Happy Friday and welcome back to my weekly Start/Sit HUB! Mike here, providing you with information that can help you win your fantasy league week in and week out. For all things fantasy football, follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard).
Its week 18 and some of you already won your league, some of you are in your fantasy championship game, sand some are just fighting for pride and fun. Keep going you got this. We get 2 Saturday games this week and all the rest on Sunday.
I’m here every week during the fantasy football season and playoffs with start and sit suggestions that can impact your team each week. My decisions as always include obvious and not so obvious picks. I would also like to clarify that my sit suggestions are based on the assumption you have or can add a player that has a better chance at success. Good luck this week and continue to check out my weekly articles.
TNF START/SIT
Steelers @ Ravens (SATURDAY)
Start – Isiah Likely – Likely has been on fire for the Ravens ever since Mark Andrews went down with a season ending injury. There will be no Lamar Jackson in this game, but Likely is still the guy I like here. Pittsburgh is average at best defending opposing TEs this season and Likely has 4 TDs in his last 4 games including 2 last week against Miami.
Sit – Baltimore DST – This pick could come back to haunt me, but it’s clear that the Ravens will be sitting a lot of people on both sides of the ball therefore it will be next man up against the Steelers current offense. With Mason Rudolph under center for Pittsburgh, the Steelers have over 30 points in consecutive games after not reaching 30 points in a game all season.
Texans @ Colts (SATURDAY)
Start – Nico Collins – Nico has taken a huge leap this season and it certainly helps that CJ Stroud is the rookie QB throwing him the ball. He has 7 TDs this season and has 4 games with 100+ receiving yards. The last time these teams squared off Nico caught 7 of his 9 targets for 146 receiving yards and a TD. Texans are in need of this win if they want to get off the bubble and into the playoffs. Stroud and Collins stack sounds real nice.
Sit – Gardner Minshew – Minshew has been hot and cold with a lot more emphasis on cold. The QB has 1 TD pass in his last 2 games and only 4 games this season with 2+ TD passes. Minshew will start against the Texans after he threw for 171 passing yards and 1 TD when these teams first met in week 2. A lot has changed since week 2, but I’m hoping you have better options at QB this week.
SUNDAY GAMES
Browns @ Bengals
Start – Jerome Ford – Going with Ford here because the Browns RBs seem to be the best option this week for Cleveland. Bengals are struggling and have already been eliminated from the playoffs while the Browns are making the playoffs and have a lot of people’s attention right now. Ford has taken over nicely for Chubb this year scoring 9 total TDs and getting a minimum of 8 carries in every single game. Ford can hurt you on the ground and through the air, the only concern is how much will he be playing? Him, Kareem Hunt, and Pierre Strong Jr could all have big impacts this week.
Sit – Jake Browning – Browning is struggling since he got 3 consecutive wins for the Bengals. Since the 3-game winning streak Browning has thrown 2 TD passes but has also thrown 3 INTs. Even if Cleveland benches all of their defensive starters, I still think Jake will struggle in this game, especially with some banged up teammates.
Vikings @ Lions
Start – Amon-Ra St. Brown – Amon-Ra just continues to kill the competition week in and week out. He is tied for 2nd in receptions this season with only CeeDee Lamb having more. St. Brown is 5th in the NFL in receiving yards and has a TD in 4 of his last 5 games. These teams met up just 2 weeks ago when St. Brown caught 12 of his 14 targets for an awesome 106 receiving yards and a TD.
Sit – Ty Chandler – Ty Chandler is a young talented RB, but he is playing the Lions in Detroit. He played them at home 2 games ago and was held to 17 rushing yards on 8 carries. He was able to score a TD which was the lone bright spot for the RB in that game. The Lions excel at rushing defense so I would look for better options, which there should be a solid 30 other RBs I would prefer.
Jaguars @ Titans
Start – Evan Engram – Going Evan in this game with a lot on the line. Trevor Lawrence relies on him a lot almost every game when they are both healthy. Engram has 4 or more receptions in every single game he’s played in this season, and he will want to do better than the 29 receiving yards he had in their first matchup.
