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
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

NFL Recap - Week 13 Surprises, And Looking Ahead

Getty Images

Adam Sabol's Monday morning recap of Week 13's NFL action (2016). Who surprised or disappointed? Fantasy football studs, duds, injuries, standouts and busts.

With Week 13 behind us, every NFL team has now played 12 games, and the season is officially 75% over. We're officially in the stretch run, and many divisions are up for grabs. That being said, not every contest is created equal, and while there will be significant football played in December and January, some competitions are more competitive than others.

Here's a division-by-division look at what to watch out for as the 2016 season comes to a close.

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on FantasyAces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive BOTH our full season NFL and NBA Premium Passes for free, a $119.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium Passes.

 

What Is Going To Happen

The AFC North - Which team will trip up first, the Ravens or the Steelers?

Both Baltimore and Pittsburgh find themselves tied for first place in the division at 7-5 with four games to play, and though the Bengals still have a chance, it's very much a "Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber" chance, considering they sit at 4-7-1, putting them two and a half games behind with only four to play. Both the Steelers and the Ravens struggled during the midseason, but the teams appear to be rounding back into form down the stretch. The Ravens have a tougher slate of games to play (New England and Philadelphia are better teams than Cincinnati and Cleveland), but a Week 16 contest between the two bitter rivals looms large. It's possible that game decides the division.

 

The AFC South - Who wants to win this division?  Failing that, who wants to lose it less?

The Texans have no quarterback. The Colts ONLY have a quarterback and he's in the concussion protocol. The Titans can't beat the Colts at all. Should the Colts beat the 3-8 Jets on Monday night, all three teams will be tied at 6-6. The Titans still have games left to play against the Broncos and Chiefs, but the Colts have a tilt against the red-hot Raiders. Ultimately, you just know the Texans and Titans will figure out a way to tie in Week 17 and bring both teams' records to 7-8-1, leading us to the least interesting tiebreaker of all time. I feel like we should just mash these three teams together and make one competent NFL squad out of them.

 

The AFC West - How brutal can this division get?

The Raiders play the Chiefs on Thursday night, and the prize is first place in the AFC's best division. The Raiders, led by MVP candidate Derek Carr on offense and being sent from beyond the stars to subjugate us Khalil Mack on defense, have secured the franchise's first winning season since 2002 and also appear to be unbeatable no matter how many goddamn points you hang on them before the fourth quarter. The Chiefs, led by Checkdown King Alex Smith on offense and cancer surviving All-Pro safety/reminder you could've done so much more with your life if you had half his drive Eric Berry on defense, sport a 9-3 record despite the rumor that there are no wide receivers on the roster. The Chiefs are like a really good slasher movie villain - Raiders fans and Broncos fans can just feel them lurking about in contention but no one's actually seen them until all of a sudden it's Week 17 and the Chiefs are taking a machete to their division championship banners.

 

The AFC East - Will there ever be an interesting storyline coming out of this division again?

So for like the millionth year in a row, the Patriots are comfortably winning the AFC East, the Dolphins are hanging around, the Bills aren't gonna make the playoffs, and the Jets are off eating paste in the corner. The Dolphins remain in wild-card contention, except the third place team in the AFC West would decimate them anyway, so the AFC East is still Punxatawney, PA, and we're all still Bill Murray.

 

The NFC North - The Lions?  Wait, really?

The Detroit Lions have a two-game lead on the Packers and Vikings. The Vikings aren't falling apart so much as they are disintegrating, and since Aaron Rodgers has regressed to being merely really good, the Packers haven't fared much better. The Lions have taken advantage of the division's down year, and may actually win the whole thing for the first time since 1993, when the division was the NFC Central. To put that in perspective, the Lions' division title drought is now comfortably old enough to drink. And now Lions fans are going to start doing exactly that.

 

The NFC South - Why in God's name would you impose a dress code on football players, Ron Rivera?

When Derek Anderson started for the Panthers in their 40-7 beatdown at the Seahawks' hands (talons?), we were all pretty confused. Especially when he threw an interception on the Panthers' first play. Fortunately, though, reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton was able to clear everything up when he explained that he violated the team's dress code by not wearing a tie. Which makes perfect sense if you forget the fact that Newton dresses like he's going to a 1920s themed club literally every week, wide-brim hat and all. Kinda hard not to say you deserved this one, Riverboat Ron.

 

The NFC West - Remember when there was more than one good team in this division?

The Seahawks are doing just fine, but the Cardinals have collapsed, the 49ers are a hollowed out, shambling corpse of a team and the Rams have just had to fire their coach after he lost seven of his last eight games.

