Most fantasy leagues have their championship games in Week 17, but some of you play to the whistle. For those of you whose season-long leagues are still active in Week 18, we’ve got you covered with waiver recommendations.
There are no recommended bids this week since the amount of FAAB money you have left is basically the sole determinant of bid size. As always, we’re only listing players who are available in no more than 50% of Yahoo leagues. We’ll list at least 1-2 low-rostered players at each position for those of you in deeper leagues.
Week 18 Waiver Wire Rankings
Running Backs
Zack Moss: (46% rostered)
Analysis: With Jonathan Taylor on the shelf with an ankle injury, the Colts have turned to former Buffalo Bill Zack Moss as their workhorse RB down the stretch. Over Indy’s last three games, Moss has 51-220-0 rushing and 1-5-0 receiving. He gets an A+ matchup this week against a squishy-soft Texans run defense that is giving up a league-high 28.7 fantasy points per game to running backs. Opposing RBs are averaging 141.4 rushing yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry against Houston.
Alexander Mattison (30% rostered)
Analysis: The Vikings are unlikely to leapfrog the 49ers for the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs, and it’s unclear how eager they’d be to move up, since the No. 3 seed means a first-round game against the Giants, whom the Vikings have already beaten, while the No. 2 seed might mean a rematch with the Packers, who trucked the Vikings 41-17 on Sunday. If the Vikes take their foot off the gas, it will likely mean few snaps for Dalvin Cook and a heavy dose of Mattison. Minnesota faces a bad Chicago defense that has given up 519 rushing yards to the Bills and Lions over the last two weeks.
Chase Edmonds (21% rostered)
Analysis: The Broncos have Edmonds under contract for next season but could walk away from his $6 million deal without taking a dead-cap hit. Perhaps as an early audition for a roster spot next season, Edmonds played 59% of Denver’s offensive snaps in Week 17 and had 7-34-0 rushing and 3-39-0 receiving vs. the Chiefs. Edmonds will probably share work with Latavius Murray in Week 18, but he’ll have a favorable matchup against the Chargers, who have allowed the second-most rushing yards and eighth-most fantasy points to RBs.
Chuba Hubbard (39% rostered)
Analysis: Over his last five games, Hubbard has 50-286-1 rushing and 9-135-0 receiving. He played a season-high 35 snaps against the Buccaneers in Week 17 (a 53% snap share) and will face a Saints defense that ranks 19th in DVOA against the run.
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Wide Receivers
Treylon Burks (41% rostered)
Analysis: The rookie from Arkansas drew eight targets last week in QB Joshua Dobbs‘ first NFL start, finishing with 4-66-0. Burks also added a 20-yard run. Though plagued by injuries and uneven QB play during his rookie season, Burks has flashed big-time potential. He should play a prominent role in a Saturday showdown with the Jaguars for the AFC South title. Jacksonville ranks 29th in DVOA against the pass and has yielded 18 TD catches to wide receivers.
Rashid Shaheed (6% rostered)
Analysis: An undrafted free agent from Weber State, Shaheed has been a revelation for the Saints down the stretch. Over his last five games, Shaheed has 19-343-1 on 22 targets, averaging 18.1 yards per catch and 15.6 yards per target over that span. He gets a Week 17 matchup against a Panthers defense that played without injured CB Jaycee Horn in Week 17 and gave up 10-207-3 to Mike Evans and 9-120-0 to Chris Godwin.
Kadarius Toney (28% rostered)
Analysis: This electric playmaker converted four targets into 4-71-0 Sunday against the Broncos. Toney played only 19 snaps, but the Chiefs might give him a longer look this weekend in their regular-season finale against the Raiders, who rank last in the league in DVOA against the pass. The explosive Toney is capable of making his weekly fantasy quota with a single big play.
Jahan Dotson (41% rostered)
Analysis: Dotson’s three-game touchdown streak was snapped in Week 17, but the rookie from Penn State was still targeted seven times and had 3-37-0 receiving against a good Browns pass defense. Over his last four games, Dotson has 18-272-3 on 31 targets. He has a Week 18 matchup against a Dallas pass defense that’s been out of sorts since losing CB Anthony Brown to a torn Achilles last month.
