A lot of fantasy football gamers get indignant about leagues that play into Week 18. The final week of the regular season can be wildly unpredictable because not every team is fully motivated to win. Thus, fantasy results can be more unpredictable, too.
We at FantasyPros are not judgmental about such matters. If you want to play into Week 18, fine by us. You will not be scolded here.
In fact, we want to help.
You may need to hit the waiver wire one last time to fill a lineup hole or to find a defense or kicker.
Whether you’re playing in a championship, a toilet bowl finale or a Week 18 free-for-all with bonus money on the line, we’ve got you covered.
Let’s dive in.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Advice: Week 18
Week 18 Waiver Grade: B+
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Rankings
Note: Players chosen based upon having early-week consensus roster percent below 50%.
(Rostership percentages are based on Yahoo leagues; Recommended FAAB bids are based on a $100 budget.)
Running Backs
Malik Davis (RB – DAL): 2% Rostered
- Next Opponent: @NYG
- True Value: $15
- Desperate Need: $25
- Budget-Minded: $10
Analysis: Javonte Williams sustained a shoulder injury in the second quarter of the Cowboys’ Week 17 win over the Commanders and did not return. Malik Davis took over as the Cowboys’ lead back and had 20 carries for 102 yards. Davis was also targeted twice but couldn’t haul in either throw. With Dallas out of the playoff hunt, it seems unlikely the Cowboys will rush Williams back into action. If Williams is out, Davis figures to get a mammoth workload against the Giants, who have one of the worst run defenses in the league. Davis could be a smash start in Week 18.
Audric Estime RB – NO): 11% Rostered
- Next Opponent: @ATL
- True Value: $11
- Desperate Need: $19
- Budget-Minded: $6
Analysis: In Week 16, hybrid Taysom Hill had a team-high 12 carries in the Saints’ 29-6 win over the Jets, while Audric Estime had only 5-19-0 rushing and 3-17-0 receiving. But in Week 17, the Saints turned the backfield over to Estime, and he responded with 14-94-1 rushing and 1-4-0 receiving in a 34-26 win over the Titans. It’s reasonable to think the Saints will stick with Estime as their primary ball-carrier when they close the season in Atlanta. Going into Week 16, the Falcons had allowed the 11th-most rushing yards to running backs.
Emanuel Wilson (RB – GB): 36% Rostered
- Next Opponent: @MIN
- True Value: $3
- Desperate Need: $6
- Budget-Minded: $1
Analysis: With the Packers locked into the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs and having nothing to play for in Week 18, there’s a good chance they’ll rest running back Josh Jacobs, who has been ineffective in recent weeks while trying to play through a knee injury. If Jacobs is out, Wilson would likely handle the bulk of the rushing duties for Green Bay against a run-funnel Minnesota defense that has faced the most rushing attempts by opposing backs of any team in the league. The last time Wilson got a chance to be a lead back was in late November against the Vikings, and he had 28 carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns.
Wide Receivers
Parker Washington (WR – JAX): 37% Rostered
- Next Opponent: vs. TEN
- True Value: $5
- Desperate Need: $9
- Budget-Minded: $3
Analysis: Trevor Lawrence has the Jaguars’ offense humming, and Parker Washington has been Lawrence’s favorite target over the last two weeks. Washington had six catches for 145 yards and a touchdown against the Broncos in Week 16, and he had eight catches for 115 yards against the Colts in Week 17. Washington gets a Week 18 matchup against the Titans, who have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points and eighth-most receiving yards to wide receivers.
Luther Burden III (WR – CHI): 23% Rostered
- Next Opponent: vs. DET
- True Value: $5
- Desperate Need: $9
- Budget-Minded: $3
Analysis: After being used sparingly for much of the season, Luther Burden has come on late in his rookie year. Over his last four games, Burden has had 22 catches for 322 yards on 28 targets, with at least six targets and four catches in each of those games. He exploded for eight catches, 138 yards and a touchdown on Sunday night against the 49ers. Burden has an appealing Week 18 matchup against the Lions and their injury-depleted secondary.
