Week 13 is here, and with everything on the line, and of course, we have six teams on a bye. Thank you, NFL schedule makers. On top of that, we have half of the league playing backup quarterbacks. Of course, we have a slew of injuries to sift through as well. Your pre-draft rankings would laugh at your current lineups. But, at the end of the day, we need to make some decisions. Don’t worry, we have you covered. Here are my fantasy football rankings Week 13 edition!
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Updated Week 13 Fantasy Football Rankings: Who Should I Start?
I am not going to waste your time putting guys like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce as my starts or sits of the week. We will talk about some deeper options, like your flex or stream options. I, of course, will have my full positional and flex rankings for week 13. But, I will highlight players that I am higher or lower on than the expert consensus rankers. The table will update if I make any updates as more news comes in.
You can find my rankings here at sportsgamblingpodcast.com, or you can find them on the FantasyPros ECR. I am competing again in their accuracy contest, and here are my updated week 13 fantasy football rankings.
Reminder: We are live every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. on our SGPN Fantasy Football YouTube channel. There, you can get injury updates from our resident football doctor. The guys will keep you updated on news and help you with those tough lineup decisions. Every week, it comes down to the wire for starts and sits. Subscribe so you don’t miss out.
Starts of The Week
QB – Baker Mayfield, TB vs. CAR (4th)
Baker Mayfield has bounced back this year. His QB coach (Dave Canales) will be a hot name this offseason. His work with Baker and last year with Geno Smith have him on the rise. Mayfield has three top-10 performances in his last five games. He was QB16 last week, with all 32 teams playing. I love his weapons and really like the matchup this week. Mike Evans is getting closer to his next 1,000-yard season, and White’s receiving work helps Baker. He is also a threat for a little rushing production, I love Baker this week.
QB – Russell Wilson, DEN at HOU (9th)
Russell Wilson has been a different player this year, and Sean Payton has this team rolling. Wilson finished as QB12 last week with 32 quarterbacks playing and while playing the Browns. Houston is allowing just under 18 points a game to quarterbacks. Wilson’s rushing upside has re-emerged, and he has potential for a top 10 week with six teams on a bye. Houston’s offense should push the pace and could create some fantasy fireworks in this one.
Honorable Mentions: Gardner Minshew @ TEN, Derek Carr at DET, Joe Flacco at LAR
RB – Jerome Ford, CLE at LAR (25th)
Remember when Joe Flacco was in New York? A lot of passes and a lot of passes to the running back. We saw the same in Baltimore with Justin Forsett. Look for Flacco to target the running backs and tight ends a lot. Elijah Moore could also see a slight bump this week with the Flacco news. He is still very young in this offense, and the playbook will be condensed. I expect a lot of volume for Ford in both the passing and receiving game this week.
RB – De’Von Achane, MIA at WAS (12th)
De’Von Achane has only played 3 games, and he is still RB30 on the season. He scored over 100 points during that time, and this week he gets Washington. Ron Rivera is likely one of the next coaches to be fired. Achane comes with some risk but has RB1 overall potential on any week. Those who started him two weeks ago and saw him leave early got burned. I understand the concern, but I am playing him unless I have GREAT options this week.
Honorable Mentions: Zack Moss @ TEN, Najee Harris vs. AZ, Devin Singletary vs. DEN
WR – Adam Thielen, CAR at TB (4th)
I have been targeting Tampa Bay every week for quarterbacks and wide receivers. I am not crazy enough to start Bryce Young, but I would take a shot at Thielen. The team is also without Hayden Hurst and Tommy Tremble this week. Expect Thielen to get ten targets minimum this week, even if you get most of his points in hot, stinky garbage time. Those points still count, and Thielen, just on pure volume, should be a safe play this week.
WR -Josh Downs, IND at TEN (6th)
This Colts offense is fun, they play fast and they chuck the ball. Since Gardner Minshew has taken over, Josh Downs has emerged as a weekly fantasy option. Last week, Josh let you down, but his 13 targets should reassure you of his role in this offense. Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs should both be viable options this week. I like Minshew, but his turnovers and lack of rushing lower his upside. Great matchup, fire up Downs confidently.
