🖥 TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE THANKS
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

10 Lineup Busts and Avoids for Week 13

Week 13 is here, which means some people are starting the playoffs (if you're playing two-week playoff match-ups in leagues with four playoff teams and aren't doing Week 17, or if you have some weird system of playoff byes) and many more people are preparing for their final game before the playoffs begin. It's at these times that our decision making becomes very important.

Or, it's at these times when our luck becomes important. I have a league starting playoffs now, and even though I've been the second highest scoring team this season, I needed a lot of luck to sneak in at 6-6. The Russell Wilson/ Doug Baldwin touchdown on Monday night back in Week 11 gave me a nail-biting sixth win, and then in Week 12--against the lowest scoring team in my league--I put up my first sub-70 point game of the season. Thanks, point differential! And thanks Russell Wilson!

At this point, the thing that will make or break you in a must win game is going to be, primarily, luck, but making some wise decisions about players to avoid can help you out as well. That's why I'm here, again!

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Recap of Last Week

Quarterback: It was a bad week for me. Jared Goff had another strong fantasy game against the Saints, tossing for 354 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Josh McCown did even better, throwing for three touchdowns in a shootout loss to Carolina. I didn't factor in the Robby Anderson Experience when thinking about McCown.

Running Back: Of course Joe Mixon had the best game of his career against Cleveland. I think it's time to stop buying into the idea that was floating around the fantasy football universe that you should avoid running backs who play the Browns. Alex Collins had a solid day as well, finding the end zone and rushing for 60 yards. Kenyan Drake didn't have the yardage one would have liked, but he also found the end zone. If you're keeping track at home, I'm 0-for-5 at this point. Yikes!

Wide Receiver: Amari Cooper was well on his way to not being a bust--his first catch was a nine yard touchdown grab--before he left the game with a concussion. Jordy Nelson was completely unable to get going against the Steelers, even though the rest of the Packers offense came to life. That's...odd. Larry Fitzgerald was equally ineffective, though he added a two-point conversion along the way.

Tight End: I think we're done with Cameron Brate, y'all. He's been a non-entity the past few games. Jimmy Graham didn't have many yards, but he found the end zone again.

Below are ten lineup busts and avoids for Week 13 of NFL action.

 

Top 10 Busts - NFL Week 13

Matthew Stafford (Quarterback, Detroit Lions)

Stafford plays against a Ravens team that is second-best against quarterbacks, just a small bit behind the Jacksonville defense. He's only scored 20+ fantasy points three times this season, and seems more likely to finish with less than 15 this week than he does to explode for a huge game.

Andy Dalton (Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals)

Speaking of touch match-ups, Andy Dalton gets the Steelers, who have been good against quarterbacks all season. Yes, Brett Hundley had a good game against them last week and yes, Dalton is on a bit of a hot streak dating back to Week 8--he's thrown for multiple touchdowns in all but one game over that span (he didn't throw any against Jacksonville) and hasn't tossed an interception. Why am I concerned? Dalton has played two teams whose average points allowed against quarterbacks are comparable to Pittsburgh. There's the aforementioned Jaguars game, when he finished with just 136 yards, and there's the season-opener against the Ravens, when he finished with 170 yards and four interceptions. I don't trust Dalton against top defenses.

Tevin Coleman (Running Back, Atlanta Falcon)

Coleman is coming off three consecutive good games, but Devonta Freeman is back and Atlanta plays the Vikings. Coleman will still get touches, but don't expect anything close to the production we've been seeing from him.

Lamar Miller (Running Back, Houston Texans)

See DeMarco Murray blurb below.

DeMarco Murray (Running Back, Tennessee Titans)

I'm using the same space for both Murray and Miller because the Texans and Titans are playing each other and both running backs present similar concerns for me. Both defenses are among the best against the running back position, which suggests this could end up being a game in which the teams don't find much space on the ground. Murray has Derrick Henry pushing him for playing time, whereas Miller has a much more solid grip on the starting role in theory, though he was a little banged-up last week and ceded carries to Alfred Blue even after returning to the game. It wouldn't be a shock to see more 0f a timeshare this week, especially if the newly acquired Andre Ellington is active and sees work on third downs. This has the makings of one of those very, very low scoring games.

T.Y. Hilton (Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts)

Hilton has been a huge disappointment in the majority of his games this season, and I see no reason to expect that to change against the league's best defense. Hilton had two catches for 27 yards the last time the teams played.