Wait, I'm getting word that instead of firing Jeff Fisher, the Rams instead decided to extend his contract for two more years. It's times like these I really resent that iOS update that turned the revolver emoji into a squirtgun.

 

The NFC East - Can a rookie actually win MVP?

The division has been dominated by Dallas nearly all season. Many, many pages have been written about the Cowboys' frightening offensive attack and the two rookie phenoms spearheading it. But with the retirement of Peyton Manning, the downturn of Aaron Rodgers, and the suspension served by Tom Brady, there hasn't been an established quarterback who's truly impressed for 12 games so far. Brady could end up pulling away from the pack here, and there's always a chance that Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott end up stealing votes from each other, but if it were ever to happen, this year seems like the best shot. With a stretch run that includes games against the Giants, Eagles and 7-5 Buccaneers, the Cowboys have a lot of meaningful football yet to play, which just means there's four more opportunities for one of the two budding superstars to have an MVP-caliber performance. Also, if you live in Cleveland, San Francisco, or Chicago, this is way more fun than actually watching football.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jordan Hicks

Headed to Boston
Kyle Harrison

Traded to Red Sox
Brady House

Nationals Promoting Brady House to Major Leagues
Rafael Devers

Traded to San Francisco
Jayden Higgins

Impresses During Minicamp
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

on the Move to Memphis
Cole Anthony

Dealt to the Grizzlies
Seattle Seahawks

DeMarcus Lawrence Making an Impression With his New Team
Isaiah Simmons

Being Used Exclusively as a Linebacker
Tyler Mahle

Placed on 15-Day Injured List
Travis Etienne Jr.

the Jaguars Lead Back?
Luis Robert Jr.

Scratched with Thumb Soreness
Desmond Bane

Traded to Orlando
Byron Buxton

Scratched from Sunday's Lineup
Daniel Jones

the Favorite in Colts QB Competition?
Brendan Donovan

Returns to the Lineup
Steven Adams

Rockets Agree to Three-Year Contract Extension
Royce Lewis

Hits 10-Day Injured List
Ty Dillon

Is a Respectable Cap Flexiblity-Focused DFS Option For Mexico City
Corey Perry

Produces 10th Postseason Goal
Connor McDavid

Scores First Finals Goal
John Hunter Nemechek

Is John Hunter Nemechek Worth Rostering In Mexico City DFS Lineups?
Shohei Ohtani

Blasts Two Homers in Win
Sam Bennett

Nets Another Road Goal in Game 5 Win
Eetu Luostarinen

Earns Two Points Saturday
Michael King

Not Making Progress
Brad Marchand

Pots Two Goals in Game 5 Victory
Jackson Merrill

Removed Early on Saturday
Sergei Bobrovsky

Ties NHL Record with 10th Road Win
Ross Chastain

Trackhouse Racing's Mexico Focus Makes Ross Chastain a Leading Contender for the Win
Kyle Busch

One of Two Past Mexico City Winners in the Field
Ryan Preece

Earns Surprising Front-Row Start
Austin Cindric

Not as Strong of a Road Racer as People Think
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Stronger on Infield Road Courses Than Purpose-Built Ones
Joey Logano

Seemingly Alternating Between Good and Mediocre Races
Brad Keselowski

One of the Few Drivers with Mexico City Experience
Denny Hamlin

Ryan Truex Makes First Cup Series Start Since 2014
Erik Jones

Mexico City Will Likely be a Struggle for Erik Jones
Noah Gragson

Front Row Motorsports' Speed May Make Noah Gragson a Decent DFS Option
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Road Courses Are Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s Worst Track Type
Riley Herbst

Surprisingly Outqualifies 23XI Racing Teammates at Mexico City
Cody Ware

a Very Experienced Road Racer but Still a Long Shot
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen the Heavy Favorite to Win in Mexico City
Christopher Bell