Quarterbacks
Brock Purdy (45% rostered)
Analysis: The 49ers are trying to hang onto the No. 2 seed in the NFC and can do so with a home win over the Cardinals this weekend. Purdy has thrown two TD passes in each of the five games he’s played since QB Jimmy Garoppolo‘s season-ending injury. Purdy has averaged 226 passing yards a game during that stretch. Arizona has the NFL’s fifth-worst opponent passer rating (96.3) and has allowed a league-high 69.6% completion percentage.
Sam Darnold (7% rostered)
Analysis: Since taking over as the Panthers’ starting quarterback in Week 12, Darnold has averaged a respectable 17.3 fantasy points per game, making him the QB14 in fantasy scoring over that stretch. He threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns against the Buccaneers in Week 17.
Mac Jones (19% rostered)
The Patriots have a must-win game in Buffalo this weekend, and the Bills will have nothing to play for if they beat the Bengals Monday night to lock up the top seed in the AFC playoffs. Jones has thrown two TD passes in each of his last two games.
Tight Ends
Tyler Conklin (29% rostered)
Analysis: Conklin gets an appealing Week 18 matchup against a Dolphins defense that’s giving up 12.6 fantasy points per game to TEs, third-most in the league. He hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 8, but Conklin had 6-80-0 against the Seahawks last week and has caught all 10 of his targets over his last two contests.
Albert Okwuegbunam (10% rostered)
Analysis: A healthy scratch for much of the season, Albert O was active in Week 17 after the Broncos placed rookie TE Greg Dulcich on IR and capitalized on the opportunity with 3-45-1 on six targets. Okwuegbunam is one of the most athletic tight ends in the league, and as a season-long denizen of the Broncos’ doghouse, he has every incentive to prove himself in the team’s regular-season finale.
Chigoziem Okonkwo (23% rostered)
Next opponent: at JAC
Analysis: Okonkwo has been impressive over the second half of the season, with 24-356-1 receiving over his last nine games. The rookie from Maryland gets a favorable Week 18 draw against the Jaguars, who have allowed the fifth-most receiving yards and ninth-most fantasy points to TEs.
Defenses
Seattle Seahawks (28% rostered)
Analysis: The Seahawks need to win in Week 18 to keep their playoff hopes alive. They have a home date with the Rams, who have given up the third-most fantasy points to opposing defenses this season. Baker Mayfield has thrown 63 interceptions in 71 career games, and he’s been sacked eight times over the last three weeks. Seattle’s defense ranks 10th in fantasy scoring this season.
Los Angeles Chargers (49% rostered)
Analysis: The Chargers are incentivized to beat the Broncos in Week 18 in order to keep the No. 5 seed, which means a first-round playoff game against the winner of the AFC South (either the Jaguars or Titans). Lose in Week 18, and the Chargers’ first round playoff game would likely be against the red-hot Bengals in Cincinnati. The Chargers have given up just 44 points over their last four games. The Broncos have given up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses.
Miami Dolphins (24% rostered)
Analysis: The Dolphins are in a must-win spot vs. the Jets this weekend. Miami’s defense has played poorly of late, but it faces a struggling Jets offense that has produced just nine points in its last two games and hasn’t scored more than 17 points since Week 13. In his last three starts, Jets QB Mike White has thrown four interceptions and absorbed eight sacks.
Kickers
Robbie Gould (46% rostered)
The 49ers’ offense has been on fire, averaging 32.6 points over its last five games. They Niners have scored 37 points in each of their last two games, and Gould has booted six field goals and eight extra points over that stretch. San Francisco gets a soft Week 18 matchup against Arizona, which has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing kickers.
Jason Myers (47% rostered)
Myers ranks fourth in kicker scoring this season, averaging 9.1 fantasy points a game. He’ll be kicking at home this weekend in the Seahawks’ must-win game against the Rams, who are giving up 9.2 fantasy points per game to kickers.
Riley Patterson (7% rostered)
The Jaguars play the Titans for the AFC South title and a playoff berth on Saturday. Over the last six weeks, Patterson is tied for first in kicker scoring, drilling 14-of-15 field goals and 14-of-14 extra points over that span.
Mason Crosby (5% rostered)
The Packers play the Lions for a wild-card berth this weekend. Over his last four games, Crosby is a perfect 9-of-9 on field goals and 12-of-12 on extra points. The Packers have an implied Vegas point total of 26.25 points in that game, so they’re expected to do some scoring.
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