Corey Coleman (Wide Receiver, Cleveland Browns)

Josh Gordon is back. The way I see it, that could mean one of two things for Coleman. The first is that the Chargers defense continues to treat Coleman as the number one receiver, which would lead to more open field for Gordon. The other thing is the opposite. Either way, the Chargers defense has been on fire lately and the Browns passing attack will likely struggle to get going.

Doug Baldwin (Wide Receiver, Seattle Seahawks)

You can't sit Baldwin because he's Russell Wilson's top target on a team that has no running game, but he hasn't had the best games the past couple of weeks (a late touchdown in Week 11 salvaged a rough game), and the Eagles have a really strong defense. It might be smart to play someone with a really, really solid floor at your other WR spot to mitigate some of the potential failings of Baldwin this week, though it wouldn't be too much of a shock to see him find the end zone.

Ricky Seals-Jones (Tight End, Los Angeles Rams)

I just wrote an article for RotoBaller about how Seals-Jones is a good player and worth consideration in Dynasty formats, but I don't love his match-up this week against a Rams defense allowing just 40 yards-per-game to opposing tight ends. Seals-Jones is a talented receiver, but Los Angeles will likely shut him out of the end zone this week.

Cameron Brate (Tight End, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Maybe--MAYBE--you're thinking that a healthy Jameis Winston will get Brate going again, but you are likely wrong. The Buccaneers play the Packers, who have been the top team this season against opposing tight ends. O.J. Howard is going to keep increasing his target share. Brate is droppable in shallow formats and unplayable in most others.

 

More Week 13 Lineup Prep




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Brady Cook

Will Start Again in Week 16
Patrick Mahomes

Rehabbing ACL, LCL Tears
Rashee Rice

Won't Practice Due to Concussion
Marvin Harrison Jr.

to Take Part in Wednesday's Walkthrough Practice
Drake London

Day-to-Day, Will Practice on Wednesday
CFB

Jeremiyah Love Officially Heading to NFL Draft
Quinn Ewers

Making First Career Start in Week 16
Tua Tagovailoa

Being Benched by Dolphins
CFB

Jake Merklinger Leaving Tennessee for Transfer Portal
Jeremy Ruckert

Jets, Jeremy Ruckert Agree to a Two-Year Extension
Thatcher Demko

Shuts Out Rangers With 23 Saves
Macklin Celebrini

Notches Four Points in Tuesday's Win
Leon Draisaitl

Reaches Special Milestone During Four-Point Night
Shea Theodore

Questionable for Wednesday Night
Jack Eichel

Battling Illness
Darcy Kuemper

Placed on Injured Reserve
Brandon Montour

Hurt on Tuesday
Sam Merrill

Remains on Shelf Wednesday
Max Strus

Still Out Wednesday
Ayo Dosunmu

May Miss Another Game Wednesday
Brandon Clarke

Upgraded to Questionable on Injury Report
Cam Spencer

Unavailable Wednesday
Mike Conley

Remains Sidelined Wednesday
Zach LaVine

to Be Re-Evaluated in One Week
Mike Trout

Angels Open to Mike Trout Playing Center Field in 2026
Victor Wembanyama

Coming off the Bench on Tuesday Night
Rudy Gobert

Not on the Injury Report for Wednesday
Anthony Edwards

on the Injury Report Again for Wednesday Night
Ja Morant

Questionable for Wednesday's Meeting With Timberwolves
Saquon Barkley

Misses Practice With Stinger
RJ Harvey

Dealing With Rib Injury
Josh Jacobs

Intends to Play Against Bears on Saturday
Zach Bogosian

Misses Tuesday's Game
Marcus Johansson

Unavailable Tuesday
Artyom Levshunov

Scratched for Tuesday
Mathew Barzal

a Game-Time Call Tuesday
Joseph Woll

Returns to Action Tuesday
Mike Matheson

Won't Play on Tuesday
Rasmus Ristolainen

Makes Season Debut Tuesday
Bam Knight

Cardinals Place Bam Knight on Injured Reserve
CFB

Kansas State's Jayce Brown Intends to Transfer
CFB

Nation's Leading Passer Drew Mestemaker to Enter Transfer Portal
Justin Crawford

Phillies Planning to Start Justin Crawford in Center Field
CFB

Jayden Maiava Signs New Deal to Return to USC
CFB

Aidan Mizell Won't Return to Florida, Entering Transfer Portal
CFB

East Carolina Targeting Jordan Davis as Next Offensive Coordinator
Patrick Mahomes

