In Week 18 — the last of the 2025 NFL regular season — there isn’t much at stake in terms of fantasy football. Most leagues wrapped up in Week 17 and while there was meaningful football played for the standings, it’s always tough to gather much from the final week for fantasy. But what we can do is highlight some takeaways from Week 18 that we can use for fantasy football almost a year from now, for the 2026 regular season. Let’s recap some top performers.
Tyler Shough makes for an intriguing deep sleeper at QB
The Saints’ rookie QB had one of the better finishes to the 2025 regular season. It took Shough a bit to get acclimated after taking over the reins for New Orleans in Week 9. From then on through Week 17, Shough had been the QB11 in fantasy scoring, averaging 17 fantasy points per game going into Sunday’s game versus the Falcons. He scored another 21.92 points against Atlanta on 333 passing and two touchdowns, even without Chris Olave and a depleted backfield.
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Assuming the Saints make some improvements on offense and Shough gets a full training camp over the summer, he makes for an intriguing late-round QB option. If this season has told us anything, it’s that waiting on QB can pay off big if you nail a few options in the later rounds.
Jaydon Blue could be in the backfield mix for Dallas
The Cowboys found a gem in Javonte Williams, who finished the fantasy season (through Week 17) as the RB11 in fantasy scoring at 225.3 points. But Williams still has a long history of injury and this feels more like a peak or outlier season. Blue was a fifth-round pick out of Texas and showed some flashes of upside in Week 18 versus the Giants, rushing 16 times for 64 yards and a TD.
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Williams will hit free agency and could go elsewhere if he asks Dallas for too much. You’d think the Cowboys add more bodies anyway but we could see Blue go into 2026 as a potential option to lead the backfield. He’s someone to monitor this offseason.
Bhayshul Tuten should have full confidence if Travis Etienne Jr. walks
Another name that will hit free agency at RB is Etienne, who is coming off a resurgent season, finishing as a top-10 fantasy back. Etienne thrived in Liam Coen’s offense in 2025 but we also saw the rookie Tuten as a capable option throughout this season. He scored in the blowout win over the Titans on Sunday, his seventh TD of the season. If Etienne walks, Tuten could get first crack at being the lead back in a very exciting offense for 2026.
Zach Charbonnet could be the Seattle RB to draft in 2026
It’s unclear if the Seahawks will retain RB Kenneth Walker III after this season. Despite rushing for over 1,000 yards, Walker had a very disappointing season for fantasy, thanks to frustrating usage by OC Klint Kubiak. It’s also very clear Kubiak prefers Charbonnet in goal-line situations, which is gold in fantasy. He finished the season strong with 35 carries for 184 yards and three TDs over the final two games.
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Even if Walker is back, Charbonnet should be the priority back in Seattle thanks to his touchdown equity. If Walker bolts in free agency, Charbonnet could be a sleeping giant in drafts.
Alec Pierce should be on your sleeper radar
Pierce was one of the better pickups off the waiver wire in fantasy this season. He used a 132-yard effort in Week 18 to push himself over 1,000 receiving yards for the season. That’s pretty impressive given the QB room for the Colts (Daniel Jones, Philip Rivers, Riley Leonard). Pierce is very clearly one of the best deep-ball WRs in the NFL. If Indy can shore up the QB position or Jones can return from injury and pick up where he left off, Pierce should be a quality late-round receiver option in PPR formats.
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Parker Washington clearly a favorite in the Jacksonville passing game
It feels like all season we’ve been waiting to write off Washington in the Jags’ passing attack. Injuries and inconsistent play thrust the third-year receiver into a significant role in Coen’s offense. It’s clear after Week 18 that both Coen and QB Trevor Lawrence love Washington and what he can do out of the slot.
In three pretty important games, Washington finished with a combined 19 catches on 29 targets for 347 yards and two TDs. He’s also going to lead Jacksonville in receiving despite playing limited snaps in four of the first six games.
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Travis Hunter is coming off major injury. Brian Thomas Jr. regressed big time. Jakobi Meyers signed an extension. But Washington is entering a contract year and should be the priority WR from this exciting passing offense to target in 2026.
