Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 13 Lineups (2025)

Dave's fantasy football start 'em and sit 'em booms and busts for Week 13 of 2025. Sneaky starts that may boom, and typical starters who will disappoint.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate! Hopefully, you enjoyed some good food, watched some football, and the time spent with your family/in-laws was not too traumatic.

We now turn our attention to more pressing matters as the fantasy football playoffs are just two weeks away. If you’re on the playoff bubble, then you’re likely searching for a few players who can help you secure a playoff berth. Luckily, we’ve got you covered with some options who could pop for a big week, as well as a few players who could send your postseason dreams to the toilet faster than your dad’s ham salad.

Make sure you’re following RotoBaller on X and download the RotoBaller app for all your fantasy football needs. Here are our boom/bust picks for Week 13 of the 2025 NFL season.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) rankings
• Quarterback (QB) rankings
• Tight end (TE) rankings
• Defense (D/ST) rankings
• Kicker (K) rankings
• FLEX rankings
• Dynasty rankings

Sonic Boom of the Week

R.J. Harvey - RB, Denver Broncos at Washington Commanders

Harvey’s rookie season has been very disappointing through his first 11 games. However, he has a great opportunity ahead of him this weekend.

The Commanders’ run defense has not been good thus far in 2025. Washington ranks 22nd in FTN Fantasy’s defensive rushing DVOA and allows 137.5 rushing yards per game, which is the sixth-most in the league. The Commanders have also allowed the eighth-most PPR points to opposing running backs this year, per Fantasy Football Today.

Denver is also listed as a 6.5-point favorite this weekend and could play with a lead for most of this game. That would be great news for Harvey’s outlook and should help him secure more touches.

Harvey has yet to fully take over as the Broncos' RB1 after J.K. Dobbins’ knee injury. However, expect him to be more involved coming out of the team’s bye, and this is a great matchup for him to get rolling. Harvey does face a tough schedule during the fantasy football playoffs, so this weekend is one of the better opportunities for the rookie to return a strong fantasy performance.

Gamers should start Harvey as a backend RB2 or flex play this weekend.

The rookie RJ Harvey breaks free for 50-yard gain!

TENvsDEN on FOXhttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/XjSqE1ClGM

— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025

Other Week 13 Fantasy Football Booms

Jaylen Warren - RB, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills

This looks like a good matchup for Warren to post his second 100-yard rushing game of the season. We know Pittsburgh wants to establish the run, and Buffalo’s run defense has been atrocious. The Bills allow the third-most rushing yards per game in the league and rank 29th in PFF’s run defense grade. Buffalo has also been prone to chunk plays on the ground and has allowed the third most explosive rushing yards per Fantasy Points Data Suite.

With quarterback Aaron Rodgers expected to play but still nursing a wrist injury, we are likely to see Pittsburgh lean on its running back tandem of Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. Look for Warren to be heavily involved in the team’s offensive game plan, and he is live to score multiple touchdowns.

Start him as an RB2 or flex with a boost in full PPR leagues.

No one there! @Nunless2 runs it in for the TD!

📺 #PITvsCHI on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/b7qikcvSev

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 23, 2025

Stefon Diggs - WR, New England Patriots vs. New York Giants

Diggs let gamers down in a plus matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals last week. Luckily, he has another good matchup on deck in Week 13.

The New York Giants just allowed Amon-Ra St. Brown to post a 9-149-1 line on 13 targets against them last weekend. That’s been a theme for the Giants' defense this season, as the team has allowed the 10th-most passing yards per game as well as the sixth-most PPR points per game to opposing wide receivers.

With New England missing left tackle Will Campbell, there is some risk we see the team adopt a more run-heavy approach and attack another weakness of the New York defense. That’s a very realistic possibility, but this is still a good matchup for gamers to give Diggs another chance.

Consider him a fine play as a WR3.

Trevor Lawrence - QB, Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans

Lawrence is fresh off a QB7 finish in Week 12, where he threw three touchdown passes but was also picked off three times. That game perfectly summarizes Lawrence’s career to date, as he always has several wow performances to go along with a few head-scratching ones.

That aside, this weekend looks like a good opportunity for managers to stick with the Jacksonville QB1. Tennessee ranks 21st in PFF’s coverage grade as well as 26th in defensive passing DVOA.

You never know what you’re going to get from Lawrence week to week, but this projects as a good matchup for him. Consider him one of the top streaming candidates this week.

