Week 18 Fantasy Football Running Back Waiver Adds: Khalil Herbert, Ameer Abdullah, Michael Carter, Raheem Blackshear

If you’re reading this article, you are likely one of the unfortunate souls playing in a fantasy football league that extends all the way into Week 18. As this article goes on, you are about to see why most leagues end “early.” Heading into the final week of the regular season, the majority of NFL teams have already more-or-less secured their fates. And while teams outside of the playoffs don’t normally rest their top players, teams inside the playoffs often do. With that in mind, this Week 18 running back waiver wire article will feature, along with some of the usual types of players, the top backups on teams that are likely to be resting their starters. On the bright side, this means we have far more options than usual. Let’s get right into it!

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Week 18 Fantasy Football Running Back Waiver Adds

Khalil Herbert, Cincinnati Bengals (6.7% Rostered)

Before we get into all the Week 18 weirdness, we can start with the most classic RB pickup archetype of them all: the RB2 behind an injured running back on a great offense. Since Zack Moss went down with an injury, Chase Brown has seen essentially every touch in the Bengals’ backfield, turning him into a weekly RB1. However, Brown himself exited Week 17 with an ankle injury. That means, heading into a Week 18 matchup that is a must-win for Cincinnati to have a shot at an improbable playoff berth, Khalil Herbert may be the Bengals’ RB1. 

I have always liked Herbert as a talent, and if Brown misses this game he will find himself the lucky recipient of arguably the most valuable fantasy role in the entire NFL. He is a must-add and can be slammed into your lineup for Week 18 if Brown is indeed ruled out. 

Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals (4.0% Rostered)

James Conner, who initially looked very questionable, suited up in Week 17. But he then exited early with a knee injury. In his absence, Carter, the former Jet, took over as the Cardinals’ RB1. The Cardinals don’t have anything to play for, so they might not rush Conner back, but they also don’t have any playoff matchups to rest their starters for. If Conner (and Trey Benson, who missed Week 17 with an ankle injury) is out for Week 18, Carter will be a viable flex option as the Cardinals’ lead RB. 

Ameer Abdullah, Las Vegas Raiders (35.8% Rostered)

With Zamir White and Sincere McCormick both done for the season, Abdullah and Alexander Mattison are the last men left standing in the Raiders’ backfield. They had been sharing work roughly evenly, but Abdullah claimed a clear lead role on Sunday. He played 62% of the offensive snaps, handled 20 carries to Mattison’s 10, and saw four targets on a 50% route participation rate. 

There almost certainly won’t be 30 carries to go around for the Raiders’ backfield in Week 18, as they face Justin Herbert and the Chargers instead of Spencer Rattler and the Saints. But Abdullah is clearly the Raiders’ RB1 at this point, and, as I’ve said all season, any NFL RB1 is worth considering.   

Raheem Blackshear, Carolina Panthers (10.1% Rostered)

Speaking of any NFL RB1 being worth considering, Blackshear, usually a special teams specialist, has suddenly found himself atop the Panthers’ depth chart with Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders, and Jonathon Brooks all done for the year. While this didn’t turn into any real fantasy production on Sunday, he dominated the backfield over Mike Boone with a 76% snap rate, an 80% RB rush share, and a 49% route participation rate (Blackshear didn’t see any targets while Boone saw two, but Boone’s route participation rate was far lower). 

In Week 18, the Panthers get the Falcons, who do still have a playoff spot to play for. But Carolina has been eliminated for weeks, and they still have been putting up real fights every week. If you’re desperate for an RB with projectable volume in Week 18, Blackshear is absolutely someone to consider.  

Julius Chestnut, Tennessee Titans (0.4% Rostered)

Tony Pollard missed Week 17 due to a combination of an illness and an ankle injury, leaving Tyjae Spears as the Titans’ lead back. But Spears then exited early with a concussion. With both of their top two RBs sidelined, the Titans turned to Chestnut, a 2022 UDFA, to lead their backfield. Spears will likely remain out in Week 18, but Pollard could certainly return. If he doesn’t, though, Chestnut will be the beneficiary of a likely dominant workload against a Texans team that has already locked in its playoff seeding. 