Honorable Mentions: Rashee Rice at GB, Courtland Sutton at HOU, and Jayden Reed vs. KC
TE – Brevin Jordan, HOU vs. DEN (1st)
Brevin Jordan is not in my top 12, but he needed to be mentioned this week. Denver is the best tight end matchup, and Dalton Schultz is out this week. If you are in need of a streaming option due to injuries or bye weeks, Jordan is not a bad one. I love this offense, and the matchup is the best on the slate. We have seen Schultz’s role in this offense, and we want pieces attached to C.J. Stroud. One of my favorite deep shots this week.
Honorable Mentions: Freiermuth vs. AZ, Otton vs. CAR , and Juwan Johnson at DET
Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets (2nd)
The Jets are the 2nd best matchup on the slate, and they have been the best matchup over the last few weeks. Atlanta has an aggressive play-making defense that should be considered with average matchups. With this pristine matchup, I have them as my top defense on the week. You should expect sacks, turnovers, and we could see them take one to the house.
Honorable Mentions: Tampa Bay vs. CAR, Jacksonville vs. CIN, and Los Angeles Chargers at NE
Sits of The Week
QB -Jordan Love, GB at KC (26th)
Jordan Love was fantastic last week, and he did it in prime time. This week, they are not facing the Lions while the moon is in its waxing gibbous phase. The NFL universe has brought us plenty of weird science this year. This includes the Chiefs defense being better than their offense. They are allowing less than 14 points to fantasy quarterbacks this season. Jordan Love has fooled us a few times this year. I have him lower than ECR.
QB – Matthew Stafford, LAR vs. CLE (30th)
Matthew Stafford has shown very little upside this year. He has zero rushing ability and he still has shown to be turnover prone. These things take from his passing production, and this week, he gets one of the best defenses in the league. Cleveland is allowing less than 12 points a game to the fantasy quarterback, and Stafford has only 1 top 10 performance this season. It was last week against Arizona. Cleveland is not Arizona. Sit Stafford, please.
RB – A.J. Dillon, GB at KC (19th)
We have seen this show before. Aaron Jones is out, and A.J. Dillon is in, so we start to think about starting A.J. Dillon. He had one top-13 performance while Jones was out this year, his only on the season. Dillon has finished between RB22 and RB39 ever since. He has not killed you, with five double-digit weeks in his last seven games. But he shows very little upside, and this is a tough matchup. Your only hope is a touchdown for Dillon this week.
RB – Breece Hall, NYJ vs. ATL (31st)
You probably have to start Breece Hall this week, but you can’t expect much. This offense is scoring less than 1 touchdown per game, a historic pace. Between the poor quarterback play and the tough matchup, Hall is someone you can consider sitting this week. Atlanta is really tough against fantasy running backs, and the Jets offense is putrid. If you have better options, you should consider them.
WR – Drake London, ATL at NYJ (31st)
Drake London gets to line up against Sauce Garnder and this tough Jets defense. London looked good last week, but he finished WR29. He has one finish inside the top 12 this season. In his last four games, his fantasy finishes (WR30, WR44, WR51, and WR29). London is a great player, but he is in a bad situation and has a bad matchup. There is no reason to force him into your lineup this week.
WR – Cooper Kupp, LAR vs. CLE (32nd)
I was way too high on Cooper Kupp last week. Maybe it was my trust in Kupp or my faith in the Arizona Cardinals matchup. But Kupp has not been great and is fighting an ankle injury. He was limping early in the game and has not been himself this season. Cooper Kupp is WR64 on the season! Here are his last five weeks, WR53, WR74, WR49. WR86, and WR49. In the last two weeks, he has 6.9 PPR fantasy points combined! Oh, and he plays against Cleveland this week. Kupp is on the bench.
TE – Tucker Kraft, GB vs. KC (29th)
Tucker Kraft filled in admirably for Luke Musgrave last week. Green Bay was on fire, and they rolled over the Detroit Lions. As impressive as it was, let’s not expect that to be the norm. Kansas City is a really tough matchup, specifically for the tight end position. Kraft might be a streaming option moving forward, but not this week.
San Francisco 49ers at PHI (27th)
The 49ers and the Eagles are defenses you might have drafted this year. They are usually startable every week. But this is not the week to start them. These are two of the best offenses in football, and both do a great job of protecting the ball. One of the reasons for both teams, these are arguably the two best offensive lines in football. Detroit fans, I hear you (I said arguably). Target bad quarterbacks and bad offensive lines. Stay away from this matchup.