the Chalk DFS Play in Mexico City
Tyler Reddick

Has a Lot of Work To Do To Be Competitive in Mexico
AJ Allmendinger

Struggling to Find Speed in Mexico City
Chris Buescher

Says Car is "Bad Fast" Heading into Mexico City Race
Michael McDowell

Confident Heading into Viva Mexico 250
Giancarlo Stanton

Likely Returning Early Next Week
Spencer Strider

Registers 13 Strikeouts
Hunter Brown

s Records 12 Strikeouts
Emeka Egbuka

"the Talk" of Bucs Minicamp
Royce Lewis

to be Placed on Injured List
Byron Buxton

Exits Early on Saturday
Evander Kane

Drops to Fourth Line Saturday
Kasperi Kapanen

Won't Play on Saturday
Calvin Pickard

Starts Game 5 for Oilers
Jaxson Dart

Working as No. 2 QB During Offseason Workouts
Xavier Gipson

Roster Spot Could be in Jeopardy
Josh Reynolds

the Front-Runner for WR2 Duties
Garrett Wilson

Stock Up This Offseason
Breece Hall

Motivated Going into 2025 Season
Brandon Aiyuk

Making Good Progress From Knee Injury
Keon Coleman

Inconsistent at Minicamp
Mitchell Trubisky

Not a Lock for Backup Job
Dalton Kincaid

Adds Strength and Bulk
James Cook

a Full Participant in Mandatory Minicamp
Tyrese Haliburton

Struggles in Friday's Loss to OKC
Jacob Misiorowski

Expected to Make Next Start
Chet Holmgren

Dominates the Glass in Game 4
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Leads the Way in Game 4
Jalen Williams

Has a Quality Showing on Friday Night
Charlie Morton

Continues Good Work With 10 Strikeouts
James Wood

Homers, Drives in Four
Agustín Ramírez

Agustin Ramirez Homers Twice to Snap Skid
Anthony Richardson

Should be Fine for Training Camp
Russell Westbrook

to Decline Player Option
Kevin Durant

Trade Could Happen in the "Next Few Days"
Cam Akers

Joining Saints
Michael Mayer

to Get More Involved
Aaron Rodgers

DK Metcalf Building Chemistry with Aaron Rodgers
Colston Loveland

Likely to be Primary Tight End
Joaquin Buckley

Set For Main Event
Kamaru Usman

An Underdog At UFC Atlanta
Miranda Maverick

Set For Co-Main Event
Rose Namajunas

Looks To Bounce Back
Andre Petroski

Looks To Extend His Win Streak To Four
Edmen Shahbazyan

A Favorite At UFC Atlanta
Raoni Barcelos

Set To Take On Former Champion
Cody Garbrandt

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Mansur Abdul-Malik

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Cody Brundage

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Alonzo Menifield

Opens Up UFC Atlanta Main Card
Oumar Sy

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Connor Hellebuyck

Wins Vezina And Hart Trophies
Aleksander Barkov

Records Two Power-Play Assists Thursday
Sam Reinhart

Collects Three Points in Thursday's Loss
Matthew Tkachuk

Notches Three Points in Losing Effort
Calvin Pickard

Joins Exclusive List with Thursday's Win
Mattias Ekholm

Logs Two Assists in Comeback Victory
Leon Draisaitl

Delivers Victory in Overtime Thursday
Myles Turner

Playing Through Illness
Reed Sheppard

Will Play in the NBA Summer League
Kevin Durant

Deal Could Come Sooner Rather Than Later
Dorian Finney-Smith

Undergoes Ankle Surgery
Anze Kopitar

Wins Third Lady Byng Trophy
Sergei Bobrovsky

Heading Out for Win No. 15
John Klingberg

Won't Play in Game 4 Against Panthers
Viktor Arvidsson

Sits Out Game 4 Against Panthers
Stuart Skinner

Remains in Oilers Crease Thursday
Jalen Williams

Leads Thunder in Scoring Wednesday
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Settles for 24 Points in Game 3 Loss
Pascal Siakam

Does Everything for Pacers Wednesday Night
Tyrese Haliburton

Gets Close to Triple-Double in Game 3 Win
Bennedict Mathurin

Leads All Scorers with 27 Points Wednesday
Brandin Podziemski

Has Second Offseason Surgery
Jaylen Brown

Undergoes Successful Knee Procedure
Matt McCarty

Comes Off Season-Best Showing at RBC Canadian Open
Justin Thomas

Desperate to Continue Good 2025 Season
Jon Rahm

Seeks Revenge at U.S. Open
Tom Kim

Aiming for Improvement in U.S. Open
PGA

Sungjae Im Expects Solid Performance at Oakmont
Brian Harman

Aims to Rebound From the Memorial
Tony Finau

has Been Up and Down at U.S. Open
Patrick Cantlay

Hoping This is the Year at Oakmont
Akshay Bhatia

Improving in Time for U.S. Open
Xander Schauffele

Primed for Another Major Championship Run
Cameron Young

May Struggle at U.S. Open
Collin Morikawa

Eyeing Third Major Championship Title
Matt Fitzpatrick

Seeks to Avenge Oakmont Collapse
Jordan Spieth

Can Contend at Oakmont
Shane Lowry

a Strong Value Play at U.S. Open
Brooks Koepka

Seeks Another Major Win at Oakmont
Viktor Hovland

Still Can Improve at U.S. Open
Michael Kim

a Boom-or-Bust Value Play at U.S. Open
Russell Henley

Looking to Play the Weekend at Oakmont
Tyrrell Hatton

a Safe Option at U.S. Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Eyeing Third U.S. Open Title