🖥 TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE THANKS
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
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 13 Rankings Analysis: Nick Mariano vs. Industry Consensus

Unfortunately the Eagles losing their starting RG to illness and #1 receiver to a right ankle sprain really hurt Carson Wentz and the Eagles, which was most unkind to my rankings.

At least Ryan Fitzpatrick proved to be worthy of QB2 status, and slipping Michael Crabtree and Demaryius Thomas down a bit was warranted. While I still finished in the top half of the FantasyPros experts, the bar we've set is higher than simply "above average". Let's get to it.

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.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Week 13 Quarterbacks - Rankings Analysis

My top 10 has plenty of shuffling, but nobody moved more than two spots and that doesn’t feel comment-worthy. The first big mover is Eli Manning (#13 vs. #17 consensus), as I think going into Pittsburgh against Big Ben and a beat-up defense has all the makings of a shootout. The Steelers can put up huge points at home and weren’t really tested last week against Scott Tolzien (who still led three drives down to the goal line against PIT), so I expect Eli Manning and Big Blue to push back.

Another riser is Matt Barkley (#20 vs. #25 consensus), and it’s not just because he got to tee off against a checked-out Titans defense in Week 12. Barkley nearly led the Bears to a win last week, but his receivers dropped a whopping 10 passes – including several in the end zone. While the relation of this to the caliber of his receivers cannot be ignored, those guys are still pros and many of the drops did not occur as a result of DBs contesting the catch. Even if those 10 drops turn into six, the game turns around. Barkley looked comfortable out there, and will take some confidence into a date with the horrible 49ers defense.

 

Week 13 Running Backs - Rankings Analysis

We’ve got a little shake up with the members of the top 10 here, as I’ve swapped Matt Forte in and Devonta Freeman out, with the former sitting at #8 and the latter, #11. The Jets may be in for a bit of a letdown spot after nearly clawing themselves to victory against the Patriots, but going to Indianapolis in that offense-happy dome to take on the league’s worst defense according to DVOA is encouraging. The Colts cannot stop much of anything right now, and the Jets will likely lean on a proven commodity in Forte to control the clock and make things happen in space. Meanwhile, Freeman has to take on a Chiefs defense that boasts a terrifyingly effective defensive line. Freeman is better than Booker, but you saw how strong KC looked there.

Robert Kelley (#21 vs. #26 consensus) also gets a bump, as the Cardinals are beatable on the ground and last week’s rather predictable dud against the Cowboys might yield some additional value this week. The Cardinals have allowed four rushing TDs to RBs over their past four weeks, which plays into where Kelley’s value is here. No one is going to vulture him, the only real question is whether Kirk Cousins and company will run the ball over passing it three times. That’s not enough for me to drop him out of RB2 consideration, and I can see Washington winning this game in a rather high-scoring affair, with Kelley notching one or two TDs.

 

Week 13 Wide Receivers - Rankings Analysis

It's been an ugly year for the Jets, and Brandon Marshall (#8 vs. #12 consensus) has suffered greatly as a result. He was able to tread water early in the season, but Weeks 6-10 saw him fail to top five catches, 70 yards or find the end zone in any of those games. He got back on the horse last week (6-67-1) against the Patriots, and now gets to feast on the Colts. We mentioned how Indianapolis' defense has been atrocious, and they specifically get posterized by opposing #1 receivers (31st in DVOA against them). The Colts are going to score against the Jets, and they'll probably score a lot. The Jets won't be able to fight back with just Forte, and they don't have a tight end to exploit Indy's other major weakness. Marshall is going to have to eat.

Briefly, I’ve got Tyrell Williams (#25 vs #17 consensus) down due to that shoulder injury of his. Reports came out Tuesday that it’s an issue with his labrum, and while he shouldn’t miss any time, his catch radius and effectiveness has to take a hit. Tampa Bay’s cornerbacks also just played one hell of a game against Seattle, so it’s hard to give Williams a matchup boost here.

