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Dan's fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks for Week 13 of 2025. He looks at potential warning signals from Ricky Pearsall, D'Andre Swift, Jordan Addison, and Kyle Pitts Sr.
Hello and happy Thanksgiving, RotoBallers. I’m back again with the Week 13 edition of Warning Signals. Ever the pessimist, I am constantly finding fault with the players on my fantasy football teams. Here, I highlight a handful who stand out to me with particularly worrisome outlooks, to spare you the grief of a ruinous performance spoiling your weekend.
The 49ers fan in me is glad to have Ricky Pearsall (knee) back on the field, but I know better to plug him into any lineups this weekend. D'Andre Swift will be playing on Black Friday, and I fear that will be an apt description of his production against the Eagles. Given the state of affairs in Minnesota, fantasy football managers should bite the bullet and bench Jordan Addison. Lastly, it is time to pull the plug on Kyle Pitts Sr., who can’t seem to take advantage of Drake London’s absence.
We are approaching the finish line in fantasy football, with just this week and next before the playoffs begin. Keep starting your studs, but be mindful of who you use to fill out the rest of your starting lineups. Double-check injury reports, depth chart changes, and, of course, heed the Warning Signals you see for Week 13.
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Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers
After missing six consecutive games managing a PCL injury, Ricky Pearsall returned to the 49ers starting lineup in Week 11. Unfortunately for fantasy football managers with a stake in the second-year receiver, Pearsall put up an absolute dud, catching one of his two targets for no gain. His second game back didn’t go much better, catching two balls on three targets for a whopping eight receiving yards.
Pearsall appears to be back to full health, as evidenced by his 76% snap share in each of his last two games. His lack of production might be better explained by the recent tendencies of quarterback Brock Purdy (toe).
Purdy himself missed the last six weeks (plus Weeks 2 and 3) dealing with turf toe. In his two games back, Purdy has concentrated his passes on Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Jauan Jennings. That triumvirate soaked up 24 of Purdy’s 32 pass attempts on Monday night after combining for two-thirds of the team’s targets in Week 11.
Ricky Pearsall doesn’t think that getting 30+ touches a game for Christian McCaffrey is tough. In fact, he’d love that many 😂#49ers | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/Ze2W8TjanH
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) November 25, 2025
That was one sad "so do I." Not only has Pearsall been the odd man out in the passing game, but his role as the 49ers’ deep threat has also been neutralized. On Monday night, 22 of Purdy’s 23 completions came within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Of the eight shots Purdy took beyond that, only one was caught, and three were intercepted.
Those deep throws against the Panthers lacked strength and were off the mark. In postgame comments, he insisted the miscues had nothing to do with lingering toe discomfort and instead were timing errors. Purdy may be working himself back into game shape after being limited in practices for so many weeks.
In Week 13, San Francisco heads to Cleveland to play the Browns. The Browns have given up the second-fewest receptions and yards to opposing wide receivers in 2025, and pass-rusher Myles Garrett will keep Purdy on his heels.
Matchup aside, the forecast for Sunday is not conducive to an aerial assault. Temperatures will be in the 30s, but the anticipated strong winds off Lake Erie will make it feel much colder and push passes off the mark. Pearsall might be a worthwhile start after the 49ers’ Week 14 bye, but he can ride the pine this time around.
D’Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears
D’Andre Swift has been an understated value in fantasy football in 2025. On average, Swift was the 25th running back off the board in fantasy football drafts this year, behind such turkeys as Isiah Pacheco, Tony Pollard, and Alvin Kamara. Swift has finished as an RB2 five times in 10 games played and twice as an RB1, ranks as the overall RB17 in total fantasy points (PPR), and as the RB19 in fantasy points per game.
A groin injury forced Swift to sit out Week 9. The one-game absence offered rookie Kyle Monangai his shot at the starting lineup, and the Bears liked what they saw.
Swift was the main man upon his return in Week 10 and Week 11, but in Week 12, he took a back seat to Monangai for the first time this season, with the rookie leading the backfield in snaps and rushing attempts. Losing a fumble in the second quarter didn’t do Swift any favors, but it is worth noting that Monangai already had eight carries to Swift’s five up to that point.
