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Week 13 Fantasy Football Rankings
Happy Thanksgiving RotoBallers! As always, we are bringing you our Week 13 fantasy football rankings, for both PPR and standard leagues, by authors Zach Wilkens (@LopsidedTrades) and Ryan Rufe (@RyanRufe) along with some Week 13 rankings analysis by Zach Wilkens.
The NFL season is just about 75% of the way through ladies and gents, and fantasy seasons are fast approaching do-or-die time if you're vying for the playoffs. You should be familiar with the routine by now, but just in case you weren’t sure, every week fellow RotoBaller Ryan Rufe and I will be posting our weekly fantasy football rankings and rankings analysis, based on team matchups and expected player performances for the week.
We are done with the byes in Week 13, and thankfully we're past those weeks where you have to start your entire bench because 3-4 of your players are on byes. Good luck with your lineups, and your turkey consumption.
2014 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyPros
Week 13 Quarterback Rankings Analysis
Aaron Rodgers is atop the list this week in what should be an extremely high scoring game vs Tom Brady and the Patriots. Rodgers may have to deal with Revis but between Cobb and Jordy he'll have a great game here. I am surprised to see Drew Brees outside of the FantasyPros consensus top five especially following his best game of the season. The Steelers are not a tough matchup. They've allowed opposing QBs to score at least 16 fantasy points each of the past five weeks. That includes Zach Mettenberger and Michael Vick. Drew Brees has a very high chance of going above 20 points once more.
Tony Romo is at the bottom of the top tier this week. He's been great since returning from injury with 7 touchdowns over his last two games and just one turnover. In another good matchup against the Eagles you have to like his odds of a big game.
The 49ers allow the fewest points to opposing QBs so on paper this is a tough matchup for Russell Wilson. I'm not too worried though. A huge part of his value is from his mobility and I don't see him slowing down here.
Ryan Tannehill makes a rare appearance in the top ten this week. And deservedly so as the Jets are allowing the most points to quarterbacks. The Jets have given up 27 touchdowns while intercepting just 3 passes all season. Yeah, its a great matchup here and Tannehill is a no-brainer stream if you have the option.
Another popular stream this week is Eli Manning. While he is certainly a safe option I'm a little worried. The Jaguars have been much better on defense over their past few games. The Jags are 3rd in sacks and if they can pressure Eli there is no way he delivers a big game as many expect. I don't think he's an awful play this week but I'm not jumping out of my seat to start him either.
Week 13 Running Back Rankings Analysis
Much like last week if Arian Foster plays I think he's going to have a big game. It's a great matchup against the Titans who are allowing the most points to opposing RBs. The Titans have been especially bad over their last four games: 7 rushing touchdowns and over 150 rushing yards per game. Yikes. Do not be concerned about Foster at all if he's active. Even if he were 80% he can be a top ten back if not better.
I was surprised that Justin Forsett was out of the consensus top ten last week and I feel the same way this week. He's been excellent all year and has gone over 100 yards with two touchdowns in each of his past two games. I expect the hot streak to continue here.
I'm pretty low on Eddie Lacy who has been very good lately. For the most part I don't buy his new found skill as a receiver. There will be fewer run opportunities in this game and if the Patriots shut Lacy down in the passing game he won't be top five which is where his consensus rank is. I expect a good but not great day here. I'm also low on Andre Ellington. It is a nice matchup but wake me up when he can go over 4.0 YPC again. He's been brutal lately. Even a nice improvement here won't necessarily mean a big fantasy day.
The Jeremy Hill/Gio Bernard timeshare continues to be a bit troubling for both of their values. Sure there were both able to get 19 touches this past week but even in a good matchup can we count on that again? I don't think so. They both have upside for sure but the lack of certainty keeps them from being great options. If the split isn't so 50/50 I think Gio would be the one to benefit.
Moving on down the list some more it looks like Dan Herron is set to start again this week. It will be a split with Trent Richardson but I'm liking Herron's potential. I was a fan of his in the preseason and I'm excited to see what he can do with a prolonged opportunity for steady carries. If he can impress early this week he could see a much bigger share.
Lastly it kind of goes without saying but avoid the Patriots situation if at all possible. Jonas Gray will be back in the mix (assuming he doesn't miss any practices). Would it surprise anyone if Gray got a few big gains early and Belichick decided to use him heavily over Blount? It shouldn't. Both make for big risk/reward plays for those really desperate for an RB. That's about it though.
Week 13 Wide Receiver Rankings Analysis
With several of the rookies getting better and better over the past few weeks there is an unbelievable amount of top talent and depth at the position lately. Odell Beckham Jr has put himself among the WR1 mentions and with a great matchup against the Jaguars he makes my top ten.
Julio Jones is at WR14 this week but I still really like him. It's a tough matchup and the Falcons offense isn't what it has been in years past. Jones still provides an excellent floor having gone over 50 yards in every game this season.
From WR16 to WR20 you'll see four rookies. I think Mike Evans is the last very good option this week and then I start to see some questions. Can Jordan Matthews keep outscoring Jeremy Maclin? I think so. Can Kelvin Benjamin and Sammy Watkins succeed despite their shoddy quarterback play? Probably but it's no sure thing.
DeAndre Hopkins should see a slight increase in value with the return of Ryan Fitzpatrick. They had plenty of success together earlier in the season so against the Titans I like him a lot. I'm very high on Jarvis Landry who has been great of late. Basically my thinking is...it's the Jets. They are that bad and they've proven it time after time. There's no reason for this to be the game Landry slows down.
A few notes further on down the list. If you're looking for a high upside play this week John Brown is my pick. He has an excellent matchup and you can expect him to see some deep targets. Martavis Bryant is also a high upside play but I think his value was entirely too dependent on deep touchdowns earlier in the season and I think he is still due to come back to earth some more.
Week 13 Tight End Rankings Analysis
Another week, another ranking of Gronk and Jimmy Graham at the top. Julius is still my #3 if healthy though if he is out I've seen enough of Jacob Tamme to want nothing to do with him. I haven't seen anything concrete on Dwayne Allen's prospects for this week but I'm guessing he doesn't play. If he does he would be in the 10-12 range while Coby Fleener falls out of the top 15.
I was really disappointed that Charles Clay missed out on a great matchup last week. Thankfully he gets another shot here against the Jets. If active he is a great streaming option as the Jets give up the 2nd most points to opposing tight ends.
Tim Wright is a very risky play but I'm liking him more and more. Over Wright's past 7 games he has 5+ catches and a touchdown on three separate occasions, one goal line catch for a touchdown on two more occasions and then two games where he put up a zero. Take your pick, but the zeros seem less and less likely with the more success he has.
Eric Ebron is another player I am liking more. He has 11 targets over his past two games. He wasn't able to do much with them but I think that changes if he stays a big part of the game plan vs the Bears. I feel a breakout is coming so keep him in mind.
Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
