Here we are. Most fantasy players are celebrating their wins, commiserating about starting Joe Burrow over Drake “Drake Maye” Maye in the finals, or trapped in a Waffle House for 24 hours. Meanwhile those of us without the rapport to convince our leagues there’s a better way have some work to do untangling which teams are actually playing their starters this week. So for one last time in 2025, Let’s Stream Defenses.
Streaming Defenses: Fantasy Football Waiver Wire & Start/Sit Advice (Week 18)
Week 18 is always weird, with some teams having nothing to play for due to being eliminated or already locked into their playoff seed. This disqualifies some teams (not really interested in using the resting Eagles despite the good matchup), but it also creates opportunities to take advantages of offenses that aren’t at full force. You can find me on Bluesky.
Matchups
- DEN vs LAC: Both teams are technically playing for seeding in this game – the Broncos would secure the 1 seed with a win (or a Patriots loss), and the Chargers will be either the 6 or 7 seed. However Coach Harbaugh confirmed they will rest Justin Herbert and other players with “the most bruises.” The Chargers have been a good matchup with Herbert lately thanks to how awful their offensive line has been with all their good linemen injured. Trey Lance will start, and the Broncos playing at full force will eat him alive. They “only” need 9 sacks in this game to set the single-season team sacks record.
- HOU vs IND: The Texans will be playing their starters, because they have a chance to win the division if they win and the Jaguars lose to the Titans. The Colts, eliminated from the playoffs due to an epic collapse following Daniel Jones‘ injury, will start rookie Riley Leonard for the experience. And what an experience it will be against the best defense in the league.
- BUF vs NYJ: The Bills are locked for a wildcard spot, but this week could influence their seeding. Coach Sean McDermott was noncommittal about resting starters, but it seems likely they will sit Josh Allen (who’s nursing a foot injury) and possibly others. The Bills’ defense should be a good play anyway thanks to how awful the Jets have been with Brady Cook at quarterback. In four starts he has one passing touchdown (3 weeks ago), 7 interceptions and a fumble.
- KC @ LV: The Raiders are clearly tanking, as evidenced by their controversial decision to shut down Maxx Crosby last week, and a loss or tie this week would secure them the #1 pick and condemn Fernando Mendoza to at least four years of misery. The Chiefs are out of the playoffs and have already shut down Patrick Mahomes and Rashee Rice, so they could sit even more players. But in a race to the bottom, it’s hard to bet against the Raiders.
- MIN vs GB: Neither of these teams have anything to play for this week, with the Vikings out of the playoffs the and Packers locked in to the 7 seed. It appears that the Packers will rest some starters, while the Vikings have not indicated the same. The Vikings defense has been awesome lately. Last week they were the #1 defense in fantasy without a defensive touchdown, thanks to a whopping 6 turnovers against the Lions of all teams, who they held to 10 points. Malik Willis has been very good in 2 starts for the packers, and will continue his audition for a potential starting job somewhere next year, against the toughest defense he’s faced yet.
- ATL vs NO: Saints rookie QB Tyler Shough has been playing well lately – the Saints have won 4 in a row and Shough hasn’t had a turnover since Week 14. But there are levels to these things, and the Falcons defense is on another level. Last week the already-eliminated Falcons abruptly and decisively ended Matthew Stafford‘s MVP campaign. A big part of that was their pass rush that’s second in the league in sacks this season. For fantasy, that matches up well against Shough, who like many rookies, has been taking sacks at a high rate relative to the quality of the rest of his game.
- NE vs MIA: The Patriots will be at full force this weekend, with a chance to secure the 1 seed if they win and see the Broncos lose (they play at the same time). Rookie QB Quinn Ewers was efficient in his second start for the Dolphins, throwing a pair of touchdowns and taking 2 sacks without turning over the ball (he had one fumble recovered by the offense), in a close win over the Buccaneers. I don’t expect it to go so smoothly against a strong Patriots’ defense in Foxborough.
- LAR vs ARI: The Rams will be either the 5 or 6 seed, but coach Sean McVay suggested they will play their starters. It makes sense that they would want to finish strong before the playoffs following last week’s disaster against the Falcons, and they have a good matchup. Jacoby Brissett has been one of the more sack-prone quarterbacks in the league even as he performs better than Kyler Murray in the passing game, and the typically-great Rams’ defense should be able to take advantage of that.
- GB @ MIN: The Packers are expected to rest key starters, but that doesn’t mean they can’t succeed against the floundering Vikings offense. It’s not clear if J.J. McCarthy, dealing with a broken bone in his throwing hand, will be able to play this week. I expect to see Max Brosmer, who took a sky-high 7 sacks last week even as the Vikings beat the Lions on the backs of their defense and run game.
- JAC vs TEN: The Jaguars still have an outside chance of securing the 1 seed, if they win and see both the Broncos and Patriots lose. The Titans are out of the playoffs, but they are expected to play their starters with a chance to play spoiler against a division rival and end Cam Ward‘s rookie season on a high note. Cam Ward had been the most sack-prone quarterback though Week 13, cleaned it up with only 3 sacks in Weeks 14-16, and then bounced back with 4 against the Saints last week. The Jags have a below-average pass rush but not that far below average, and are the better team overall here, playing at home. They’re a reasonable, if somewhat risky, option this week.