Targeting Week 1 Return in 2026
Cutter Gauthier

Scores Twice at MSG
CFB

Michigan QB Jadyn Davis Set to Enter Transfer Portal
CFB

Travis Williams Joining Texas A&M Defensive Staff
Tim Stützle

Tim Stutzle Records Three Assists in Dramatic Win
Filip Forsberg

Nets 11th Career Hat Trick
Sam Reinhart

Pots Two Goals Against Lightning
Darcy Kuemper

Hurt Versus Stars
Gustav Forsling

Injured in Monday's Win
Brandon Hagel

Makes Early Exit Monday
Cooper Flagg

Becomes Youngest 40-Point Scorer in NBA History
Victor Wembanyama

May Come Off the Bench Again Tuesday
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic to Undergo MRI Tuesday
Sam Hauser

Tweaks Left Ankle Monday
Peyton Watson

Not Expected to Be Out Long-Term
Ja Morant

Injures Ankle in Monday's Win
Darren Waller

Hauls in Two Touchdowns in Monday Night Loss
Brandon Clarke

Still Out Monday
Rome Odunze

Considered Week-to-Week With Foot Injury
James Harden

Officially Active on Monday Night
Ja Morant

to Remain Under Minutes Restriction Monday
James Harden

a Game-Time Call Monday
Davante Adams

Considered Week-to-Week With Hamstring Injury
Jaylen Warren

to Play Through Illness on Monday Night
Bhayshul Tuten

to Miss a Few Weeks With Finger Injury
Joe Burrow

Will Start the Rest of the Season
Jayden Daniels

to be Shut Down for Final Three Games
Philip Rivers

Will Start Again in Week 16
CFB

Dylan Raiola Entering His Name into Transfer Portal
CFB

Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby Plans to Transfer When Portal Opens
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia, Phillies Finalizing One-Year Deal on Monday
Brandon Royval

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss
CFB

Baylor, LSU, Miami Among Potential Suitors for DJ Lagway
CFB

Aidan Chiles Will Enter Transfer Portal
Manel Kape

Shines At UFC Vegas 112
Kevin Vallejos

Gets Second-Round Knockout Win
Giga Chikadze

Suffers His First Career Knockout Loss
CFB

Quarterback DJ Lagway Entering Transfer Portal
Cesar Almeida

Gets Dominated
Cezary Oleksiejczuk

Wins Sixth Fight In A Row
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss
Melquizael Costa

Gets First-Round Knockout Win
Marcus Buchecha

Still Winless In The UFC
Kennedy Nzechukwu

And Marcus Buchecha Fight To Draw
Lance Gibson jr

Lance Gibson Jr. Drops Decision In His UFC Debut
King Green

Gets Back In The Win Column
Kenley Jansen

Agrees to One-Year Deal With Tigers
Merrill Kelly

Returns to Diamondbacks on Two-Year Deal
Jorge Polanco

Agrees to Two-Year Deal With Mets
CFB

LaNorris Sellers to Return to South Carolina in 2026
CFB

Washington State Expected to Hire Kirby Moore as Next Head Coach
CFB

Kyle Whittingham Stepping Down as Utah Head Coach
Manel Kape

Set For UFC Vegas 112 Main Event
Brandon Royval

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 112
Kevin Vallejos

Set For His Third UFC Fight
Giga Chikadze

In Dire Need Of Victory
Cesar Almeida

Set To Welcome Cezary Oleksiejczuk To The UFC
Cezary Oleksiejczuk

Set To Make His UFC Debut
Maikel Garcia

Royals Agree on Five-Year Extension
Melquizael Costa

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Looks to Win Second Consecutive Fights
Marcus Buchecha

Looks To Bounce Back
CFB

Sherrone Moore Charged with Home Invasion, Among Other Charges
CFB

Freddie Kitchens Fired from North Carolina Coaching Staff
CFB

Bryce Underwood Could Leave Michigan Without Buyout
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Padres Not Considering Trading Fernando Tatis Jr.
Tarik Skubal

Tigers Engaged in "Serious Talks" Around Trading Tarik Skubal at the Winter Meetings

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP