10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Adds Heading Into Week 18

If you have a fantasy championship game in Week 18, I feel for you. But on the bright side, Week 17 was a good practice run for what Week 18 will be like. With a lot of teams either eliminated or locked into a playoff spot, Week 18 is going to be chaos. Let's try to sift through it.

With that in mind, here are some of the best additions you can make to your squads heading into Week 18.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups

Quarterbacks

Bo Nix, Broncos

Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos have it all to play for in Week 18 as a win clinches their spot in the postseason.

Nix will be facing a Kansas City Chiefs defense that has nothing to play for, which could lead to Nix and the Denver offense seeing a lot of backups across the line of scrimmage.

Despite a solid fantasy campaign and showing good rushing juice, Nix is rostered in only 67% of Yahoo! leagues. If you need help at quarterback in Week 18 and Nix is on your waiver wire, he should be a priority add.

Joe Flacco, Colts

This is just a placeholder for whoever starts at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts -- either Joe Flacco or Anthony Richardson.

In Week 18, the Colts host the Jacksonville Jaguars. It's as good of a matchup as you can get. Per numberFire's schedule-adjusted metrics, the Jags rank dead last in both overall defense and pass defense. They've also allowed the most fantasy points per game to QBs (20.4).

Flacco was Flacco in Week 17, throwing 3 picks but also going for 272 yards and 2 scores. Flacco lit up Jacksonville for 359 yards and 3 TDs back in Week 5. He can push for back-end QB1 numbers if Richardson is out again.

If AR plays, he offers more upside than Flacco thanks to his running ability and would likely slot in as a back-end QB1.

Others to Consider:

Russell Wilson (vs. Bengals), Michael Penix Jr. (vs. Panthers), Drake Maye (vs. Bills)

Running Backs

Ameer Abdullah, Raiders

In Week 17, Ameer Abdullah saw a bell-cow workload for the Las Vegas Raiders. Abdullah finished with 115 rushing yards on 20 carries while catching 3 of 4 targets for 32 yards.

Giddy up.

Alexander Mattison was active and saw just 11 touches, so it seems like Abdullah has jumped Mattison on the depth chart.

The Raiders play at the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18. It's a difficult matchup, but with the Bolts already in the playoffs, LA could opt to sit key defenders.

Abdullah enters Week 18 as a locked-and-loaded RB2 who can be a league-winner if his Week 17 usage holds.

Michael Carter, Cardinals

Michael Carter might be the last running back standing in the Arizona Cardinals' backfield.

James Conner was less than 100% going into Week 17 and couldn't make it through the game. Trey Benson missed the game due to injury, and Emari Demercado is on IR. If both Benson and Conner are out this week -- and it seems like Conner will almost surely sit -- Carter could be a busy guy against the San Francisco 49ers.

With the backfield to himself for part of Week 17, Carter racked up 13 carries, 2 catches and 81 total yards. He could wind up with 20-some touches in Week 18.

If Benson plays, he would be worth an add, as well. But as of Monday, it's shaping up to be Carter's show.

Julius Chestnut, Titans

Julius Chestnut's situation is similar to Carter's -- Chestnut looks like the last man standing for the Tennessee Titans.

Tony Pollard missed Week 17 with an ankle injury, and Tyjae Spears exited early due to a late-game concussion. Chestnut was the next guy up, totaling 3 carries for 17 yards. He also saw one target.

Tennessee plays the Houston Texans this week. It's a difficult matchup if Houston's top players suit up, but that's a big if with Houston locked into the postseason.

Keaton Mitchell, Ravens

Keaton Mitchell flashed in 2023, and he might get the chance to play a good amount of snaps in Week 18.

The Baltimore Ravens need a win to clinch the division title, so Derrick Henry is going to play. But Rasheen Ali got hurt last week, and Justice Hill was sidelined, so Mitchell might be the current RB2 on the depth chart. That role figures to have some value in Week 18 as Baltimore is a 17.5-point favorite over the Cleveland Browns. There's a scenario where the Ravens are comfortably ahead in the second half and turn over the backfield keys to Mitchell.

That played out in Week 17 as Mitchell got 11 carries in addition to one reception as Baltimore routed Houston. If he sees 10-plus touches against Cleveland, Mitchell could produce RB3-type numbers, although he'd likely need a TD to do so.

Others to Consider:

Justice Hill (vs. Browns), Antonio Gibson (vs. Bills), Ray Davis (at Patriots), Jaleel McLaughlin (vs. Chiefs), Hassan Haskins (at Raiders)

Wide Receivers

Marvin Mims, Broncos

This feels like chasing points after Marvin Mims' big game in Week 17, but with Denver having it all to play for in Week 18, Mims has plenty of appeal.

In Week 17, Mims blew up for 8 catches, 103 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He caught all eight of his targets. It was a special day.

Mims has now seen at least four targets in five straight games, and he figures to be a key factor in Week 18 when Denver takes on a Kansas City defense that has nothing to play for.

John Metchie, Texans

In the Texans' first game sans Tank Dell, John Metchie III logged eight targets while playing 71% of the snaps.

We'll have to see how much Houston's starters will play with nothing on the line in Week 18. With how short-handed they are at receiver, Metchie might not play much. It's safe to assume C.J. Stroud won't play a full game -- if he plays at all.

But Metchie's Week 17 role puts him on the fantasy radar.

Others to Consider:

Alec Pierce (vs. Jaguars), Demario Douglas (vs. Bills), Brandin Cooks (vs. Commanders)

Tight Ends

Chig Okonkwo, Titans

Chigoziem Okonkwo has really come on down the stretch.

Okonkwo has played 85% and 75% of the snaps the last two weeks, and he's garnered a whopping 28 targets over the past three games. That'll play.

Tennessee obviously has nothing to play for, but that's been the case in those previous games, as well. Facing a Houston team with zero on the line, Okonkwo is a solid TE play this week.

Others to Consider:

Mike Gesicki (at Steelers), Tyler Conklin (vs. Dolphins), Noah Fant (at Rams)

Defenses

Tampa Bay D/ST

Week 18 is sort of a goldmine for fantasy defenses, so there are some quality streaming plays.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers D/ST is at the top of the list. The Bucs are at home and get to play Spencer Rattler and the New Orleans Saints in a win-and-in game. That's a pretty perfect scenario.

A week ago, the Bucs' defense racked up five sacks and a defensive score in a similarly nice spot against the Carolina Panthers.

Others to Consider:

Green Bay D/ST (vs. Bears), Atlanta D/ST (vs. Panthers), Indianapolis D/ST (vs. Jaguars)

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.