The Fantasy Footballers Starts of the Week for Week 18

If you are reading this, I hope you already have won your championship, but chances are that since you are reading this, you must be one of those people playing in the championship in Week 18. First, you should make your league change to Week 17. Second, I hope your starters are playing! If they aren’t, you need Thursday’s episode, in which Mike and Jason delivered their Starts of the Week. You can check out the full episode on YouTube below.

If you have won your championship, make sure you share it with us by using #FootClanTitle. You can also get some cool commemorative merch by going to shopballers.com. Of course, you will also want to be connected to our Discord community to share with all the other managers that you won your title. Let’s get to The Fantasy Footballers’ Starts of the Week for Week 18.

Jason’s Starts of the Week

QB – Justin Fields @ GB

Justin Fields is playing for his job. That could be somewhere else, but he would prefer to stay with the Bears. While eliminated from the playoffs, Chicago does have something to play for, as they could keep the Packers out of the playoffs if they beat them. Fields this week said, “Their fans are going to be loud because there is not much to do in Green Bay except watch football.” He wants to win this game badly. Since Week 4, Fields has been averaging 20.7 fantasy points per game and has been a top-four fantasy quarterback in three of his last four starts. Since Week 11, Green Bay is 25th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points given to the QB position. It should be a good week if you have Fields for your championship matchup. 

 RB – Devin Singletary @ IND

Jason thinks Singletary is a phenomenal play this week. The best news is Singletary has a contract incentive that if he gets 74 total scrimmage yards in this game, he will get an extra $125,000. Which means he will be doing all he can to put up a good game. On top of that, the Texans are in a must-win game, basically a playoff game for both teams, as the winner will be in the playoffs, and the loser is out. Houston trusts Singletary more than their other backs, and since Week 10, he has been the RB9, averaging 13.2 fantasy points per game on 19.5 opportunities. That kind of workload is excellent! The Colts are a run funnel defense, ranking 30th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points given to the RB position. You have to get him in your lineup if possible. 

WR – Michael Pittman Jr. vs. HOU

You want to build this city against Houston. Pittman has been one of the most dependable WRs in all of football. He is averaging 10 targets and 74 yards per game. Pittman has 203 receptions over the last two years, the fifth most in the NFL in that span. He is looking for a big payday this offseason, and a good finish to help his team into the playoffs would go a long way for his contract negotiation. The matchup is excellent as the Texans are a pass funnel defense, and in Week 2, Pittman had 12 targets against Houston. Colts games consistently hit the over on the points, which is great for fantasy scores. Since Week 10, the Texans are 30th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points given up to WRs and 28th in yards per attempt. The Colts need Pittman to be great if they are going to make the playoffs, and he can deliver greatness. 

TE – Dallas Goedert @ NYG

For the last two weeks, he has been the TE10 and the TE4. He leads the Eagles in targets per route run over the previous three weeks. DeVonta Smith is slightly banged up and could sit out the game, making Goedert even more integral for the offense. The Giants have been torched by TEs the last three weeks, including a game against the Eagles and Dallas Goedert, who had seven catches for 71 yards on nine targets in Week 16. The floor is safe, and there could be touchdown upside for him. 

Mike’s Starts of the Week

QB – Tyrod Taylor vs. PHI

The Eagles have been a great matchup for offenses lately. Tyrod was the QB11 last week, and he will run the ball some, giving you a rushing floor. Philly is last in schedule-adjusted fantasy points given up to QBs. The Eagles are on pace to see the sixth most passing attempts of all time, and the Giants would love to continue the downslide Philly has been on. All of this puts Tyrod in play for the week. 

RB – The Starter for the 49ers vs. LAR

Mike was all set to make Elijah Mitchell his Start of the Week, but the news that he is sick and missing practice, combined with the report from the Athletic that Jordan Mason will get significant work, has made him pivot a little. If we find out Mitchell is not playing, Mason will be a smash play this week. Whoever is the RB for the 49ers has been a good fantasy asset for years. Neither of them is Christian McCaffrey, but Mason is a good RB. The Rams will rest many players, as they have no incentive to win this game. So, Jordan Mason could be a great play for your flex, or if Elijah Mitchell is the starter, then he will be great, too. It might even be wise to pick them both up for the week so you can play whichever is better and keep the other away from your opponent. 

WR – DeAndre Hopkins vs. JAX

The Titans are out of playoff contention, and Ryan Tannehill will be the QB. It’s not a great start for a reason to play Hopkins, but the Jaguars are 23rd in schedule-adjusted fantasy points given up to WRs, and Hopkins has some good incentives to reach. He needs only 49 yards to get one million dollars. So you know he will do all the work he can to get that extra money. Also, the Titans can be spoilers for a division rival. If Tennessee beats Jacksonville, then the Jags are out of the playoffs. Hopkins will demand the ball, which should provide you with at least a safe floor this week. 

TE – Dalton Schultz @ IND

The matchup is great, but the main reason to lean on Schultz is that he is another player with a good incentive. He needs four receptions to hit a $250,000 payout. He typically isn’t a bad play, as he is the TE10 on the season and averages nearly six targets per game. Last week against Tennessee was a bit of a bummer, but if you made it to the championship, Schultz could be a good play to help get you over the finish line this week.