RADIO
Matt Donnelly's quarterback (QB) fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks for Week 13 of 2024. His QB lineups advice for Week 13 fantasy football start/sit decisions.
With those fantasy playoffs just around the corner, we've been heating up here on the RotoBaller starts and sits, nailing both Bo Nix and Tua Tagovailoa, giving you the inside edge on your competition. With a weekend that involves three games on Thanksgiving, one on Black Friday, and our regular Sunday and Monday contests, fantasy managers must charge their phones to keep up with all the action.
With no teams on bye this week, fantasy managers will have plenty of options, but not all options are created equal. Like college, some bad decisions will be made this weekend that could cost you a chance at your fantasy championship.
However, we are here to help avoid those bad decisions with our Rotoballer starts and sits for Week 13 at the quarterback position.
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Week 13 Starts - Fantasy Football Booms
Anthony Richardson - QB, Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
Two weeks ago, New England gave up 35 fantasy points to Matthew Stafford. Last weekend, Tua Tagovailoa threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns, finishing with 36 fantasy points. I'm starting to see a bit of a pattern developing here.
With every quarterback available this week, Anthony Richardson may be a stretch, considering he reverted to his old self, completing less than 40% of his passes against the Detroit Lions last week after completing 66.7% of his passes the previous week. Richardson will never be confused for Stafford or Tagovailoa, but there is hope for him this week for fantasy managers shooting for an upside play.
That upside comes from the 10 or more carries, many of which have been designed in back-to-back games, translating into 20.5 fantasy points per contest and QB12 over that time. As bad as Richardson has been, he's been viable since returning as the starter, at least for fantasy purposes.
Anthony Richardson on Sunday:
-Dropped TD
-Incomplete dime down the sideline b/c Dulin only got one foot down
-Gains of 30, 21, 21, and 7 yards nullified by penalty pic.twitter.com/qSkea4OlLS— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) November 25, 2024
This week, he will be without Josh Downs, who was injured in that Week 12 showdown with the Lions. Richardson may be forced to use his legs even more with one less option in the passing attack.
Over the last four weeks, the Patriots have allowed opposing quarterbacks to average 17.23 fantasy points per game. If Richardson completes 50% of his passes, fantasy managers will have something to be thankful for this weekend.
C.J. Stroud - QB, Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars
Like Richardson, C.J. Stroud has infuriated fantasy managers for much of the 2024 season. However, I want to count my blessings this holiday season and manifest some more for which I can be thankful. After all, despite all his shortcomings, Stroud is still the QB14 in fantasy and is coming off a 17.7-point performance against the Titans in which he threw a pair of touchdown passes.
Stroud will be thankful this weekend, as every quarterback who has faced the Jaguars' secondary has been this season.
During the season, the Jaguars have allowed 3,168 passing yards, which trails only the Baltimore Ravens, while the 23 touchdown passes allowed are second only to the Houston Texans. When you add that up, it's no surprise that the 22.87 fantasy points per game the Jaguars have allowed to quarterbacks this season is a league-worst.
The Stroud and Nico Collins connection looks to be heating up as well. After having a 75-yard touchdown negated by an illegal man downfield in Week 11, the Texans duo hooked up five times for 92 yards and scored against the Titans.
People must remember that before Collins' Week 5 injury, Stroud averaged 17 fantasy points per game, which many can expect moving forward with the all-pro receiver back in the fold.
Nico Collins is *definitely* backpic.twitter.com/28Ej34vpBg
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) November 24, 2024
Justin Herbert - QB, Los Angeles Chargers at Atlanta Falcons
What more can we say about Justin Herbert? Since the Chargers bye week, Herbert has easily been a top-6 quarterback in fantasy circles.
This week, one of the hottest quarterbacks faces one of the worst defenses in fantasy regarding limiting production from the quarterback position. Atlanta's secondary has been the main course over the last four weeks, making quarterbacks wish they could come back for seconds, as they have averaged 23.72 fantasy points per game.
In 11 contests this season, the Atlanta Falcons have surrendered 21 touchdown passes, 11 of which have come over that four-week period. They have also allowed 2,557 passing yards and 309 rushing yards, fifth-most, to the quarterback position.
Let's not pretend Herbert can't produce with his legs, as he had been responsible for 30 or more rushing yards in three of his previous four outings ahead of Week 12's Monday Night Football contest.
BONUS
Here are some of my favorite quarterbacks due to favorable playoff schedules (Week 15 through Week 17)
Justin Herbert (Tampa Bay, Denver, New England)
Bo Nix (Indianapolis, Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati)
Baker Mayfield (Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas, Carolina)
Kyler Murray (New England, Carolina, Los Angeles Rams)
Jayden Daniels (New Orleans, Philadelphia, Atlanta)
Week 13 Sits - Fantasy Football Busts
Joe Burrow - QB, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Joe Burrow has been playing as well as any quarterback in the NFL this season. Burrow trailed only Lamar Jackson in fantasy points and averaged 22.2 fantasy points per game heading into last week's action. Consider this my weekly temper-your-expectations selection.
In five games against the Steelers, Burrow has averaged 253.6 passing yards and thrown 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. This season, Pittsburgh has staked a claim as the most difficult fantasy matchup for opposing signal-callers, limiting the position to 11.71 fantasy points per game, which has been reduced to 10.04 over the last four weeks.
You're not sitting Burrow in favor of Richardson or anything crazy like that, but I will caution that this Steelers defense did bottle up Jackson and held him to 16 of 33 passing for 207 yards. They also treated Jayden Daniels like a rookie, holding him to a 50% completion rate and 202 yards on his 34 passing attempts on November 12.
Jordan Love - QB, Green Bay Packers vs. Miami Dolphins
Jordan Love has just one game over his last four contests in which he has posted more than 15 fantasy points. In those four games, Love has averaged 223.3 passing yards per game and thrown three touchdowns along with three interceptions. In the nine games Love has suited up this season, he has thrown 11 interceptions.
It certainly doesn't help when Christian Watson is out there dropping touchdown passes, and it doesn't help that on Thanksgiving, he faces a Dolphins defense that has allowed the third-fewest fantasy points at the quarterback position, limiting that fantasy production to 12.43 fantasy points per game.
Fantasy managers should hit pause on Love this week because the Dolphins have allowed just 11 passing touchdowns this season while coming away with seven interceptions over 11 games.
Christian Watson destroying Fantasy weeks for people who have him and/or Jordan Love… this drop is UNACCEPTABLE
pic.twitter.com/TFqzU1iiIx— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) November 24, 2024
The Dolphins' first seven games saw nine sacks, five takeaways, and 10 rushing touchdowns. However, in their last three contests, they have had nine sacks, five takeaways, and no rushing scores, turning their opposition one-dimensional. I don't like this current trend for the Packers quarterback this week.
Caleb Williams - QB, Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions
Caleb Williams is coming off one of his best games of the season. One in which he threw for 340 yards, completed 68.1% of his passes and tossed a pair of touchdowns to D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen. Chicago's passing game looked like we all had hoped it would look like when the season began.
The problem with Williams is he has consistently been, well, inconsistent. To date, Williams has finished as QB12 or better in three of 11 contests while also finishing 21st or worst on seven occasions.
I'm not sure Williams will have much to be thankful for this week as the Lions have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points this season to quarterbacks over the last four weeks. They also have a 2:1 interception-to-touchdown ratio this season picking off opposing quarterbacks 14 times while allowing a league-best seven touchdown passes.
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