Fantasy Football Week 18 Deep-Sleepers: Tank Bigbsy, Chig Okonkwo and 5 Others

You can start any one of these deep-sleepers in Week 18 Fantasy Football given the array of NFL injuries and Week 18 benching's for the playoffs.
Dec 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby (37) runs the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Dec 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby (37) runs the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Many sleeper picks loom large in Week 18 Fantasy Football. With an array of teams that play for little, and bench their starters, we have many cheap players to pivot to. Teams benching their starters include the Eagles and the Chargers while teams like the Bills and the Texans could lay off easy once they get out to comfortable, expected leads. When you do your homework, it really is not that hard to find hidden gems. These are your best sleeper picks in the week ahead.

Jacoby Brissett, QB (@ Rams)

Brissett is averaging nearly (300) Yards per Game as he has started more than half of the Cardinals games this year. He has no Marvin Harrison Jr., but he still looks to feed Michael Wilson and Trey McBride as he has done all year long. The Rams are 14th versus Quarterbacks and they very well should lay off the gas pedal in this game.

Ray Davis, RB (vs Jets)

The Bills are quite content with their Wild Card seeding. They are not benching starters, but I can guarantee that many of them will not play the whole game as the Bills project to easily beat the Jets. This will have James Cook in a snap limit and Ray Davis will likely carry a larger load than Ty Johnson as Davis is the RB3, and thus, low-risk.

Tank Bigsby, RB (vs Commanders)

The Eagles will bench their starters this week. That means that Bigsby starts. The Eagles may not be very efficient at that point, but they get a Bottom-5 Commanders defense. Bigsby is also probably among the better backups in the NFL, and he very well may find the endzone.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt (@ Eagles)

Again, the Eagles will bench their starters. This slots in Croskey-Merritt to face a softer defensive unit. He may well split carries with Chris Rodriguez Jr., but I also expect the Commanders to give more volume to Croskey-Merritt, perhaps leading the team in attempts versus a backup run stop.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling (vs Ravens)

Unfortunately for the Steelers, they have lost DK Metcalf to suspension. Aaron Rodgers must now work with a mixed bag of options and in that case, he will trust those who know the playbook. Valdes-Scantling has a long history with Rodgers in Green Bay. We can logically expect Rodgers to trust Valdes-Scantling against the Ravens 29th ranked Coverage.

Jayden Higgins (vs Colts)

This is another game where a team may let off the gas pedal. That will be the Texans. They expect to win easily at home. Once they build up a lead, they will lay off. However, Davis Mills is still a great Quarterback. They will also be unlikely to sit, or limit Higgins as he is a promising rookie that would benefit from more reps. If anyone is limited, it is just Nico Collins. The Colts are 30th versus Wide Receivers.

Chig Okonkwo (@ Jaguars)

The Jaguars rank 24th versus Tight Ends. They also are another team that, once again, may let off the gas later in the game. Okonkwo has (7) Targets per Game over his last three games. This very well has him with 10+ Target upside against the Jaguars.

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Thomas Carelli
THOMAS CARELLI

Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.