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Teams Resting Starters in Week 18 – See Which Stars Are Out for Every Game

Sascha Paruk

By Sascha Paruk in NFL Football

Updated: January 4, 2025 at 4:11 pm EST

Published:


Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throwing a pass
Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) passes against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
  • The Kansas City Chiefs have locked up the #1 seed in the AFC and have the luxury of resting stars in Week 18
  • The playoff-bound Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills have clinched their divisions and can’t move up or down the standings
  • See which NFL teams are resting starters in Week 18

Just one week remains in the NFL regular season and, while there are some massive games on the schedule when it comes to playoff berths and postseason seeding, the majority of teams have nothing on the line in their Week 18 game. Many playoff bound teams have announced that they will be resting some or all of their star players. The table below goes through which teams have made such announcements, game by game, and which stars are out of the lineup. The table will be updated as more coaches weigh-in.

NFL Week 18 Resting Starters

Matchup Visitor – Resting Home – Resting/Out Date/Time
Browns vs Ravens No No Saturday, 4:30 pm ET
Bengals vs Steelers No Unlikely Saturday, 8 pm ET
Giants vs Eagles No Yes, including QBs Jalen Hurts & Kenny Pickett, RB Saquon Barkley, WRs AJ Brown & DeVonta Smith, TE Dallas Goedert Sunday, 1 pm ET
Bears vs Packers No No Sunday, 1 pm ET
Panthers vs Falcons No No Sunday, 1 pm ET
Saints vs Buccaneers No No Sunday, 1 pm ET
Commanders vs Cowboys No No Sunday, 1 pm ET
Jaguars vs Colts No No Sunday, 1 pm ET
Texans vs Titans Unlikely No Sunday, 1 pm ET
Bills vs Patriots Yes, QB Josh Allen will start but Mitch Trubisky will play majority of game No Sunday, 1 pm ET
Chiefs vs Broncos Yes, including QB Patrick Mahomes, TE Travis Kelce, DT Chris Jones, RB Isiah Pacheco, DE George Karlaftis, CB Trent McDuffie No Sunday, 4:25  pm ET
49ers vs Cardinals No No Sunday, 4:25  pm ET
Dolphins vs Jets No No Sunday, 4:25  pm ET
Seahawks vs Rams Yes, including QB Matthew Stafford No Sunday, 4:25  pm ET
Chargers vs Raiders TBD No Sunday, 4:25  pm ET
Vikings vs Lions No No Sunday, 8:20  pm ET

 

There are no Thursday Night Football or Monday Night Football games in Week 18, but there are back-to-back AFC North games on Saturday, starting with Browns vs Ravens at 4:30 pm ET, followed by Bengals vs Steelers at 8pm ET. If the Ravens, who are 17.5-point chalk, beat the Browns, they will clinch the division. That would mean Pittsburgh can’t do better than the #5 seed in the AFC playoff bracket, but head coach Mike Tomlin has hinted that his starters are likely to play no matter what happens in the Cleveland/Baltimore game.

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Playoff berths aren’t the only motivation, of course. A dozen NFL stars have money on the line in Week 18 due to incentives in their contracts, including Ravens RB Derrick Henry, Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield, and Bills edge rusher Von Miller. See the full list of NFL Week 18 Player Incentives here.

Eagles Likely to Rest Almost Everyone

The first team to confirm they would be resting starters was the Philadelphia Eagles. Philly is locked into the #2 seed in the NFC and can’t move up or down. Running back Saquon Barkley is just 101 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record, but head coach Nick Sirianni is only focused on one goal: the Lombardi Trophy. Sirianni has already confirmed that Barkley will be in street clothes along with QB1 Jalen Hurts, who’s still recovering from a concussion, and his backup Kenny Pickett, who’s nursing a rib injury.

It’s unlikely that any of Philadelphia’s significant contributors suit up in Week 18 as they prepare to face either the Washington Commanders or Green Bay Packers on Wild Card weekend in about ten days’ time.

The Eagles opened as 3.5-point home favorites over the Giants and that line is on the move in NYG’s direction, currently sitting at 3.0 in the Week 18 NFL odds.

Chiefs Will Rest Mahomes and Other Key Starters

With a league-best 15-1 record on the season, the Chiefs have locked up the #1 seed in the AFC and have the luxury of relaxing in their Week 18 tilt with the Broncos. Head coach Andy Reid has confirmed that most of his starters will get the week off, which should QB Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce, running back Isiah Pacheco, and star defenders Chris Jones and George Karlaftis.

This is very welcome news for Broncos fans as their team needs a win to clinch the final playoff spot in the AFC. It’s very unwelcome news for Bengals and Dolphins faithful. Miami would get in if they beat the Jets and the Broncos lose to the Chiefs. The Bengals would claim the final berth if they beat the Steelers and both the Broncos and Dolphins lose in Week 18.

Bills Going with a “Mix” of Starters/Backups

Much like the Eagles in the NFC, the Buffalo Bills are locked into the #2 seed in the AFC ahead of their Week 18 clash with the Patriots in Foxborough. Head coach Sean McDermott has confirmed that Josh Allen, the favorite in the NFL MVP odds, will start the game, but that backup Mitch Trubisky will handle most of the snaps.

Buffalo opened as a 3.5-point road favorite last Sunday night but that line has come down to Bills -2.0 after McDermott’s announcement that he would be resting players.

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Sascha Paruk
Sascha Paruk

Managing Editor

Sascha has been working in the sports-betting industry since 2014, and quickly paired his strong writing skills with a burgeoning knowledge of probability and statistics. He holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics and a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia.

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