You may have seen how Eli Manning apologized to Sterling Shepard (#34 vs. #43 consensus) for targeting him zero times in Week 12’s victory over the Browns, and we’re rolling heavy with that momentum here. Perhaps Eli will take a page out of big brother Peyton’s playbook here, and really give Shepard his due after a lackluster showing in a game that Vegas projects for 50 points. The caveat here is that Pittsburgh’s defense owns the fourth-best DVOA rating against #2 receivers, but Shepard should have a good chance at being a fantasy WR3 here in the fireworks show.

 

Week 13 Tight Ends - Rankings Analysis

This is a testy position considering Rob Gronkowski (back) and Jordan Reed (shoulder) are both less than 100%. They’re normally mortal locks for the top two, and now we’ve got them floating around in the back-end of the top 10 as the practice reports come out during the week.

Entering the top 12 is Vance McDonald (#11 vs. #16 consensus), as old McDonald is coming off of a season-high eight targets last week into a beautiful matchup against the Bears. Chicago’s defense has performed admirably given their circumstances, but have also given up the third-most fantasy points on average to tight ends over the last four weeks. McDonald has seen at least six targets in each of his last four games, as Colin Kaepernick has breathed some life into this offense. McDonald’s stellar athleticism could yield TE1 profits here.

This feels weird to type, but I’ve got Josh Hill (#20 vs. #32 consensus) smack dab in TE2 territory right now. He destroyed Coby Fleener’s (#23 vs. #16 consensus) ceiling in Week 11 despite Coby tallying 59 yards, as Hill out-snapped “Stonehands McGee” 57 to 18  for his best game of the season (6-74-0). While the Lions have performed a little better against TEs lately, it appears more by virtue of circumstances like strength of opponent and strange playcalling rather than true performance gains. And even with the recent “surge”, Detroit has still given up the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. If you need a last-ditch dart throw, here’s your hill to die on.

 

I’d rather talk more about the skill positions than include kicker or defense, as they are far less interesting to me. Feel free to send me a vitriolic message should you want them back, I’ll listen I swear.


Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Bhayshul Tuten

to Miss a Few Weeks With Finger Injury
Joe Burrow

Will Start the Rest of the Season
Jayden Daniels

to be Shut Down for Final Three Games
Philip Rivers

Will Start Again in Week 16
Drake London

Falcons "Very Hopeful" Drake London Can Return in Week 16
CFB

Dylan Raiola Entering His Name into Transfer Portal
Micah Parsons

MRI Confirms Torn ACL for Micah Parsons
CFB

Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby Plans to Transfer When Portal Opens
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia, Phillies Finalizing One-Year Deal on Monday
Jaylen Warren

Questionable for Monday Night Due to Illness
Bam Knight

has "Bad Sprain," Unlikely to Play in Week 16
Brandon Royval

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss
CFB

Baylor, LSU, Miami Among Potential Suitors for DJ Lagway
CFB

Aidan Chiles Will Enter Transfer Portal
Manel Kape

Shines At UFC Vegas 112
New York Jets

Jets Fire Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks
Kevin Vallejos

Gets Second-Round Knockout Win
Christian Watson

Avoids Long-Term Injury, Status for Week 16 Unclear
Giga Chikadze

Suffers His First Career Knockout Loss
CFB

Quarterback DJ Lagway Entering Transfer Portal
Cesar Almeida

Gets Dominated
Cezary Oleksiejczuk

Wins Sixth Fight In A Row
Teddye Buchanan

Ravens Linebacker Teddye Buchanan Believed to Have Torn ACL
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss
Melquizael Costa

