Nico Collins or Stefon Diggs: Who should I start in Week 18 Fantasy Football?

Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs have similar fantasy football values this year as the clear WR1 on their NFL teams in high-powered offenses. They have combined to record nine finishes among the top 10 weekly wide receivers and are both averaging more than five receptions per game. This makes both of them strong options for Week 18 lineups.

While both wide receivers have plenty of upside, many managers may be debating which one is the better starter for the championship round of the 2023 fantasy football playoffs. This potential decision could be crucial in the final slate of the year, so the following breakdown can help make it easier.

Is Nico Collins a good fantasy pick in Week 18?

Nico Collins

The Houston Texans will unfortunately be without Tank Dell and Noah Brown for their crucial Week 18 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Nico Collins has already been their WR1 anyway, but he could see an even larger workload than usual given the circumstances. This is even more so the case considering the Texans will clinch a spot in the NFL Playoffs with a victory.

Collins is already having an excellent 2023 fantasy football season, so a potential increase in volume could produce massive results. He has ranked among the top 25 weekly wide receivers in PPR leagues eight times in 14 games this year, including four top-five finishes. One of those came against the Colts in their first meeting, further improving his outlook this week.

The first time that he played the Colts this year included a strong seven receptions on nine targets for 146 yards and a touchdown. Their passing defense is usually solid, including allowing the 10th-fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers, but that didn't slow him down last time. Considering the additional targets available this week, Collins has plenty of upside in this matchup.

Is Stefon Diggs a good fantasy pick in Week 18?

Stefon Diggs

The Buffalo Bills have continued to feature Stefon Diggs in their passing game, but he has uncharacteristically struggled in fantasy football in recent weeks. He has been one of the most consistently domiannt wide receivers over the past few years, so his recent skid is a bit surprising, especially considering his strong start to the 2023 NFL season.

Diggs opened the year by finishing among the top 13 weekly wide receivers in PPR leagues seven times in his first nine games, including four top-eight finishes in the first six weeks. He has shockingly finished as WR45 or worse in six of his past seven games with just one touchdown during that time.

A matchup with the Miami Dolphins could be exactly what Diggs needs to get back on track after torching them for three touchdowns and an overall WR1 finish the last time that they faced off. Further suggesting he could be in line for a bounce back is that he is still averaging an elite eight targets per game during his recent seven-game skid, so at least the volume has still been there.

Nico Collins vs. Stefon Diggs: Who should I start in Week 18 fantasy football?

Collins vs Diggs

According to the Start/Sit Optimizer, Nico Collins makes for a better wide receiver option than Stefon Diggs in Week 18 fantasy football lineups. This valuable tool weighs every possible variable for any player in a given week to generate fantasy projections and lineup suggestions. In this particular scenario, it favors Collins for a higher output.

Before the start of the 2023 fantasy football season, it probably would have been unthinkable to consider benching Diggs in favor of Collins.

At this point in the year, circumstances have changed, making Collins much more reliable in fantasy lineups. Direct matchups also play a major role in this lineup suggestion as Diggs will have to overcome being covered by Jalen Ramsey for most ofh the game this week.