Ten Things We Learned in Week 13 (Fantasy Football)
Congratulations Footclan, we’ve made it to the final week of the fantasy football regular season. Some of us have already locked up our playoff spot, others are jockeying for position and many of us need a win this week to get in. Whatever the case may be, we have a lot to process from the Week 13 slate of action, as we kick it into high gear with a championship in sight. Here are some of the bigger storylines to monitor heading into the regular season finale.
1. Injury Bug Bites Again
Week 13 was filled with its fair share of serious injuries to key players. Fantasy managers will have to retool their rosters heading into the playoffs and players that have been relied upon all season might not be back in time. The big names that got hurt and are likely done for the rest of the fantasy season are Rhamondre Stevenson, Christian Kirk, and Tank Dell. Other players who you have to monitor are Brian Robinson, Zach Charbonnet, Derrick Henry, Puka Nacua, Christian Watson, Amari Cooper, and D’Andre Swift. This doesn’t include the quarterbacks that got hurt which includes Derek Carr, Kenny Pickett, and Trevor Lawrence.
2. Waivers Are Key This Week
The Waiver Wire Pickups article, written by my colleague Joe Beldner is a must-read every week, but this time more than ever. To the managers who held onto their FAAB all season, now is the time to spend it. Ezekiel Elliott is a must-add RB, as are Tyjae Spears, Kenneth Gainwell, and Antonio Gibson. Scoop up Noah Brown and Brevin Jordan with Dell out and Dalton Schultz hurting. Two wide receivers from the Jaguars, Zay Jones and rookie Parker Washington, could be key contributors down the stretch. After Christian Kirk left Monday night’s game early, Jones and Washington became heavily involved. Jones had five catches for 78 yards and Washington had six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. These two WRs, along with the names listed above, all have fantasy starting potential the rest of the way.
3. Even the Best Team Defenses Implode
Now is the time of year when managers are stacking team defenses, both to block their opponents and to carve out the best schedule. But it’s important to remember that on any given Sunday, a team you wouldn’t expect to play well on offense does, or a defense who has been dominant all season just can’t get it together. In Week 13, the Dallas, Cleveland, and Kansas City defenses were extremely disappointing. Dallas, the number one fantasy defense all season, actually put up negative points in most formats. Same for the Browns. The Chargers and Colts, who have been bad most of the year, led Week 13 with 17 points each. The main point is, regardless of how a certain D/ST has looked all season, play the matchups. The Houston and New Orleans defenses rank in the bottom half of the league, but in Week 14 they will face bad offenses. Focus on the matchups.
4. Play the Rams’ Offensive Personnel
The Rams’ offense started off hot with rookie Puka Nacua bursting onto the scene and third-year wideout Tutu Atwell playing well. Then Cooper Kupp returned and had a couple of good games, but then injuries started to slow the offense down. As a result of Matthew Stafford hurting his thumb and Kupp being banged up, the offense looked bad for a three-week span. Stafford is back, Kupp is back, and Nacua is still balling, despite suffering an injury on Sunday that likely won’t keep him off the field. For a stretch, it was shaky putting the Rams’ offensive players in fantasy lineups, but you can go back to doing so with confidence. The Rams have been playing well, and after Week 14’s game against the Ravens, they have one of the more favorable fantasy playoff schedules against the Commanders, Saints, and then the Giants in the fantasy championship.
5. San Fran Equals Fantasy Fun
The 49ers went into Philadelphia on Sunday, toughed out the weather, and roughed up the Eagles, securing a decisive 42-19 victory. What’s even more impressive is that every startable fantasy player contributed, from Brock Purdy to Christian McCaffrey to both wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Even George Kittle‘s four catches for 68 yards is passable for the tight end position. The remaining schedule is a beaut: Seattle, Arizona, Baltimore, and then Washington in the fantasy championship. There will be smiles galore for managers starting San Francisco players for the rest of the year.
6. Move Forward With Mahomes
It feels odd writing these words, but Patrick Mahomes hasn’t been a great fantasy quarterback this season. Maybe that’s a little harsh. He’s still in the top 10 at the position (QB8) but his production has come from a couple of spike weeks while also putting up one horrendous game. He hasn’t played like the QB1 he was drafted as. You’re obviously going to start him, but I want to give confidence to those who are nervous coming out of the bad game against Green Bay where he finished as the QB16. The Chiefs play the Bills this week and start the fantasy playoffs against the Patriots. They face the Raiders and Bengals to round out the season. These are ideal matchups for quarterbacks, so don’t tinker with your lineup, just plug and play Patrick Mahomes.
7. Don’t Give Up on Ekeler
It’s been a rough go for Austin Ekeler of late and for the Chargers’ offense as a whole. But Justin Herbert is still putting up reasonable fantasy numbers and Keenan Allen is still racking up PPR points. Even Gerald Everett has come on recently. It feels like Ekeler is the only player that’s really hurting.
Austin Ekeler's yards gained on rush attempts the last two weeks:
-1
2
2
2
2
3
5
5
6
6 (hey we’re getting somewhere)
-7 (nevermind)
-2
0
1
1
1
1
2
2
3
4
4
4
4— Kyle Borgognoni (@kyle_borg) December 4, 2023
If you’ve made it this far with him, you only really have one choice, and that’s to keep playing him. But I think he’s going to reward fantasy managers who have stayed faithful. Remember, this is a running back who can explode for 20+ points in any given week, and the matchups coming up aren’t intimidating. He is also playing for a contract, so he wants to end the season on a high note. And don’t forget, he’s an avid fantasy football fan himself, so he knows what’s at stake. I know Ekeler managers have been frustrated, but all that can change in the blink of an eye.
8. Zack Moss Mania
To borrow a phrase from his teammate Gardner Minshew, this has been a season of Zack Moss mania. From Week 2 through Week 5, Moss was the RB4 with 81.7 points in half-point PPR leagues. Then Jonathan Taylor came back, and while he didn’t immediately take a backseat, Moss started losing opportunities. He was just outside of the top 36 RBs from Week 5 to Week 12 with Taylor getting the majority of work. But Taylor is out once again and Moss has been thrust into the spotlight. Don’t fret about his RB27 finish against Tennessee on Sunday. Moss is going to get a ton of looks the rest of the season and the Colts play the Bengals, Steelers, Falcons, and Raiders in the next four weeks. Moss has league winner written all over him.
9. Starting Scary Terry Is Terrifying
Last week I expressed my concern for Terry McLaurin and he solidified my worries with a goose egg on Sunday. The Commanders are on their bye this week and then face one of the toughest schedules for wide receivers against the Rams, Jets, and 49ers. It’s never easy clicking the drop button for players of McLaurin’s caliber, but the time has come to cut your losses. I do not want to start Scary Terry in the playoffs, so I’m dropping him for a startable player or insurance RB.
10. Keep Kyler
It’s hard to roster a player who is on a bye week so late in the fantasy season, especially a quarterback like Kyler Murray coming off a terrible game. But as a Murray manager, I’m holding him even if I have a decent backup QB option. The Cardinals face two of the best run defenses in San Fransisco and Philadelphia in Week 15 and Week 17, respectively. I expect Murray to throw the ball a ton in those games and I like him as a QB1 option down the stretch.