Top 3 Fantasy Football Storylines of Week 18 (2025)

Only a few games have meaningful playoff implications this week, and the final game of Week 18 is one of those contests, with arguably the biggest storyline of the week presently unanswered. Rest versus rust could be a key theme for a handful of teams with playoff berths locked in, creating uncertainty about how much their starters will play — if at all. Finally, a non-playoff team has a quarterback question worth digging into.

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Fantasy Football Storylines

Will Lamar Jackson Play Against the Steelers?

The Ravens beat the Packers with Tyler Huntley starting at quarterback in Week 17. The Steelers dropped a game to the Browns in Week 17. This has created a winner-takes-all battle for the AFC North on Sunday Night Football. Will Lamar Jackson return this week? It’s unclear.

Jackson has a back contusion. John Harbaugh said about Jackson’s availability this week, “It’s to be determined.” It’s difficult to trust Jackson in anything other than single-game DFS contests, where the options are limited. Even if Jackson suits up, he could suffer a setback.

Regardless, Derrick Henry should be the straw that stirs the drink after steamrolling the Packers last week for 216 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Henry has reached at least 100 rushing yards in three straight games, and he’s reached paydirt in back-to-back games and five of his last seven.

Zay Flowers is a more volatile option with a banged-up Jackson or Huntley. Flowers had just five targets, four receptions and 30 receiving yards last week, but he salvaged his fantasy line with a touchdown. According to the Fantasy Points data suite, Flowers has recorded the following numbers in Huntley’s two starts this year:

• 45 routes (91.8% route participation rate)
• 7.8-yard average depth of target (aDOT)
• 109 air yards
• 40.2% air yards share
• 33.3% target share
• 0.31 targets per route run (TPRR)
• 35.3% first-read rate
• 14 targets (7.0 per game)
• 93 receiving yards (46.5 per game)
• 2.07 yards per route run (YPRR)
• 1 receiving touchdown
• 1 end-zone target
• 1 rush
• 8 rushing yards

Flowers is a low-end WR3/Flex option in season-long leagues. He’s also usable in DFS single-game contests.

How Will the Chargers, Packers, Bills and Rams Handle Their Starters?

The Chargers and Bills can’t win their respective divisions, but they can finish anywhere from the No. 5 seed to the No. 7 seed in the AFC. The Packers are locked into the No. 7 seed in the NFC. The Rams can’t win the NFC West, and they might be locked into the No. 6 seed, depending on Saturday’s result between the 49ers and Seahawks. How will those clubs handle their starters? Let’s go through them one by one.

The Chargers are prioritizing their health. The team will rest Justin Herbert and start Trey Lance. They will presumably rest anyone else banged up, and they could reduce the reps for other starters to keep them fresh for their Wild Card matchup. The Lance-led Chargers are unlikely to beat the Broncos in Denver, especially since the hosts are playing for the AFC’s No. 1 seed.

The Bills can finish anywhere from the No. 5 to the No. 7 seed. If they lose, they’ll be the No. 7 seed, but if they beat the Jets, they can finish as the No. 6 or No. 5 seed, depending on whether the Chargers, Texans or both lose. The contest is also Buffalo’s last regular-season home game at Highmark Stadium. Predictably, Sean McDermott said the team wants to win the game, but they’re sorting through resting players, and he anticipates having a clearer picture later in the week.

McDermott allowed Josh Allen to play one snap to continue his streak of games started in Week 18 last year. James Cook played 15 snaps and carried the ball 10 times for 28 yards and a touchdown, pushing him over 1,000 rushing yards for the 2024 season. The Bills didn’t play any of their starting offensive linemen in that contest. The team could give Cook limited early playing time to attempt to secure the NFL rushing crown. Still, last year’s player usage in Week 18 suggests the Bills will largely treat the matchup against the Jets as a faux bye before the playoffs.

The Packers can’t improve their seeding with a win or fall with a loss. Matt LaFleur said “nothing’s been decided” about how the team will handle Week 18. Christian Watson suffered a season-ending knee injury in last year’s regular-season finale, and Jordan Love injured his hand in the contest. The team was playing to improve their playoff seeding by one spot. LaFleur said, “It was a tough lesson a year ago in regards to what we lost going into the Wild Card round.” Reading between the lines suggests he could exercise caution this year.

Love still needs to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol, and Malik Willis reaggravated his shoulder injury in Week 17. Willis could have returned to last week’s game, but the game was out of hand, and the team let Clayton Tune finish the contest. Starting Willis makes logical sense. Minnesota’s aggressive defense could give Willis trouble, especially if the Packers reduce snaps for Watson, Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs. Still, Willis’ rushing upside makes him a defensible low-end QB1 in 12-team leagues and a desirable Superflex starter.

Josh Jacobs is a logical candidate for a breather. He’s been on the club’s injury report since Week 12. There’s nothing to gain by feeding him this week. Emanuel Wilson has been the team’s most productive runner in the previous two weeks. Chris Brooks is also a candidate for a larger role, especially if they don’t want to overload Wilson. Pierre Strong Jr. is on the team’s practice squad, but he’s been elevated a maximum of three times. The Packers would have to sign him to the active roster this week to have him available for this week’s game. Yet, signing him to the active roster during the week could be a signal for using him this weekend.

Sean McVay might be in a familiar position of deciding between chasing seeding and avoiding injury risks to starters by resting them. He chose to rest his key starters last year instead of selling out to assure the No. 3 seed. Will he do the same this year?

The No. 5 seed is within reach if the 49ers lose on Saturday night, and with it would come a matchup against the NFC South winner. The No. 6 seed would have to play the Bears or Eagles, a taller task than facing the Buccaneers or the Panthers. The Rams will be locked into the No. 6 seed if the 49ers win the No. 1 seed on Saturday night. Gamers must track beat reports this week to get a clearer idea of what the Rams will do in Week 18 if the 49ers lose.

Who Will Start at Quarterback for the Colts?

The Colts started Philip Rivers at quarterback in Week 17, but it appears Riley Leonard will get the nod in Week 18. The Texans can win the AFC South with a victory and a Jaguars loss to the Titans. Houston would finish as the No. 5 seed if it wins, the Jaguars win and the Chargers lose in Week 18. They could fall to as low as the No. 7 seed with a loss, a Chargers win and a Bills win. The Texans have a nasty defense and an incentive for seeding to win.

Jonathan Taylor has an opportunity to win the NFL’s rushing title, and he could benefit from Leonard’s mobility and a lower percentage of shotgun snaps without Rivers. Gamers can trust Taylor to receive a workhorse workload. Indianapolis’ pass-catching weapons aren’t enticing in a challenging matchup with a sixth-round rookie making his first start.

Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.