The calendar has turned to 2024, and we’ve reached the final week of the NFL regular season. While most fantasy leagues have finished for the year, some play into Week 18.

Unfortunately, the last week of the season is difficult for fantasy players because several teams have either locked up a playoff spot and have nothing to play for or have been eliminated from the playoffs and have nothing to play for. Therefore, we will have some tricky and difficult decisions to make when setting lineups this week.

Let’s look at which teams have something to play for in Week 18, which are locked into their playoff seed, and which are thinking about offseason vacation plans.

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NFL Teams That Have Something to Play for in Week 18

Locked Into Their Playoff Spot…

Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers

The Ravens and 49ers secured the No. 1 seed in their conference, making Week 18 irrelevant. However, the two teams still might play their starters part of the game because of the bye week. With two full weeks until their next meaningful game, don’t be surprised if either team wants to play their starters a half to avoid coming out rusty during the divisional round of the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs and Browns are locked into their current playoff spot. Kansas City will remain the No. 3 spot. They can’t move up to the two-seed no matter who wins the matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. The Chiefs also can’t slide to the fourth spot regardless of which team wins the AFC South. Similarly, Cleveland is locked into the No. 5 seed after the Ravens secured the AFC North division title.

Fantasy players should avoid counting on anyone from these four teams in Week 18. Christian McCaffrey has already been ruled out for Sunday’s matchup. I would expect several other big-name starters to also sit out for these teams.

Already in the Playoffs but Have Something to Play for…

Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles

While these five teams have already locked up a playoff spot, they have something to play for in Week 18. The Eagles face the New York Giants, while the Cowboys take on the Washington Commanders in Week 18 for the second consecutive year. If the Cowboys win, they will be the No. 2 seed. Meanwhile, the Eagles need a victory and a loss by the Cowboys to retake the No. 2 seed and the home playoff game.

On the slim chance that both NFC East playoff teams lose and the Lions win, Detroit would be the two seed, Dallas the three, and Philadelphia would have the top wild-card spot. If all three teams lose, the order would stay as it is now, with the Cowboys being the No. 2 seed, the Lions three, and the Eagles fifth. Detroit head coach Dan Campbell has already stated the plan is to play his starters in Week 18 regardless of how little they can gain in the playoff race.

Los Angeles has little to play for in Week 18. They will either be the sixth or the seventh seed. If they win on Sunday, the Rams will stay in sixth place. However, a loss by Los Angeles and a win by the Green Bay Packers would shift the NFC West team down to seventh place and a likely first-round matchup with an NFC East team.

Head coach Sean McVay has a history of resting his players in meaningless games. Therefore, don’t expect to see Kyren Williams or Cooper Kupp play this week. However, Puka Nacua should see some action. The rookie is 10 receiving yards away from matching Ja’Marr Chase‘s rookie record for receiving yards by a rookie and four receptions from matching Jaylen Waddle‘s record.

The Dolphins might have the most to play for of the current playoff teams this weekend. They have a Sunday night matchup against the Buffalo Bills. The winner of that game will win the AFC East division and have the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Miami has been outstanding at home, posting a 7-1 record. By comparison, they are 4-4 on the road this year.

Fantasy players should expect all five teams except the Rams to play their starters at least to start the game this weekend. The Cowboys and Eagles will be scoreboard-watching during their game. If Dallas pulls ahead of Washington, don’t be surprised if Philadelphia pulls key players like Jalen Hurts. The only players from this group I would trust with 100% confidence this week are the Cowboys and Dolphins.

Must Win to Make the Playoffs…

Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

These 11 teams could all still make the playoffs. Thankfully, the NFL did a good job with the Week 18 schedule, keeping any team from being eliminated from the playoffs before their game starts. However, some teams will be scoreboard-watching while playing, potentially seeing their playoff chances disappear.

The NFC South winner is simple – the Buccaneers are the champion with a win over the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, the Falcons can only make the playoffs with a victory and a Buccaneers defeat. Meanwhile, New Orleans can still make the playoffs even if Tampa Bay wins against Carolina, but it would require them to get a victory and for Green Bay and Seattle to lose.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars win the AFC South with a victory over the Tennessee Titans. If they lose, Jacksonville will need a miracle to make it as a wild-card team. The winner of the Colts and Texans contest will secure the division title if the Jaguars lose. Furthermore, that game’s winner will likely make the playoffs as a wild-card team. Houston is in with a win, while Indianapolis needs a victory and a Pittsburgh loss to secure a wild-card spot.

Buffalo and Green Bay are in with a win. They can still make the playoffs without it, but it’s unlikely. The Vikings, Steelers, and Seahawks can get into the playoffs with a win and help from other teams. Fantasy players can feel confident starting anyone from these 11 teams. It’s win-or-go-home for most of these teams, while the rest don’t want to rely on a long-shot backdoor entrance.

Already Eliminated from the Playoffs…

Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, New York Giants, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders

There are only 12 teams eliminated from the playoffs heading into the final week, one of the lowest totals in recent memory. While these teams have nothing but pride to play for this week, don’t expect to see many star players on the sidelines.

Fan bases want to see their team lose for a better NFL Draft pick. However, players and coaches hate losing and want to make a good final impression heading into the offseason. Yet, fantasy players need to check the game-day inactive list before setting their lineups.

Fantasy players shouldn’t expect to see injured players suiting up in these meaningless games. Josh Jacobs and Keenan Allen haven’t played in weeks because of injuries. Therefore, no one should be surprised if they miss their Week 18 matchups. Furthermore, anyone who got hurt last week or has been playing through an injury might not play. For example, Ja’Marr Chase is playing through a shoulder injury, while Tee Higgins suffered a hamstring injury in Week 17. I wouldn’t be surprised if both sit out Sunday’s matchup against the Browns.

Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.