FantasyPros Staff | Thu, Jan 2nd 2025, 12:15pm EST

Fantasy Football Week 18 Start/Sit Advice: Sleepers & Duds (2024)

Our Featured Pros are back with a bonus Start/Sit article looking at the best Sleepers and Duds in Week 18.

Week 18 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice

Sleepers

Which player outside of the top 100 in the FantasyPros flex rankings is a good sleeper start, and why do you think he has upside this week?

Brandin Cooks (WR – DAL)

“Brandin Cooks led the Dallas Cowboys in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. This was against a tough Philadelphia defense. This week, he gets a banged-up Washington secondary that was just cooked by the Denver Broncos. Cooper Rush has played really well against everyone except for the Eagles. Washington also could end up resting some players. The volume should offer a safe floor, and the potential for a TD raises the ceiling.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)

Malik Washington (WR – MIA)

“Thoughts and prayers to the Miami Dolphins, whose fate lies in the hands of Carson Wentz. If you’re looking for a DFS dart throw on the Sunday slate, however, Malik Washington has come on of late and is built for success in colder weather. The former Northwestern and UVA grad is a tackle-breaking YAC machine who has earned Mike McDaniel’s trust and proven to be a reliable stand-in for the oft-injured Jaylen Waddle. The Jets’ defense is in “1-2-3 Cancun!” mode, but their perimeter corners still demand respect, which should open up opportunities for Washington to menace out of the slot. To be clear: Washington is more of a Week 18 contest salary-saver than a managed league FLEX play, but his usage in high-leverage situations bodes well for some upside on Sunday afternoon.”
– Brad Beatson (Bandit Fantasy Football)

Ricky Pearsall (WR – SF)

“I like Ricky Pearsall’s upside this week. Last week against the Detroit Lions, he had his best game yet with eight catches on 10 targets for over 140 yards and a touchdown. With so many teams likely resting their players or putting them on a snap count this week, I think Pearsall will not only put up a solid performance but will stay on the field longer than most other players and deliver a solid performance.”
– Trevor Land (FlurrySports)

Khalil Herbert (RB – CIN)

“With so much uncertainty in Week 18, this answer is sure to change as we get closer to the weekend and we know more about who is active/inactive. As it currently stands, though, I’m going with Khalil Herbert. I believe Chase Brown will, at best, be limited in the game, nursing an ankle injury suffered late in Week 17. This opens the door for Herbert to see a large workload increase in one of the best offenses in the NFL.”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)

John Metchie III (WR – HOU)

“John Metchie – Texans coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters he plans to play his starters on Sunday. But the team is locked into the No. 4 seed, and I think it’s unlikely C.J. Stroud, Joe Mixon, and Nico Collins will play more than a series or two. I’m projecting Metchie to lead the team’s receivers in Collins’ presumed absence, and I would consider starting him at flex this week.”
– Scott Spratt (FTN)

Duds

Which player inside the top 40 in the FantasyPros flex rankings is likely to disappoint fantasy managers this week?

Courtland Sutton (WR – DEN)

“Courtland Sutton is currently #20 in the flex rankings. My concern is the volume that you are getting with Sutton. This has caused him to be very inconsistent this season. Weeks 9-11, he had three top-10 WR performances in four weeks. But, prior to that he was WR61, WR22, WR142, and WR33. Since then, he has been WR24, WR28, WR54, and WR25. I can’t get behind a WR9 ranking for Sutton.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)

Najee Harris (RB – PIT)

“Don’t do this to yourself. The Steelers will try to slow down the Bengals by playing a ball-control offense, which makes Najee Harris seem like a relatively safe floor-based volume play. Since Week 10, though, Harris has seen just 10 rushing attempts inside the opponents’ 10-yard line and has been stuffed for negative yardage on four of those carries, per Sports Info Solutions. In trailing game scripts over the same time period, Harris has 57 touches to Jaylen Warren‘s 56, and Cincinnati is favored on Saturday night. Don’t get suckered into the perceived safety of Najee Harris; you’ll be happy you chose otherwise heading into the Sunday slate.”
– Brad Beatson (Bandit Fantasy Football)

Bucky Irving (RB – TB)

“The player most likely to disappoint is Bucky Irving for me. Mike Evans is on the cusp of yet another 1,000-yard season, and Baker has plenty of incentives to throw the ball as well. They should be able to do that easily against this New Orleans Saints defense. With Rachaad White also taking some touches out of the backfield, Irving being ranked as RB4 this week is a little high for my liking.”
– Trevor Land (FlurrySports)

Zay Flowers (WR – BAL)

“I’m having a hard time trusting Zay Flowers this week. Since Week 9, he has eclipsed 10 Half-PPR points just twice and is the WR44 in that same time frame. Yes, he torched this same Cleveland team earlier in the season to the tune of 7-115, but since then, he has not gotten near that volume of work or the results, hitting the 100-yard mark and scoring just once. The Ravens do need this game to win the division, but they should not need to do much offensively with DTR starting for QB for the Browns. This will lead to a more conservative game plan in which they will likely lean on Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Mark Andrews to do most of the damage.”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)

Tyreek Hill (WR – MIA)

“Tyreek Hill – Tyler Huntley may be better equipped than most backups to help the Dolphins win on Sunday and try for the playoffs. But Huntley’s rushing versatility leads to dramatically fewer passes. I’m projecting the journeyman for 28.5 pass attempts this week. That’s the fourth-fewest at the position and close to 10 fewer than I typically project for Tua Tagovailoa. And that lesser passing volume will hurt Hill’s volume for fantasy, as well.”
– Scott Spratt (FTN)

NFL

MLB

NBA

NHL