Kyle Williams (WR – NE): 4% Rostered
- Next Opponent: vs. MIA
- True Value: $2
- Desperate Need: $4
- Budget-Minded: $1
Analysis: With the Patriots missing wideouts Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte in Week 17 due to injuries, rookie Kyle Williams had three catches for 20 yards on five targets against the Jets. The stat line wasn’t impressive, but Williams had a 20% target share. Williams has scored a touchdown in two of his last four games. Boutte could return from his concussion this week, but Hollins is on injured reserve (IR). Williams could continue to be a factor, catching passes from the best young quarterback in the league in Drake Maye.
Jalen McMillan (WR – TB): 2% Rostered
- Next Opponent: vs. CAR
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: Injured for most of the season, second-year receiver Jalen McMillan played just his third game of the season in Week 17, erupting for seven catches and 114 yards on a team-high nine targets. Baker Mayfield threw 44 passes in the Buccaneers’ 20-17 loss to the Dolphins, so McMillan’s numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. There’s no lock he’ll see ample targets in Week 18 when the Buccaneers also have Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka at wide receiver. But McMillan is a reasonable dart throw in a meaningful season finale for the Buccaneers against the Panthers.
Quarterbacks
Tyler Shough (QB – NO): 21% Rostered
- Next Opponent: @ATL
- True Value: $7
- Desperate Need: $11
- Budget-Minded: $4
Analysis: Tyler Shough got off to a sluggish start against the Titans in Week 17 but eventually rubbed the sleep from his eyes and wound up throwing for 333 yards and two touchdowns. It was Shough’s second straight 300-yard game, and the rookie has scored more than 17 fantasy points in each of his last five contests. Shough has a weather-proof Week 18 game against the Falcons in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons have been a neutral matchup for quarterbacks. Shough is by far the most attractive of the streaming quarterback options for the final week of the regular season.
Kirk Cousins (QB – ATL): 14% Rostered
- Next Opponent: vs. NO
- True Value: $2
- Desperate Need: $3
- Budget-Minded: $1
Analysis: Kirk Cousins has thrown six touchdown passes over his last three games. One of those performances was a 373-yard explosion against the Buccaneers. Cousins’ Week 18 matchup against the Saints isn’t especially easy. New Orleans is giving up the sixth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. But with running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts at his disposal, Cousins is well-equipped to take on the challenge. A dome matchup in Mercedes-Benz Stadium is part of Cousins’ Week 18 appeal.
Cam Ward (QB – TEN): 8% Rostered
- Next Opponent: @JAX
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $1
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: After struggling for much of his rookie season, Cam Ward has thrown two touchdown passes in each of his last four games. Ward threw for 251 yards against the Saints on Sunday. His Week 18 matchup against the Jaguars won’t be a cakewalk, but with few attractive streaming quarterbacks available, Ward is a reasonable option.
Tight Ends
Colston Loveland (TE – CHI): 48% Rostered
- Next Opponent: vs. DET
- True Value: $5
- Desperate Need: $9
- Budget-Minded: $3
Analysis: Colston Loveland has had at least three catches in each of his last 11 games, so there’s a reasonably sturdy floor here. The Bears have a strong running game, so they aren’t especially pass-happy, and that limits Loveland’s ceiling to some extent, although we got a glimpse of the ceiling in Week 17, when Loveland had six catches for 94 yards and a touchdown versus the 49ers. Rome Odunze has been out with a foot injury, which has helped Loveland get a steady diet of targets. The rookie tight end has drawn at least five targets in five consecutive games. He gets a Week 18 matchup against the Lions, whose defensive backfield has been decimated by injuries.
AJ Barner (TE – SEA): 18% Rostered
- Next Opponent: @SF
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: Over his last seven games, AJ Barner has averaged a respectable 4.1 catches and 38.4 receiving yards per game. Those numbers are slightly skewed by a 10-catch, 70-yard game against the Rams in Week 11, but Barner has had at least three catches in five consecutive games. He’s also scored a touchdown in each of the last two weeks. With Sam Darnold having little pass-catching firepower at wide receiver beyond Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Barner has become an increasingly important cog in the Seattle passing attack. He gets a neutral Week 18 matchup against the 49ers.