If Monangai continues taking on more of the early down and goal-line work and Swift retains passing-down duties, then the value of both will be undermined. He is still viable in deeper leagues, but in more customary 10- and 12-teamers, he is not a gimme for a starting slot and should not be expected to return to the level of production he provided earlier this season.
#Bears Week 12 RB Usage
- Kyle Monangai: 56% snaps, 12 carries, 16 routes, 0 targets (48 yds, TD)
- D'Andre Swift: 43% snaps, 8 carries, 13 routes, 1 target (29 yds, fumble lost)For fantasy purposes? pic.twitter.com/pxq5gjzh8B
— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) November 23, 2025
Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Why include Jordan Addison in this week's column? Frankly, it’s because I don’t have the guts to suggest sitting Justin Jefferson. In case you haven’t noticed, the Vikings’ pass game is in shambles as of late, though that is no fault of Addison’s. In his first four games of the season, Addison finished once as a top-12 receiver, twice in the top 24, and averaged 16 PPR points per game.
That was with Carson Wentz (shoulder) under center, though. Since J.J. McCarthy (concussion) returned from a high-ankle sprain in Week 9, Addison has averaged 6.2 PPR points per game. Last week against Green Bay, Addison saw a single target despite being on the field for all but one of Minnesota’s offensive snaps.
McCarthy has been historically bad in his first season as the Vikings starter and is shaping up to be one of the biggest draft busts of all time. Fortunately(?), McCarthy might not take the field in Week 13, as he reported concussion symptoms following Minnesota’s recent loss to Green Bay and now needs to clear the league’s concussion protocol.
Should McCarthy sit, Minnesota would turn to someone named Max Brosmer, who recently won a sports radio call-in contest to find the Vikes’ next signal-caller.
Just kidding! Brosmer is an undrafted rookie free agent who had a 63.2% completion rate, 11,330 passing yards, and 83 touchdowns to 30 interceptions at the University of New Hampshire and the University of Minnesota. In three appearances this season, Brosmer has gone 5-of-8 for 42 yards.
Max Brosmer Taking All of the First-Team Reps https://t.co/lKlza251jv
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) November 26, 2025
The 24-year-old would be a welcome change from whatever it is McCarthy is doing out there, but his inexperience going against the Seattle Seahawks spells trouble.
Seattle has allowed the fourth-fewest passing yards and the lowest yards per target to opposing wide receivers, making the matchup a poor one already for Addison. Add to that Minnesota’s quarterback situation, and it is a clear no-go for me.
Kyle Pitts Sr., TE, Atlanta Falcons
Fantasy football managers fall firmly into one of two categories: those who are done with Kyle Pitts Sr. entirely and those who take any shred of production as evidence that he’s on the verge of returning to TE1 status. I confess I belonged to the latter camp and now profess I am ready to join the former.
Atlanta’s wide receiver room is abysmally thin, so when Drake London (knee) was declared out in Week 12, it seemed like a perfect spot for Pitts to step up. And to his credit, he did lead the team in targets that day. However, that amounted to just five looks for the fifth-year tight end, which he turned into two catches for 25 yards, his third consecutive two-reception game.
Even with Darnell Mooney as his only real competition for targets, Pitts isn’t making things happen, and Atlanta doesn’t seem determined to get him the ball. Pitts was last targeted in the end zone in Week 9, and has just five such targets all season. Pitts has a drop in each of the Falcons' last four games, and one of the three balls that went off his hands in Week 12 resulted in a pick-six for the Saints.
JUSTIN REID PICK-SIX
ATLvsNO on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/97upg72JtR
— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025
In Week 13, Pitts and the Falcons are up against the Jets. New York has allowed seven touchdowns to opposing tight ends all season, but only one of those has come since Week 7. It also ranks in the top 10 in the league in receptions and yards allowed to tight ends, and has yet to give up a 50-yard game to the position (Jake Ferguson came close with 49 in Week 5). Pitts’ recent performances, his utilization, and matchup are clear Warning Signals to stay away from him in Week 13.
Did you pick up on any Warning Signals yourself while preparing for Week 13? Are you looking for suggestions on who to pivot to for your upcoming matchups? Reach out on X (@danifestmestiny) or Bluesky (@danifestmestiny.bsky.social), and we can work on getting you set up to win your week!
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