D'Onta Foreman, Cleveland Browns (7.9% Rostered)

Another running back who found himself alone in a backfield thanks to the attrition of the NFL season, Foreman became the Browns’ clear lead back after Jerome Ford (ankle) and Pierre Strong (head) were forced out of their Week 17 matchup. 

However, there are a few things going against Foreman having a big impact in Week 18. For one, both Ford and Strong may have real shots to return. For two, the Browns will be playing against a Ravens team with an elite run defense looking to win to secure the AFC North division title. He gets a mention because of my “every NFL RB1 deserves consideration” rule, but I don’t recommend adding Foreman unless you are truly desperate. 

Which Running Backs Will Rest in Week 18?

Now we officially start getting into the true Week 18 weirdness suggestions. There are just four teams that are 100% locked into their current seedings: Kansas City, Buffalo, Houston, and Philadelphia. However, a few more teams have only relatively inconsequential stakes on the line, including the Chargers, Packers, and Commanders. Each of these teams might choose to rest their starters … or they might not. Some may split the difference, playing their stars for just part of the game before packing it in. 

Carson Steele (2.3% Rostered)/Samaje Perine (16.3% Rostered), Kansas City Chiefs

Of all teams, I would say the one we can most confidently project to rest their top players is the Kansas City Chiefs. After all, they are currently 10-point underdogs against the Broncos — I can’t imagine a team with Patrick Mahomes under center being a 10-point underdog to anyone. Of course, the question then becomes who counts as a “top player.” Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt probably won’t see much work, but what about Perine, who sees at least a solid chunk of snaps every week as a passing-down back?

Steele, a UDFA fullback who has been phased out completely after a brief run in the sun, will not be rested, making him a fairly safe bet … but that's only assuming the guys in front of him don't play. Hopefully Andy Reid gives us some clarity as the week goes on, but keep both of these guys on your radar (or your bench) until then. However, with all that said, the Chiefs will be playing a Broncos team that needs a win. Starting Steele behind a likely part-backup O-line against the elite Denver defense might not be a place you want to be in the fantasy football championship.  

Ray Davis (16.3% Rostered)/Ty Johnson (6.0% Rostered), Buffalo Bills

Just like their AFC rivals, the Bills have nothing to play for in Week 18. However, they do have a softer matchup against the Patriots, who haven’t had anything to play for since roughly Week 3. With that said, it’s also less clear whether Buffalo will rest their top players, or who those top players would be if they did. 

After all, both the rookie Davis and the veteran Johnson see some usage even when the Bills are trying their hardest. James Cook is the Bills' clear RB1 (and therefore most likely to be rested), but I wouldn’t be surprised by just about any combination of this trio on Sunday, ranging from normal usage of all three to all three being rested. Once again, the key here is to keep an ear to the ground for news — this is a good matchup with the Patriots, so hopefully we get some clarity before Sunday.

Dameon Pierce (4.5% Rostered)/Dare Ogunbowale (0.6% Rostered), Houston Texans

The Texans have the fourth seed in the AFC on lock, and Joe Mixon has been dealing with a variety of ailments all season. Given how much of Houston’s offense relies on him, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him given the week off to rest and prepare for the playoffs. 

That would leave Dameon Pierce and Dare Ogunbowale as the Texans’ top backs, with Pierce likely handling early-down work while Ogunbowale is the pass-catching RB. They would get an interesting matchup with the Titans, who rank as a good matchup on paper mostly because they have fallen behind early and often this year — I’m not so sure that would apply if the Texans aren’t playing their top options. Once again, these guys are probably best left as watch list options except in particularly deep leagues.

Kenneth Gainwell (5.9% Rostered)/Will Shipley (1.9% Rostered), Philadelphia Eagles

The only team in the NFC with their seed 100% confirmed, the Eagles have every incentive to rest their starters heading into the playoffs … but they also have plenty of incentive to play Saquon Barkley in particular, as he is exactly 100 yards short of the all-time single-season rushing record. Since this is a particularly juicy situation, I wouldn’t be surprised if we get confirmation one way or another on Saquon's status well before Sunday. 

If Saquon chooses not to chase the record, a juicy matchup with the Giants will likely fall to some combination of Kenneth Gainwell or rookie Will Shipley. Gainwell is the Eagles’ usual RB2, meaning he may be first in line, or he may also get to take it easy. Do you see now why most leagues end in Week 17?

Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasySP. Find him on Twitter @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.