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Craig Rondinone looks at some fantasy football booms and busts for Week 13 lineups. These NFL players could be high-upside flex plays, or options to avoid.
No byes, no problem this week for fantasy footballers…unless you have more busts in your lineup than booms.
This is not the week to be a fantasy turkey. Fantasy leagues are in the last or second-to-last week of their regular seasons, and time is wasting for DFS competitors to make their millions. We also have a trio of Thursday games instead of just one thanks to the holiday, so that could cause fantasy players problems. Just know that no matter when the games are played, you have to make sure to use the booms and sidestep the busts in between helping of sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie.
Here are my under-the-radar booms and busts for Week 13! Good luck, RotoBallers!
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Week 13 Lineup Booms
Kyle Allen (CAR, QB) vs. WAS
Allen has filled in admirably for the injured Cam Newton, so admirably that the face of Carolina’s franchise for the past nine years might find himself in a different uniform in 2020. Allen will be pumped to make Panthers fans forget about his four-interception fiasco in his last home start and is coming off his best game of the season versus New Orleans. While Washington’s pass-defense stats are solid, know that the Redskins have not been facing any Joe Montana types lately. Most pass defenses can do all right against the likes of Jeff Driskel and Josh Allen, and the Skins allowed New York’s Sam Darnold to throw for 293 yards and four touchdowns two weeks ago. Do not be surprised if Allen posts similar numbers against them this week.
Robert Woods (LAR, WR) at ARI
Woods seems to be past the personal issue that kept him off the field for a game as he managed to muster six catches for 97 yards against Baltimore on Monday night. Woods now has 20 targets over his past two games and three games of 80-plus yards over the last four games he has suited up for action. With tight end Gerald Everett ailing and wideout Brandin Cooks not running routes like we are used to seeing after suffering two concussions, Woods should be targeted early and often against Arizona’s 32nd-ranked pass defense. Patrick Peterson cannot cover everybody for the Cards, and in fact, the team’s pass defense ranking has gone down since he returned from his suspension. Look for Woods to get eight receptions on 10 targets and score his first touchdown of the year this Sunday.
Dede Westbrook (JAC, WR) vs. TB
Fantasy owners have had a harder time putting a finger on what Westbrook will do on a weekly basis than defenses have had putting a finger on Baltimore wunderkind Lamar Jackson when he is running wild. Westbrook has not scored since Week 1, yet he has been targeted six times or more in seven of his last eight games, so it is not as if he is not getting opportunities. The Tampa-Jacksonville battle for Florida bragging rights should be a shootout since the Buccaneers have the league’s 31st-ranked pass defense and the Jags have a dilapidated defense thanks to injuries, and the trade of Jalen Ramsey. I believe Westbrook will play an integral part of Jacksonville’s passing attack and have his best fantasy performance of 2019 against a Bucs secondary who has allowed four receivers to break the 100-yard barrier versus them over the past four weeks.
Jack Doyle (IND, TE) vs. TEN
The Indianapolis Colts and Jacoby Brissett owners cannot be happy with the news that Eric Ebron is out for the season due to problems with both of his ankles, but this jacks Doyle’s fantasy value up a few notches. He no longer has to share tight end targets with Ebron, who is the better playmaker of the duo. Up next for Doyle is a Tennessee defense that is 24th against the pass, and that Doyle has done historically well against, with 30 receptions in his past six divisional games against the Titans. If T.Y. Hilton also misses the game (which is always likely), Doyle will see as many footballs as my trash collector will see pizza boxes in my garbage bin this weekend.
Week 13 Lineup Busts
Deebo Samuel (SF, WR) at BAL
Get Samuel some butter, because he is on a roll! He followed back-to-back 100-yard games with 50 yards and a touchdown this past Sunday evening. The returns of tight end George Kittle and new No. 1 WR Emmanuel Sanders from injuries did dent his target total dramatically, though, as he went from double-digit targets to just two in the last outing. Baltimore, my pick for the best team in the NFL at the moment, has tightened up its pass defense, only allowing four touchdown passes over their last seven games, and not allowing any receiver during that span to have 100 yards. The 100-yard-game streak might end this week, but Samuel will not be the 49er reaching that plateau.
Kareem Hunt (CLE, RB) at PIT
The good news for Hunt is he does not look like being suspended for almost a year has taken any of the starch out of his legs. He is averaging 4.4 yards per carry and has caught 15 balls out of the backfield. The bad news for Hunt is he is No. 2 behind probable Pro Bowl player Nick Chubb in the running back pecking order in Cleveland. Pittsburgh has the NFL’s 11th-ranked run defense and has held Hunt to 96 rushing yards on 27 carries in two previous matchups when Hunt was with Kansas City. Limited touches plus an above-average run defense does not add up to a humongous fantasy day for Hunt.
Allen Hurns (MIA, WR) vs. PHI
Hurns somehow cashed in on the modest success he has had with Miami this season (21-265-2) to the tune of a multimillion-dollar contract extension. Good for him! He also just had 42 yards and a TD on a season-high seven targets at Cleveland last Sunday. Good for us fantasy players! With Preston Williams and Jakeem Grant suffering season-ending injuries and Albert Wilson dealing with banged-up ribs, Hurns is in line to be the No. 2 WR against Philadelphia. The problem is the Eagles have shored up their pass defense just like the aforementioned Ravens have. After ranking near the bottom of the NFL against the pass early on, Philadelphia has not allowed any pass-catcher to have 70 receiving yards against them over their past four contests. Hurns might get more playing time and targets this week, but it will not translate into much production for fantasy owners.
Ryan Fitzpatrick (MIA, QB) vs. PHI
Fitzpatrick was in the boom section last week and responded with two touchdown tosses and another that he rushed for, but fantasy football is a cruel business. Now he is the final person in the bust section because I think he is due for another one of his infamous multi-turnover disasters that give fantasy players ulcers. Unfortunately, this time he will not offset the turnovers with the same amount of touchdowns as he did in Week 12. Philadelphia has not allowed more than 17 points in a game in over a month and is fighting for its playoff lives at 5-6. Fitz will have to deal with the Eagles blitz and a much-improved and much healthier defensive unit than what the Eagles put on the field back in September. I would not be shocked if Fitzpatrick is yanked in favor of Josh Rosen by game’s end.
