Alright, let’s break down how I actually tackled my Week 18 fantasy football picks this time around. Week 18 is brutal, man. So many weird situations – guys sitting out, starters playing a quarter, backups getting the load. Makes your head spin.
The Setup
First thing Monday morning, I grabbed my cold coffee from yesterday – kinda gross, but needed the caffeine jolt. Fired up my spreadsheet where I track player performance week by week. I also pulled up the latest injury reports from a couple sources, plus practice participation updates. Can’t trust just one place with this stuff.
Saw right away we got major headaches:
- Buffalo Bills already clinched their spot, so are they gonna risk Josh Allen? Probably not much.
- Baltimore Ravens, same deal. Lamar Jackson sitting most likely.
- Los Angeles Rams resting guys like Kyren Williams? Oof. That could sink teams.
Diving Into the Mess
Started looking at teams fighting for something, desperate teams. Guys on those squads might actually play real minutes. Scrolled through my fantasy teams and also looked at waiver wires just to see who might be available. Focused hard on running backs this week ’cause those workloads change the most with starters resting.
Here’s the kinda stuff I was scribbling down while looking:
- Backup QBs: Gotta check if these guys can actually throw the ball to receivers. Like Mason Rudolph for Pittsburgh? If Pickett sits, does George Pickens become useless?
- Second-String RBs: Guys like Ezekiel Elliott – if Rhamondre sits again, Zeke gets fed. Simple as that.
- Practice Reports: If a dude is suddenly limited Wednesday after being healthy… red flag. Especially this late.
Honestly, I spent way too much time trying to guess coaches’ minds. Spoiler: You can’t, really.
Making The Tough Calls (Or Guesses)
Felt totally stuck on a few guys:
- Chris Godwin: Mike Evans might sit? Baker Mayfield playing? Ugh. Started Godwin hoping for volume, but felt queasy.
- D’Onta Foreman: Khalil Herbert back? Roschon Johnson lurking? Bears backfield is messy soup. Ended up sitting him.
- Tyler Lockett: Geno Smith playing? Seattle needing to win? Liked the matchup enough to start him over a shaky WR3.
Cross-referenced all these gut feelings against projected points from a few places. Sometimes they agreed, sometimes they looked crazy. Doesn’t matter this week – gotta go with the situation over pure talent half the time.
The Final Sit/Start List (And Anxiety)
After about three different coffee refills and getting totally sidetracked looking at weather reports (turns out no major snow games, thank god), I settled on my lists.
Who I Ended Up Starting:
- David Njoku (TE, Browns): Needed a score, he’s hot, Browns fighting.
- James Conner (RB, Cardinals): No QB, gonna get 25 carries.
- Baker Mayfield (QB, Bucs): Tampa must win, throwing a lot.
Who I Benched Hard:
- Most Rams Skill Players: Just can’t trust it.
- Lamar Jackson: Unless he sneaks a score early, probably done by halftime.
- Any Raven or Bill not absolutely essential: Too much risk.
Sent out my picks to the group chat. Got roasted immediately for starting Mayfield. They’ll see! Maybe. Probably not. Week 18, man. You just hold your breath and hope you guessed less wrong than the other guy. That’s pretty much my whole messy, unglamorous process. Fingers crossed for Sunday!
