Fantasy Football Week 18 Quarterback Start/Sit: Jaxson Dart, Shedeur Sanders and More

Welcome to the final week of the NFL regular season. It's a sad time; we are about as far away as possible from our next full NFL Sunday. There is also an exciting postseason set up ahead for us, so things are going to be OK.

If your fantasy league continues into the final week, you are still looking for every edge. Things get chaotic in the fantasy world, as many players sit out, so it's important to put in a little extra time to get the full scope of things.

Let's look at four quarterbacks to start and four to sit in Week 18 of the NFL season. There won't be any obvious names below, like Josh Allen. Instead, we have eight players who are possible fantasy starters some weeks but better left on the bench other times. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Use FantasySP's weekly projections to compare players and help make your toughest lineup decisions each week!

Start

Jaxson Dart, New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys

At his best, Dart has a fantasy QB1 ceiling. He produces with both his arm and his legs, and, most importantly, has created touchdowns without a lot of turnovers.

Now, he doesn't reach that level regularly, so there is risk involved with the immense ceiling, the way there is with any rookie. Dart has had several duds, including two weeks ago against Minnesota when he had just 33 passing yards and seven rushing yards despite playing the whole game. He's not a must-start fantasy player.

The matchup turns heavily in his favor in this one, though, as the Cowboys have allowed the second-most yards per pass attempt and the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. When these teams played in Week 2, before Dart entered the lineup, Russell Wilson threw for 450 yards in an overtime loss.

We can't expect Dart to reach those heights, but it's clear that the Cowboys offer one of the best matchups for opposing QBs. Dart again has that QB1 upside this week and is a strong fantasy play.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans

Even while Lawrence was floundering over the past few seasons, I held out hope that he could figure it out. He was a blue-chip college prospect, and while those guys fail in the pros all the time, Lawrence often had a subpar team around him in Jacksonville and a rotating cast of coaches.

Liam Coen had success as the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay last year, but he was a first-time head coach; there was no way to know what to expect. The roster was upgraded in the offseason, but not too many people pegged the Jaguars emerging as a true contender this year.

Lawrence is fantasy QB4. He is guaranteed to finish among the top five, and he could climb as high as third place. That has come from a combination of volume (235 passing yards per game), touchdowns (a career-high 26, with just nine interceptions), and running (22 yards per game and nine TDs).

In a game they need to win, Lawrence gets a fantastic matchup against the Titans, who have allowed the third-most yards per pass attempt and the ninth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. When these teams played at the end of November, Lawrence had 229 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 25 rushing yards, essentially matching his season averages.

The biggest worry here might be Jacksonville blowing out the Titans again (they won 25-3 last time) and sitting their guys early. There is an outside chance they could get the top seed, but more realistically, Jacksonville's only chance to rest players will be this week if they get another big lead on a bad team. Lawrence could leave the game in the second half if his team is controlling things.

With the division title on the line, though, Jacksonville isn't going to mess around, so Lawrence should get enough time/volume to put together a good fantasy day.

Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals

There will be plenty of conversation about whether Cleveland should consider drafting a quarterback with their upcoming top-five pick, but with a roster that needs a lot of help, the Browns are probably best served rolling with the guys they have (including Deshaun Watson) while adding the best players available at other positions.

Sanders has shown enough that a bad team can go into next season confident that they at least have a functional player under center, leaving them free to look elsewhere; I've been saying the same thing about Tyler Shough and a talent-devoid New Orleans depth chart.

Sanders hasn't been great, which makes sense since he is a rookie fifth-round pick. There's always a low fantasy floor given his own play and Cleveland's lack of skill players and offensive line talent. You probably have a better option than Sanders.

If your starter is sitting out in Week 18, though, or if you've been streaming and need someone to fill in, the matchup couldn't be much better. The Bengals have given up the fourth-most yards per pass attempt and the fourth-most fantasy points per game to QBs.

It's a multi-year issue now that Cincinnati can't stop the pass; it has to be their biggest focus in the offseason. Quarterbacks are averaging 253.4 yards per game with 30 touchdowns to 13 interceptions.

Sanders has a wide range of outcomes for his performance this week, something that brings risk. You can find a better option if you are playing for a fantasy championship, but the matchup is in Sanders' favor here if you need a fill-in late in the week.

Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Young is another low-level fantasy player that doesn't put up a lot of stats. He is averaging just 183 passing yards and 14.5 rushing yards per game, though his 21 touchdown passes are a career high.

Like with Sanders, this is another example of a guy who is usually off the fantasy radar but has some value this week because of the matchup. Tampa Bay has allowed the sixth-most yards per pass attempt and the third-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.

The Bucs have had their issues on offense (including tons of injuries), but their faltering defense is the biggest reason that they are in danger of missing the playoffs. While injuries have hurt the D as well, Tampa can't be a serious contender while running a bottom-10 defense.

In another game with the division on the line, Young will be on the field and playing to win, giving him an advantage over some other guys. It's another low-floor scenario, as Carolina has a subpar offense, but Young had a decent game against Tampa two weeks ago, throwing for 191 yards and two touchdowns. He's a fine low-level streamer.

Sit

Clayton Tune, Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings

Jordan Love and Malik Willis are both dealing with injuries, so with Green Bay locked into the seventh seed in the NFC, Tune is going to take the field for the final game. On top of having a third-string quarterback in the game, the matchup against the Vikings this week is also tough.

Minnesota has allowed the 12th-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. I mentioned above how the Vikes totally shut down Dart a few weeks ago, and they had another impressive performance against the Lions last week, holding Jared Goff under 200 yards with two interceptions and five sacks.

With so much uncertainty around Green Bay this week, there is a low fantasy floor for everyone involved. Willis put up some good numbers the past few weeks while filling in for Love, but this isn't a situation setting anyone up for success, especially not Tune.

Trey Lance, Los Angeles Chargers @ Denver Broncos

Riley Leonard, Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans

Cameron Ward, Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars

I'm going to group these guys together because they fall into the same category: Low-level fantasy QBs who have tough matchups in the final week. We could add in a few others, like Brady Cook, Josh Johnson, and even Tune, but the three listed have different circumstances.

With the Chargers guaranteed to be a wild card, Lance is starting for the banged-up Justin Herbert. He faces a Broncos team that needs to win to secure the top seed and has a tough defense, allowing the second-fewest yards per pass attempt and the eighth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks.

The Philip Rivers experiment ended with the team out of the playoffs, a predictable outcome. With the team out of contention, they are starting the rookie Leonard for the final game. Leonard faces maybe the best defense in football: Houston has given up the fifth-fewest yards per pass attempt, the second-fewest fantasy points per game to QBs, and 24 fewer points than any other team.

Ward has been the starter all season, unlike the others listed here, but it has been a rough rookie season. It's not all his fault, as the team around him is inexperienced and often ineffective, but Ward's standing outside the top 20 fantasy quarterbacks shows his limitations.

Jacksonville has allowed the third-fewest yards per pass attempt, though they are in the middle in fantasy points given up to QBs. In the previous matchup between these teams, Ward had 141 passing yards on just 3.7 per attempt with no touchdowns or interceptions.

None of these three might have been high on your fantasy radar, but when so much chaos happens during Week 18, it's hard to keep straight who the best fantasy options are. Feel safe in skipping these three players.