5 biggest Week 18 fantasy football sleepers: Drake Maye, Noah Gray and more

Well, this is it. 18 weeks of writing about fantasy football here at FanSided culminates in this, my final sleepers column of the 2025 season. Thanks everyone for reading all season!

Normally I'd preamble a bit more here, but between me being sick and the one-year-old being sick and you, reader, probably being sick of football at this point and just ready for the playoffs, I'll move right into the main topic.

Below are five sleeper picks for Week 18. To count as a sleeper, quarterbacks and tight ends need to be ranked outside the top 15 at their position on FantasyPros’ weekly rankings, while running backs and wide receivers are ranked outside the top 25.

Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots

Week 18 ranking: QB19

One thing I'm interested in this week is targeting players who take on teams that are resting players, which is why I'm high on New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye. He faces a Buffalo Bills team that is locked into the No. 2 seed.

Maye struggled a bit last week, but before that had finished as a top 20 fantasy quarterback in seven consecutive games. The rookie adds decent value in the run game and can end his season on a high note.

There's been some chatter that with a loss ensuring the No. 1 pick, the Patriots might be more willing to bench Maye if the team goes down early. I don't see it, though. Jerod Mayo isn't just going to roll over and take a loss when he's been under so much fire recently.

Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Week 18 ranking: RB29

Saquon Barkley won't play this week, ending his pursuit of the NFL single-season rushing record.

With Barkley sidelined, the Eagles will likely turn to Kenneth Gainwell as the lead back. Gainwell has played sparingly this season, with double-digit carries just once all season.

That happened to come agains this Giants tam though, as Gainwell had 13 carries for a season-high 56 yards.

The Giants allow the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, so Gainwell should have plenty of room to operate as Philly's lead back this weekend.

Jalen Coker, WR, Carolina Panthers

Week 18 ranking: WR42

Rookie wide receiver Jalen Coker has had a down couple of weeks, but he'll look to end the season strong against a Falcons defense that allows the fifth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers.

Coker had just two targets last week, his fewest since Week 7, but averaged 5.5 targets in his other two games since returning from injury. I'm willing to call last week's game a one-off slip.

In his last six games, Coker has two top 20 fantasy finishes and five or more targets four times. With Bryce Young playing his best football, Coker has a chance to deliver a strong result to close out the season.

Xavier Legette has been banged up this week as well, as he was limited in practice with wrist and hip issues. Will Carolina play things safe with Legette this week? That would give Coker more upside as well.

Adonai Mitchell, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Week 18 ranking: WR73

In a week where there's so much mystery surrounding who will and won't be playing and who will and won't be in for big games, boom-or-bust players become more intriguing to me than they usually are.

That includes Colts rookie wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, who has had a largely forgettable rookie year. Mitchell has finished as a top 50 fantasy wide receiver just twice all year.

But Mitchell has four targets in two of the last three games, giving him opportunities to flex his speed and make big plays, even if he hasn't capitalized on those opportunities.

This week, he faces the Jaguars. Last time Mitchell faced Jacksonville, he was targeted a career-high seven timess, catching four passes for 38 yards. Those latter two numbers are the second-highest marks he's had this year.

Noah Gray, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

Week 18 ranking: TE17

The Chiefs will be resting key players this weekend. There's a chance that includes backup tight end Noah Gray, but I believe there's an even bigger chance that he winds up as the top pass-catching option for quarterback Carson Wentz.

KC isn't just going to roll over and kneel the ball on every play. The players who are out there on the field will be trying to win a football game, even if those players aren't Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce like they are most weeks.

Gray has struggled a bit over the last two games, but he has multiple games this season with multiple touchdowns and can be a very useful end-zone option for Wentz in this one. Gray's not Travis Kelce, but in a pinch he can give the Chiefs an off-brand version of Kelce. In Week 18 with KC resting starters, getting off-brand Kelce is probably enough to make Gray a starting fantasy option.