Week 18 Fantasy Football Rankings: Position-by-Position Outlook for Finales

The final week of the 2021-22 NFL regular season is here. For most season-long fantasy leagues, the playoffs are already over. Some longer leagues will be holding games in Week 18, though, and there are always daily fantasy sports (DFS) games.

The trick with navigating the final week—and the reason why many season-long leagues avoid it entirely—is that there's no telling which teams may rest their players. The Green Bay Packers, for example, have nothing to play for, though they insist that starters will suit up.

"I'm going to play next week and I expect Davante (Adams) to play and our guys to play," Aaron Rodgers said, per NFL.com's Kevin Patra.

While the Green Bay quarterback may indeed play, it's hard to see him featuring in any more than a few series. He may want to keep the rust off before the postseason, but the Packers won't want to risk injury.

So, we'll try sorting through the scenarios, the health situations and the matchups to pick out some of the surefire starts of Week 18. You'll also find points-per-reception (PPR) rankings for each position below.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

4. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

5. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

6. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

7. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

8. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

9. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

10. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans

11. Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders

12. Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts

         

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are still playing for seeding, and they need to get their offense in a rhythm before the playoffs begin.

Dallas is not expected to rest starters against the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday night.

"We're going to play to win the game," head coach Mike McCarthy said, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. "We're going to Philadelphia, and we're going to line up to do what we need to do in order to win the game."

The Eagles, on the other hand, could rest players. They are in the playoffs as the sixth or seventh seed but don't necessarily control where they land. If the San Francisco 49ers make the playoffs, Philadelphia will be the No. 7 seed due to the head-to-head tiebreaker. If the New Orleans Saints get in instead of San Francisco, Philly will be the sixth seed, regardless of what happens on Saturday.

The Eagles have allowed the 12th-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, but there's a very good chance that some key players are out of the game early. Expect Prescott to take advantage in a tune-up performance before the playoffs.

1. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

2. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

3. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

4. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

5. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

6. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

9. Sony Michel, Los Angeles Rams

10. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals

11. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears

12. Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks

13. Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers

14. AJ Dillon, Green Bay Packers

15. Darrel Williams, Kansas City Chiefs

16. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders

17. Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills

18. Damien Harris, New England Patriots

19. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

20. Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos

          

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts aren't in the playoffs just yet. They face a win-and-in scenario against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Sunday's loss to the Las Vegas Raiders ended Indy's shot at the AFC South crown and created a must-win situation in Week 18.

Indianapolis will go all-out to ensure it makes the postseason, and that should mean a heavy dose of running back Jonathan Taylor—at least early. If the Colts get out to an early lead, he could be pulled and preserved for the playoffs.

However, it was surprisingly close the last time these two teams played. The Colts won by only six points, and Taylor amassed 126 scrimmage yards with six receptions and a touchdown.

Managers should expect a similar outing in the rematch. The Jags will fight hard to play spoiler, but they haven't been particularly strong against the ground game. Jacksonville has allowed the third-most rushing touchdowns and the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs.

1. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

2. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

3. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

4. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

5. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

6. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

7. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

8. A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans

9. Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers

10. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

11. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

12. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

13. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

14. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

15. Odell Beckham Jr., Los Angeles Rams

16. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

17. Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders

18. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

19. Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans

20. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys

             

Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams can clinch the NFC West with a win over the 49ers or with an Arizona Cardinals loss. Since both teams are playing in the late-afternoon window, there's virtually no chance of L.A. resting starters here.

Wideout Cooper Kupp, meanwhile, is chasing history—though he's getting an asterisk-adjacent extra game to do it. He needs 12 receptions and 136 receiving yards to reach the all-time single-season records in those categories.

Even if this wasn't a critical game for the Rams, coach Sean McVay would likely give the 28-year-old the opportunity to make his mark in the history books.

This is a fairly favorable matchup for Kupp too, as the 49ers have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing receivers. The last time these two rivals met, he caught 11 of 13 targets for 122 yards.

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

3. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

4. Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

5. Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals

6. Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys

7. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

8. Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills

9. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

10. Noah Fant, Denver Broncos

11. Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings

12. Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins

           

Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski may not quite have the upside of players like Travis Kelce and George Kittle, but he may have the safest floor. The Bucs are still playing for seeding, and they're running out of receiving targets.

Chris Godwin is out for the year with a torn ACL, and Antonio Brown is separated from the team—though, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, not yet officially.

This leaves Mike Evans and Gronkowski as Tom Brady's remaining top targets. In Week 17, the latter was targeted 10 times and caught seven passes for 115 yards.

Gronkowski's production may not be quite as high against a Carolina Panthers defense that has allowed the ninth-fewest fantasy points against opposing tight ends, but managers should expect a similarly large target share and plenty of PPR value.

Defense/Special Teams

1. Buffalo Bills

2. Indianapolis Colts

3. New England Patriots

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

5. Kansas City Chiefs

6. New Orleans Saints

7. Tennessee Titans

8. Washington Football Team

9. Arizona Cardinals

10. Pittsburgh Steelers

11. Minnesota Vikings

12. Dallas Cowboys

            

Kickers

1. Nick Folk, New England Patriots

2. Michael Badgley, Indianapolis Colts

3. Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs

4. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens

5. Randy Bullock, Tennessee Titans

6. Tyler Bass, Buffalo Bills

7. Matt Gay, Los Angeles Rams

8. Greg Zuerlein, Dallas Cowboys

9. Matt Gay, Los Angeles Rams

10. Matt Prater, Arizona Cardinals

11. Evan McPherson, Cincinnati Bengals

12. Robbie Gould, San Francisco 49ers

               

*Fantasy points allowed via FantasyPros. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference.