Each and every week, I’ll be covering a handful of players that I believe will either exceed expectations or let your team down in a major way. Here’s who you should be looking at for Week 13.
Starts: Quarterbacks
Mitchell Trubisky, Bears vs. Lions
It feels wrong, but Mitchell Trubisky is a perfectly fine streamer this week. Trubisky put up solid numbers in the team’s loss to Green Bay, and he should be a solid QB2 against the Lions in Week 13. Detroit is allowing the 7th most fantasy points and passing yards per game.
Kirk Cousins, Vikings vs. Jaguars
Kirk Cousins has thrown for 300+ yards and 3 TDs in back-to-back games, with completion percentages north of 73%. He’s been playing good football, and we should see Adam Thielen and Irv Smith return to the lineup in Week 13. I’m expecting more of the same from Cousins against the Jaguars, who have allowed the 3rd-most PPG to QBs.
Starts: Running Backs
Miles Sanders, Eagles @ Packers
The Philadelphia Eagles have imploded. For whatever reason, their offense is broken, and Miles Sanders has been held under 10 fantasy points in back-to-back games as a result. My hope is that the Eagles can get the running game going against the Packers, who are allowing 4.6 YPC to RB and the 3rd-most fantasy points to the position.
J.D. McKissic, Washington @ Steelers
The Washington Football Team took an early lead against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving and never looked back. Antonio Gibson ran wild, and the team had no need for JD McKissic’s pass-catching skill set. However, we should expect a more negative game script when the Football Team takes on the Steelers in Week 13. In more obvious passing situations, McKissic should see his snap percentage and target share rise once again.
Starts: Wide Receivers
Breshad Perriman, Jets vs. Raiders
Perriman has eclipsed 10 fantasy points in four of his last five games, and in each of those games, he recorded at least 114 air yards. He’s been seeing consistent targets down the field, regardless of who’s under center. He’s a flex play against the Raiders’ beatable secondary.
DJ Chark, Jaguars @ Vikings
Mike Glennon looked competent as the starter in Week 12. He threw for 235 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs in a close loss to the Browns. He also recorded 6 deep attempts. All of this is good news for DJ Chark, who is expected to return from injury this week. With the QB play he has enjoyed all season, Chark could be in for a huge game against the Vikings, who are allowing the 3rd-most points to opposing WRs.
Starts: Tight Ends
Jonnu Smith, Titans vs. Browns
Coming off back-to-back 6-target games, Jonnu Smith provided fantasy managers with 0 points in Week 12. I’m not very concerned, though. The Titans got out to an early lead and were able to lean heavily on the run game all afternoon. In the current TE landscape, Jonnu is still a strong starting option against the Browns, who rank 5th-worst against the position.
Sits: Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield, Browns @ Titans
Baker had a nice game against the Jaguars, throwing his first TD pass in 35 days. Yes, that’s a real stat. Some bad-weather games have certainly impacted the passing game in recent weeks, but this Cleveland offense also doesn’t ask Baker to do very much. I’m hesitant to trust him moving forward, even against this generous Titans’ defense. Stream him if you must, but he’s little more than a low-end QB2.
Matt Ryan, Falcons vs. Saints
We saw Matt Ryan really struggle against this defense back in Week 11, and I’m not expecting a significantly different result this time around. Even if Julio Jones is able to suit up for the contest, he’ll be at less than 100%. And this Saints’ defense has really come on of late. They now rank as the 5th-worst matchup for QBs, and the unit has held opposing offenses to just 7 PPG over the past month. Look elsewhere this week.
Sits: Running Backs
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs vs. Broncos
Over his past five games, Clyde Edwards-Helaire has averaged 9 rush attempts for 37 yards and just under 2 receptions for 11 receiving yards. It’s easy to point the finger at Le’Veon Bell here, but I’m more inclined to blame Patrick Mahomes. He’s thrown the ball at least 42 times in each of the past four weeks, including a blowout win against the Jets. CEH will always have chances to find the end zone, but he’s become increasingly difficult to trust in this pass-heavy Kansas City offense.
Devin Singletary, Bills @ 49ers
Devin Singletary has managed double-digit fantasy points just twice since Week 4, which is disappointing but not all that surprising. The Bills rank 23rd in rush attempts per game and 1st in percentage of targets to WRs. With rookie Zack Moss absorbing roughly 50% of the touches, there just isn’t enough left over for Singletary to produce consistently. If you’ve got other options, I’d recommend leaving Singletary on the bench against the 49ers.
Sits: Wide Receivers
Mike Williams, Chargers vs. Patriots
Keenan Allen runs primarily out of the slot, which means Mike Williams will have to do battle with Stephon Gilmore on the outside. With Austin Ekeler and Keenan Allen soaking up so many targets, and the Patriots slowing down the pace of play, there just doesn’t seem to be much upside for Williams in this matchup. He’s been little more than an upside flex play this season anyway, so benching him in this tough spot is an easy call.
Jamison Crowder, Jets vs. Raiders
Earlier in the year, Crowder was regularly commanding a 30% or higher target share. But lately, he’s been an afterthought in this Jets’ offense, failing to garner even 20% of the targets in any of his last three games. The problem for Crowder is that he’s no longer the last man standing. Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims are finally healthy and commanding significant attention. Even in this above-average matchup, I’d prefer to leave Crowder on the bench.
Sits: Tight Ends
Logan Thomas, Washington @ Steelers
You may be tempted to start Logan Thomas after he found the end zone on Thanksgiving, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Thomas has been held under 30 receiving yards in three of his past four games, and he draws the toughest possible matchup in Week 13 against a Steelers team allowing just 4(!) fantasy PPG to opposing TEs.
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