
After sorting the landmines, hunted for desperation plays. Khalil Herbert? Bears playing the Packers who might rest some D-linemen, and Herbert gets carries even when they’re behind. Boom, Flex option. James Conner? Cardinals fighting, he’s their whole offense. Locked him as a solid RB2 Start. Ty Chandler? Vikings need this game, and Mattison’s banged up. Risky, but had to put him in the Start column.
Finalized the lists feeling less confident than usual. Week 18 does that. Ended up with:
My Starts:
- Derek Carr (QB – Saints)
- James Conner (RB – Cardinals)
- Chuba Hubbard (RB – Panthers)
- Ty Chandler (RB – Vikings)
- Diontae Johnson (WR – Steelers)
If Trubisky starts, downgrade slightly. But Ravens backups… tempting.
Hard Avoids (Sits):
- Lamar Jackson (QB – Ravens)
- Kyren Williams (RB – Rams)
- Amari Cooper (WR – Browns)
- Cooper Kupp (WR – Rams)
- Ravens D/ST
There it is. Feels messy. Probably is messy. Week 18 just breaks your brain. Now let’s see how spectacularly wrong I am this time. Good luck out there. You’ll need it.