Oronde Gadsden II (TE – LAC): 44% Rostered
- Next Opponent: @DEN
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: Although his clumsy attempt to haul in a very catchable throw from Justin Herbert against the Texans in Week 17 turned into an interception, Oronde Gadsden later made it up to his quarterback with a one-yard touchdown catch. Gadsden finished with three catches for 32 yards against Houston on six targets. It’s been an up-and-down season for Gadsden, but the rookie tight end might need to be prominently involved in the Chargers’ regular-season finale against the Broncos. Denver has allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers, but the 10th-most fantasy points to tight ends.
Isaiah Likely (TE – BAL): 12% Rostered
- Next Opponent: @PIT
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: Isaiah Likely is an interesting matchup play this week in the Ravens’ critical Week 18 showdown against the Steelers to decide the AFC North championship. Only the Bengals have given up more fantasy points to tight ends than the Steelers. When Likely faced the Steelers in Week 14, he had four catches for 25 yards and a touchdown on six targets. The Ravens are anemic at wide receiver beyond Zay Flowers, so they might need to lean heavily on their tight ends this week. Likely will obviously be a more attractive play if Lamar Jackson can return from a back injury than he will be if Tyler Huntley makes a second straight start at quarterback for Baltimore.
Defenses
Green Bay Packers: 47% Rostered
- Next Opponent: @MIN
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: How bad a week is it for streaming defenses? So bad that our top selection is a team that has nothing to play for and just gave up 216 rushing yards and four touchdowns to Derrick Henry. What’s appealing about the Packers is a Week 18 matchup with the Vikings. With J.J. McCarthy dealing with a hairline fracture in his throwing hand, it seems likely Minnesota will give Max Brosmer another start at quarterback. In the first of Brosmer’s two starts this season, he threw four interceptions and took four sacks against the Seahawks. In the second start, he absorbed seven sacks against the Lions on Christmas Day. Brosmer has thrown for 177 yards in those two starts with zero touchdown passes.
Minnesota Vikings: 38%% Rostered
- Next Opponent: vs. GB
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: When Jared Goff threw a touchdown pass against the Vikings on Christmas Day, it was the first time an opposing quarterback threw a touchdown pass against Minnesota since November 9th. But the Vikings sacked Goff five times in Week 17 and intercepted him twice. The Vikings are an interesting streaming option this week with a home game against the Packers, who will have no real incentive to win.
Cincinnati Bengals: 5% Rostered
- Next Opponent: vs. CLE
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: The Bengals’ defense hasn’t been an appealing fantasy option for most of the season, but the Cincinnati defense looked good against Arizona in Week 17, holding the Cardinals to 14 points and 233 yards of offense while sacking Jacoby Brissett four times. The Bengals’ home matchup against the Browns in Week 18 looks attractive. Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has thrown seven interceptions in his last three games and has been sacked 15 times in his six starts.
Kickers
Eddy Pineiro (K – SF): 31% Rostered
- Next Opponent: vs. SEA
- True Value: $2
- Desperate Need: $3
- Budget-Minded: $1
Analysis: Since returning from a hamstring injury in Week 15, Eddy Pineiro has scored 32 fantasy points in three games. For the season, Pineiro has averaged 10.5 fantasy points per game. There’s a good chance he’ll have reasonably decent weather conditions with a home game in Santa Clara versus the Seahawks.
Harrison Mevis (K – LAR): 17% Rostered
- Next Opponent: vs. ARI
- True Value: $2
- Desperate Need: $3
- Budget-Minded: $1
Analysis: Rams head coach Sean McVay seems to hate field goals, so rostering one of his kickers can be frustrating. But the Rams’ offense is a machine, and the Rams get a Week 18 matchup against an Arizona defense that has completely crumbled. The Cardinals have given up an average of 37 points over their last four games. For the season, Arizona has allowed the second-most fantasy points to kickers.
Andy Borregales (K – NE): 23% Rostered
- Next Opponent: vs. MIA
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: Andy Borregales has averaged 11 fantasy points over his last six games. He’s attached to the high-flying New England offense, and his home matchup against the warm-weather Dolphins in Week 18 looks promising. The weather could be a factor, but while the long-range forecast calls for chilly conditions in Foxborough next weekend, the winds are expected to be light, and there’s no precipitation in the forecast.
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