Bills Might Not Have Incentive to Play Starters in Week 18

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

There are actually a couple of paths to Bills starters seeing limited time in the finale.

1. Buffalo might just decide that resting key players makes more sense than chasing the win. The Bills hold the seventh seed as of this writing and can't climb any higher than fifth. That difference would only matter for homefield advantage should they meet the sixth or seventh seed in a later round, or if they want to avoid/target a specific first-round opponent.
2. The Bills could play starters long enough to grab a lead on the hapless Jets and then shift to the second team.

Frankly, I'd guess right now that they care more about getting Josh Allen healthier for the playoffs than winning in Week 18 to potentially improve their seed (which would still require losses by both the Texans and Chargers).

He entered Sunday with a right-foot issue that limited his practice time and then aggravated it enough to get an X-ray after the game.

That came back negative, but Allen looked clearly affected at points during the game.

If your league plays through Week 18 and you're still alive with Allen as your primary QB, prioritize getting an insurance option on your roster.

Other Winners & Losers

If the Bills sit key starters in Week 18, RB James Cook would likely sit high on the "rest" list as well.

We'll watch for signals from the team on that plan.

Cook sitting would clear a path for Ray Davis and Ty Johnson to potentially present Week 18 fantasy value.