Hello again! Here are my Week 13 fantasy football notes.
Chicago at Detroit
The Chicago offense has been on a tear the past two weeks, especially through the air. That trend goes heads up with a Lions defense that has been equally powerful of late. It’s a combination that makes Caleb Williams a QB2, the Bears wide receivers WR3/flex candidates and Cole Kmet a bench candidate despite posting 13.4 PPR points last week. D’Andre Swift is an exception, but even he may struggle and score fewer than 10 PPR points for the third time in four weeks.
New York Giants at Dallas
Malik Nabers has been a solid WR2 for the past month or so and has even kept that pace up with a backup quarterback. With Tommy DeVito potentially missing this game or being at less than 100 percent, Nabers may be challenged to continue that scoring pace. Rate him as one of the more volatile WR3/flex candidates this week and don’t start him if it can be avoided.
Miami at Green Bay
This is a week to sit Jayden Reed. He’s scored fewer than 10 PPR points in four of his past five games and this matchup doesn’t portend for a strong point total.
That matchup is also a solid reason to consider Jordan Love a QB2 this week, especially since the Packers are likely to go after the Dolphins defense with the ground game more than the passing game.
The rest of KC Joyner’s Week 12 fantasy football notes are available exclusively for Pickwatch Pro subscribers.
Las Vegas at Kansas City
Isiah Pacheco is slated to make his return this week. Andy Reid isn’t likely to move Pacheco to a lead back role right off the bat, so look for Pacheco and Kareem Hunt to operate in a platoon environment this week. That gives them both borderline RB2/RB3/flex value versus a middling Raiders defense.
Los Angeles Chargers at Atlanta
This might be a good week to acquire Gus Edwards. He is slated to be the Chargers starting back now that J.K. Dobbins is trending to miss this contest. Edwards is a bowling ball of a runner who is a perfect fit for this offense. He should post solid flex-caliber points at worst and could be a RB2 if things go well.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
Russell Wilson has been hit-or-miss of late. This matchup should land him in the hit category. The Bengals defense is so bad that the Cincinnati offense tries to go shootout mode throughout the game. Wilson will be pressed to keep the pace and that could lead to a 20+ point day for him in some scenarios.
Houston at Jacksonville
Joe Mixon just had his second lowest point total of the 2024 season last week with only 9.5 PPR points against Tennessee. Don’t look for a repeat of that this week. The Jaguars provide Houston with arguably the best run defense matchup in Week 13. That should lead to 20+ carries for Mixon and return him to the land of 20+ PPR points.
Arizona at Minnesota
This is a week to strongly consider benching Kyler Murray. The Vikings defense has played superb at times this year (kudos to Brian Flores) and Murray still has the ongoing vertical pass game issues. Marvin Harrison Jr. is also a potential bench candidate because of this. Trey McBride is the exception here given the lack of quality depth at tight end.
Indianapolis at New England
It’s an unfortunate fact, but Jonathan Taylor is not a RB1 right now and it’s tough to consider him a RB2 after scoring fewer than nine PPR points in three of the past four games. The Patriots rush defense has been holding up quite well of late, so if you are in a league where Taylor is your flex option, it might be a good idea to consider a higher impact candidate given these factors.
Seattle at New York Jets
The Jets have shutdown-caliber talent at the cornerback position, but those players aren’t performing to their talent level. This includes Sauce Gardner, whose coverage metrics have been less than stellar for most of this season. That means Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a very good start and D.K. Metcalf has solid fantasy value as long as the missed practice on Wednesday isn’t an issue.
Tennessee at Washington
If you are thinking of starting Tony Pollard in a fantasy lineup, don’t worry too much about Tyjae Spears returning from injury this week. Pollard isn’t built for bell cow work, but after getting only 24 scrimmage plays over a two-game stretch in Weeks 10-11, Pollard has regained his earlier form and should remain the go-to back in this offense.
Tampa Bay at Carolina
This is a game to get a lot of stock in for your fantasy teams. Carolina’s offense has been playing much better of late and the Buccaneers defense has been shaky all season long. That will push this game towards scoreboard shootout mode. This should help Baker Mayfield, Cade Otton, Mike Evans, Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Chuba Hubbard. It also makes Xavier Legette a solid flex play (and possibly a good WR2/WR3 start option in deeper leagues).
Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans
If you need a longshot start option, consider acquiring Marquez Valdes-Scantling. He has posted 42.6 PPR points over the past two games in large part due to displaying the superb downfield receiving skills he displayed a few years ago in Green Bay. He has a very favorable cornerback matchup this week, so a three-game home run streak is possible here.
Philadelphia at Baltimore
The Eagles defense might be the best in the league right now. That will make it tough to start Mark Andrews, who has alternated between boom-and-bust performances. Zay Flowers is also a tough start option given that he is due to face Cooper DeJean, a rookie who is playing lights out this season. If either Andrews or Flowers are started, consider them to be low ceiling candidates. This could also be a game where Lamar Jackson scores fewer than 20 points (a rarity for him this year).
San Francisco at Buffalo
It’s really tough to consider starting Deebo Samuel Sr. right now. He’s posted 9.2 PPR points over the past two weeks combined and has tallied 6.1 or fewer PPR points in four of the past seven games. The Buffalo defense is playing quite well this year and that could lead to another low floor game from Samuel. This means don’t start Samuel if you are projected to be in a very close matchup this week (if you have a solid alternative to him, that is).
Cleveland at Denver
Devaughn Vele could be a very good depth option. He’s scored 10+ PPR points in three straight games and has favorable cornerback matchups in every game from here on out. Add that to his being available in over 95 percent of ESPN leagues and he could be a great pickup for most fantasy managers.