Sit – Tyjae Spears – I don’t really like Derrick Henry this week either but I think it’s safer to bench Spears. He had a total of 26 yards in their first meeting. Only 1 game with double digit carries this season for Tyjae and only found the endzone once. If you are going to start a RB here it is Henry.
Jets @ Patriots
Start – Ezekiel Elliot – Zeke is the best fantasy option for the Patriots this week. The Patriots clearly are working the offense through them since the passing game is just dreadful. Elliot has been benefiting greatly in the pass game being targeted 29 times since their week 11 BYE. Zeke also has a TD whether by rushing or receiving in 3 of his last 4 games. Elliot had a season high 80 yards rushing when these teams met back in week 3.
Sit – ALL OTHER PATRIOTS – Patriots passing game is rather terrible and it’s been announced Zappe will start at QB which doesn’t make anyone feel better. Bailey Zappe has more INTs than passing TDs this season and he has to face the Jets secondary that should be able to handle the Patriots passing attack easily. There is a big snowstorm coming so be cautious here for a 1pm game in New England.
Falcons @ Saints
Start – Juwan Johnson – Juwan has had Derek Carr’s attention a lot lately catching a TD pass in each of his last 3 games. Johnson played them once already where he caught 4 of 7 targets for 45 yards. In his last 2 games alone, he has been targeted 19 total times. This game is pivotal for the Saints so I’m expecting them to put up some points.
Sit – Kyle Pitts – Going with Pitts here based off matchup and history. Pitts is a very TD dependent TE which doesn’t bode well for him scoring just 3 TDs all season and just 6 in his 3-season career. Pitts struggled in the first head-to-head matchup catching both of his 2 targets for 22 yards. Forgettable performance then and just last game he only caught 1 pass for 5 yards.
Buccaneers @ Panthers
Start – Rachaad White – White and the Bucs are looking to seal up a playoff spot this week when they take on the 2-win Panthers team. Tampa took the first matchup by a score of 21-18 when Rachaad ran 20 times for 84 rushing yards and also caught 3 of his 5 targets for 22 additional yards. Bucs want the playoffs, Panthers are the worst team in the league by record, so White should be getting a lot of opportunity here.
Sit – Cade Otton – Bucs could be forced to throw more in this game if push comes to shove and if he does, I think he will target Evans, Godwin, and Palmer before he goes Otton’s way. The 2nd year TE has just 1 TD in his last 8 games and in those 8 games he has not reached 50 receiving yards. You should have better options to rely on this week.
Bears @ Packers
Start – DJ Moore – DJ Moore and Justin Fields have the ability to pop off in any game. He was tame in his first game of the season back in week 1 where he caught both of his 2 targets for a lousy 25 yards. Since that week 1 disappointment, Moore has 5 games with triple figure receiving yards, and he’s caught 8 TDs including a 3 TD game. Green Bay’s defense is middle of the pack so Moore should get some good exposure and opportunity.
Sit – AJ Dillon – Dillon’s status for this game is up in the air at the moment so watch that closely if he is a player you’re forced to start or consider. Aaron Jones has been playing so much better lately topping 120 rushing yards in consecutive games. Ride the hot hand. Dillon has 1 TD in the last month which is the lone bright spot in his last 30 or so days.
Eagles @ Giants
Start – AJ Brown – AJ Brown just put up 80 receiving yards 2 games ago when he first played the Giants this season. The Giant’s defense hasn’t been able to contain WRs all season, let alone other positions. AJ is in a great spot to go nuclear here and silence his critics and the media that keeps trying to create drama for the Eagles. The Eagles need to play well here or else every NFC playoff team will be eager to send them home quickly. Jalen Hurts to AJ Brown should be repetitive. Only concern here is to check the weather. Even in rain AJ should be a great play.
Sit – Wan’Dale Robinson – Chose Robinson here because his stats haven’t been great and the Giants team as a whole isn’t great either. The bright side to having to use Robinson is that the Eagles defense has been nonexistent. I like Slayton and Waller over Robinson this week and Barkley is always an option, especially against this Eagles team right now.