Colby Parkinson - TE, Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers

With Tyler Higbee on injured reserve due to an ankle injury, Parkinson is now functioning as the Rams’ TE1. He had another strong effort in Week 12, where he caught four passes for 41 receiving yards, scored a touchdown for the third straight game, and finished the week as the PPR TE5.

Stafford. Parkinson. Rams up 21-0.

TBvsLAR on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/fVomi8amvE

— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2025

This week, Parkinson will have a good chance to extend his touchdown streak to four games as the Panthers have struggled against tight ends this year. Carolina ranks 32nd in DVOA against the position and allows an average of 66.9 receiving yards per game to tight ends. The Panthers have also allowed the eighth-most PPR points and second-most receiving yards to tight ends this year.

Expect Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to target Parkinson quite a few times to take advantage of this weakness in Carolina’s defense. Gamers should consider Parkinson one of the top tight end streamers for Week 13. Start him with confidence.

Landmine of the Week

Rico Dowdle - RB, Carolina Panthers vs. Los Angeles Rams

We’ll stay in the Panthers/Rams game for our landmine of the week. Dowdle did not fare well this past Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers. He only ran for 38 yards on six carries and has now failed to eclipse 60 rushing yards in four of his last five games.

A turnaround probably isn’t in the cards this weekend as the Rams boast one of the best run defenses in the NFL. Los Angeles ranks fourth in defensive rushing DVOA and second in PFF’s run defense grade. The Rams also allow the third-fewest PPR points per game to opposing running backs.

With the Panthers listed as 10.5-point underdogs, they could be playing from behind for the majority of this game. That would mean Dowdle is at risk of being game-scripted out of the Panthers' offense, similar to what we saw against the 49ers last Monday night. The one saving grace for Dowdle could be his usage as a receiver, as he’s been targeted 11 times over the last two weeks.

Still, unless he finds the endzone, Dowdle is looking like a shaky RB2 play for Week 13. If gamers have other running back options, they should consider pivoting off the Panthers RB1.

Other Week 13 Fantasy Football Busts

Jordan Addison - WR, Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks

With J.J. McCarthy possibly set to miss this weekend’s game with a concussion, the Vikings could be forced to start Max Brosmer. Whether or not that’s a good thing for Addison remains to be seen.

Even if Brosmer is an upgrade, this is a tough matchup for Addison and the Minnesota offense. Seattle ranks fourth in defensive passing DVOA and PFF’s pass coverage grade.

The J.J. McCarthy experiment could soon be over in Minnesota. While that would most likely mean good things for this passing offense, gamers are probably better off waiting a game or two before starting Addison just to see exactly what kind of player Brosmer is.

With a tough matchup on deck, gamers should leave Addison on their bench and consider other options for a WR3.

Brock Purdy - QB, San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns

Purdy is coming off a terrible game this past Monday night against the Carolina Panthers. He was intercepted three times, and frankly, that number could have been as high as five or six. Purdy will need to shake off that performance because things don’t get any easier this weekend.

San Francisco draws a date against Myles Garrett and a Cleveland Browns defense that ranks fifth in defensive passing DVOA and allows the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Purdy also has a poor history against the Browns. He only completed 12 of 27 passes for 125 passing yards and threw an interception in a 19-17 loss to Cleveland back in 2023.

Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz seems to have all the answers to slow down Kyle Shanahan’s offense, and that will likely be a factor in this game again. That means we could see Purdy struggle this weekend, and gamers should give serious consideration to leaving Purdy on their bench.

Oronde Gadsden II - TE, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Gadsden has enjoyed a fine rookie season and has posted a 37-507-2 line across nine games this year. Gamers in redraft and dynasty leagues who took a chance on the rookie have certainly been happy with the returns.

However, Gadsden is coming off two sub-par outings where he hasn't had more than three receptions or 41 receiving yards in either game. Unfortunately, that streak might continue this weekend. While the Raiders have been a dumpster fire, they have actually been very good against tight ends this year. Las Vegas only allows 38.6 receiving yards per game to tight ends and has also allowed the fourth-fewest PPR points to the position.

As good as Gadsden has looked, he also faces stiff target competition in the form of Keenan Allen, Quentin Johnston, and Ladd McConkey. Combine that with a tough matchup, and it’s hard to recommend starting Gadsden in Week 13. Gamers should leave him on the bench in favor of other options.

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