CLEVELAND, OH – The fantasy football regular season is winding down and every matchup is crucial to qualifying for the playoffs or securing a top seed.
Bye weeks are over, which means your team is fully stocked and ready to make a championship run.
Feel free to send me your fantasy questions on Twitter or Instagram.
Here are the players you should start in Week 13:
Start 'Em
Jared Goff – Goff has been awful for the past month, but his struggles should end this weekend against Arizona. The Cardinals are allowing the most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. They’ve given up three or more touchdown passes in six of their 11 games. The Rams' offense has struggled, but they're in a great position to recover against the Cardinals. Goff is a QB1 this week and Cooper Kupp should be treated is a WR2 with upside in all formats.
Le’Veon Bell – Bell has at least 15 PPR points in his last four games. He's going up against an awful Bengals defense that has allowed the 6th most fantasy points to running backs this season. Bell is a RB1 every week, but he gets a boost based on the matchup. Start Bell with confidence against Cincinnati.
Jarvis Landry – Landry has a touchdown in four straight games and has become Baker Mayfield’s go-to target on offense. He has 92 PPR points over the past four weeks, which is most among wide receivers. Landry is second in the NFL in targets (43) and third in receptions (29) over that span. He doesn’t have a great matchup this week in Pittsburgh, but he’s scorching hot and a must-start regardless of the opponent.
Tyler Lockett – Lockett has WR1 potential this week against the Vikings. He only has four receptions in his last two games, but Minnesota has given up 158 receptions to wide receivers this season, which is the 3rd most in the NFL. Lockett is a must-start in most leagues and worth a look in daily games.
DJ Chark – Much like Foles, Chark has a chance for a huge week against a below average Tampa Bay defense. The Buccaneers are allowing 2.3 touchdowns per game to wide receivers since Week 5, which is the most in the NFL over that span. Chark is a WR2 with upside in Week 13.
Tyler Boyd – Boyd was dominant last week against the Steelers, making a brilliant one-handed downfield catch and scoring a touchdown. He should continue to play at a high level with Andy Dalton back under center for the Bengals. The Jets’ secondary leaves a lot to be desired. They’re allowing the 6th most fantasy points to wide receivers. Boyd will get plenty of targets and should make the most of them against New York.
Darren Waller – Waller has been a nice surprise this year, but his production has dropped off over the past month. He’s scored double-digit fantasy points just once in his last four games. Waller has a chance to bounce back in a big way against the Chiefs, who are allowing the 5th most fantasy points to tight ends this season. He’s a TE1 in every format.
Sit 'Em
Keenan Allen – Allen has been a roller coaster for fantasy owners this season. He’s coming off of two productive games, but now faces a Denver defense that held him to 18 yards receiving in Week 5. Allen is still a borderline WR2, but he has plenty of bust potential against the Broncos.
Chris Carson – Carson is hard to trust this week against the Vikings. He fumbled last week against the Eagles, which paved the way for Rashaad Penny to have his best game of the season. Penny is expected to have a bigger role in the offense and Minnesota’s run defense is one of the best in the NFL. Sit Carson this week and make him earn his way back into your lineup.
John Brown – Brown has at least 50 yards receiving or a touchdown in every game this season. He’s been a consistent WR2 with upside, but that could change this week against the Cowboys. Dallas has held wide receivers to the 4th fewest fantasy points this season. Brown still has value and should be started in 12-team leagues, but temper your expectations because of his bust potential in this matchup.
Marquise Brown – Brown was great last week against the Rams, finishing with five receptions and two touchdowns. The rookie has plenty of potential, but he’s hard to trust against the 49ers. San Francisco has allowed 15 fantasy points per game to wide receivers in their past eight games, which is 4th best in the NFL. Brown is a high-upside WR3 with a low floor.
Carlos Hyde – Hyde has a tough matchup this week against New England. The Patriots have only allowed one rushing touchdown to a running back this season. Hyde will have better days, but starting a touchdown dependent running back that struggles to catch passes out of the backfield isn’t wise against a defense like the Patriots.
Sleepers
Kareem Hunt – Hunt has at least 11 PPR points in three straight games. The Browns’ offense revolves around the running game, which means both Nick Chubb and Hunt should thrive against the Steelers. The Browns have done a good job of using Hunt in the passing game, which should continue for the rest of the season. Hunt is an RB3 with upside.
DeVante Parker – Parker has quietly become one of the more reliable fantasy options in the NFL. He has at least 11 PPR points in eight straight games. He has a great rapport with Ryan Fitzpatrick. The duo should thrive this week against a poor Philadelphia secondary.
Nick Foles – Foles and the Jaguars are coming off of a blowout loss to the Titans, but he’s in a great bounce back spot this week against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay is allowing the second most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. Foles has thrown the ball 95 times in his last two starts, which means he should post big numbers in Week 13. He’s a great streaming option and a borderline QB1.
Brandin Cooks – Much like the Rams’ offense, Cooks has struggled for most of this season. He hasn’t scored double-digit PPR points since Week 4. He returned last week after missing three games with a concussion. The entire Rams’ offense is playing awful, but Cooks is a high-upside WR3 play against the Cardinals. This could be a high scoring game and Cooks could have his best outing of the season.
Sterling Shepard – Shepard should have a big role in the Giants’ offense this week with Golden Tate (concussion) and Evan Engram (foot) out with injuries. Shepard was targeted nine times last week. That number should go up and so should his fantasy numbers. He’s a WR3 in PPR leagues with upside against the Packers.
Ryan Griffin – Griffin has scored 10 or more PPR points in four of his last five games. The Jets signed him to an extension, which means they believe in him. He’s a TE1 this week against the Bengals.