Broncos @ Raiders
Start – Zamir White – Zamir is getting opportunities on the Raiders offense, and he is making the best of them. He has 17+ carries in each of his last 3 games and the total rushing yards in those 3 games reached 285 rushing yards with a rushing TD and 51 receiving yards. Josh Jacobs has not been ruled out but I’m expecting him not to play so keep an eye on his game status before Sunday afternoon.
Sit – Javonte Williams – Williams has struggled lately, and Vegas held him to 57 total yards with no TDs and a loss. Broncos and Raiders both have been eliminated from the playoffs, but the Raiders are fighting for their coach and seem to have more to play for. I expect Vegas to play well.
Seahawks @ Cardinals
Start – Kenneth Walker – Walker isn’t 100% dealing with a shoulder injury, but he has been playing through it. He has double digit rushing attempts in 3 consecutive games totaling 193 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs and 50 receiving yards. He ran for a season high 105 yards back in week 7 when these teams first met this season.
Sit – Rondale Moore – Moore doesn’t get the volume possible to be a consistent threat in fantasy. He hasn’t reached 50 receiving yards in a game this season and he only scored twice this year which occurred in weeks 3 and 11.
Chiefs @ Chargers
Start – Austin Ekeler – The matchup isn’t ideal for Ekeler, but he is more involved since their head coach was fired and he is playing the Chiefs who have a good defense, but we’ve seen them struggle lately so I could see Ekeler doing some damage here, especially if KC doesn’t play all their starters.
Sit – Either DST – Both teams are capable of putting up big numbers in this game even though the over/under is set very low at 35.5. If Easton Stick has Ekeler, Palmer, Everett, and hopefully Allen, and Blaine Gabbert has Rice, Kelce, Pacheco, and who knows who else will play depending on the sitting players situation, there could be explosive plays. Neither defense will be a force here.
Rams @ 49ers
Start – Elijah Mitchell – Mitchell is currently questionable dealing with an illness, but if he suits up, he should be in a great position. No Brock Purdy and no Christian McCaffrey means that Sam Darnold and Elijah Mitchell should be top of the depth chart at their positions for a week. Jordan Mason is the other RB that could steal time from Mitchell, but if Mitchell plays, I would definitely prefer him. Both teams are sitting certain players so Mitchell might have even less trouble gaining stats.
Sit – Ronnie Rivers and Royce Freeman – Both RBs should be involved in this game after news that Kyren Williams is going to not pay this week along with Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford. Even if the 49ers defense is not starters, I expect them to be able to handle some back up RBs at home on their way to the #1 seed in the NFC. I don’t like many Rams this week due to lack of preparation this season and limited trust in Carson Wentz.
Cowboys @ Commanders
Start – Jake Ferguson – Ferguson has been targeted 6+ times in each of his last 5 games played and has 5 receiving TDs on the season. He only mustered 33 receiving yards last week against Detroit which seems low, but it’s difficult to make a splash when CeeDee Lamb is setting records and going for 227 receiving yards. Dak will want to seal this game early and he knows his best red zone targets are Lamb and Ferguson. Could see both scoring this week.
Sit – Sam Howell – Probably wasn’t even an option for you to start Howell this week and for that we are thankful. The young QB has struggled immensely this season, and he finishes it out against the Cowboys. Cowboys are playing for the division and the #2 seed in the NFC playoffs. Howell played the Cowboys once this season already and he threw for 300 passing yards but only scored a rushing TD on the way to a big 10-45 loss. This could get ugly.
Bills @ Dolphins
Start – Josh Allen – These are the types of games a QB dreams about. Season is on the line, and you get the chance to go to Miami and hand an 11-win team a loss that gives you not only your division title, but you lock up a playoff spot. Josh Allen can do all of that on Sunday. He has his health and so do his weapons. I think Allen will do everything in his power to win this game and that usually means throwing a ton and rushing a ton as well. Stefon Diggs scored 3 receiving TDs in that game. Allen was responsible for 5 TDs.
Sit – Both DST – I am going to get my popcorn ready for this game. 2 offenses capable of putting up big points and 2 defenses capable of allowing points. The over/under is set at 48.5 which is the largest of the week. Hopefully the game lives up to expectations.