Gets First-Round Knockout Win
Lane Hutson

Sends Out Two Power-Play Assists
Kirill Kaprizov

Nearing Wild Goals Record
Marcus Buchecha

Still Winless In The UFC
Benjamin Kindel

Posts Three Points in Sunday's Loss
Alex Tuch

Delivers Two Assists in Sunday's Win
Quinn Hughes

Scores in Wild Debut
Kennedy Nzechukwu

And Marcus Buchecha Fight To Draw
David Jiricek

Hurt Against Bruins
Marcus Johansson

Exits With Injury Sunday
James Harden

Calf Contusion Puts Monday's Status in Doubt
Tari Eason

Questionable Versus Nuggets on Monday
Lance Gibson jr

Lance Gibson Jr. Drops Decision In His UFC Debut
Anthony Davis

Tagged as Questionable Against Jazz
D'Angelo Russell

Ruled Out for Second Straight Game
King Green

Gets Back In The Win Column
Jusuf Nurkić

Jusuf Nurkic Set to Rest Monday vs. Mavericks
Kristaps Porzingis

to Miss at Least Two Weeks With Illness
Dallas Goedert

has Third Two-Touchdown Game on Sunday
Nico Collins

Records First Multi-Touchdown Game of the Season
D'Andre Swift

Falls Just Shy of 100 Rushing Yards, Scores Twice in Week 15
Josh Jacobs

Scores Two Touchdowns in Week 15 Loss
Jameson Williams

has Fourth 100-Yard Game in Sunday's Loss to Rams
Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Scores as a Runner and Receiver in Week 15
Kenley Jansen

Agrees to One-Year Deal With Tigers
Merrill Kelly

Returns to Diamondbacks on Two-Year Deal
Javonte Williams

Returns to Start Second Half on Sunday Night
James Cook

Dominates With Three Touchdowns in Week 15 Win
Travis Etienne Jr.

Records Three Receiving Touchdowns in Week 15 Win
Amon-Ra St. Brown

has Monster Game in Week 15
Robert Williams III

Available Against Golden State
Donovan Clingan

Back on Sunday Night
Joel Embiid

Cleared for Action on Sunday
Zeev Buium

Has Two Points in Canucks Debut
Anthony Edwards

Remains Out on Sunday Evening
Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Available Versus Philly
Dylan Holloway

Injured at Sunday's Practice
Filip Gustavsson

Takes on Bruins Sunday
Tyrese Maxey

Will Miss Another Game on Sunday Night
Brandon Bussi

Looks to Stretch Winning Streak to Nine Games
Cam York

Returns From Four-Game Absence
Jaccob Slavin

Returns to Action Sunday
Joel Embiid

Questionable Versus Atlanta
Jarrett Allen

Expected to Return on Sunday
Collin Sexton

Unavailable Against Cleveland
Khris Middleton

Still Sidelined Versus Pacers
Alexandre Sarr

Out Again on Sunday
Ayo Dosunmu

Unlikely to Play vs. Pelicans
Tyrese Maxey

Trending Toward Second Straight Absence
LaMelo Ball

Misses Third Straight Game
Kristaps Porzingis

Remains Out Versus 76ers
Viktor Arvidsson

Not Expected to Play Sunday
Elias Pettersson

Unavailable Sunday
Jonas Brodin

to Miss Second Consecutive Game Sunday
Emil Lilleberg

Exits Early Saturday
Will Smith

Hurt in Saturday's Victory
Pavel Dorofeyev

Exits Win With Injury
Haydn Fleury

Cleared to Play
Simon Nemec

to Miss "Some Time"
Jorge Polanco

Agrees to Two-Year Deal With Mets
CFB

LaNorris Sellers to Return to South Carolina in 2026
CFB

Washington State Expected to Hire Kirby Moore as Next Head Coach
CFB

Kyle Whittingham Stepping Down as Utah Head Coach
Manel Kape

Set For UFC Vegas 112 Main Event
Brandon Royval

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 112
Kevin Vallejos

Set For His Third UFC Fight
Giga Chikadze

In Dire Need Of Victory
Cesar Almeida

Set To Welcome Cezary Oleksiejczuk To The UFC
Cezary Oleksiejczuk

Set To Make His UFC Debut
Maikel Garcia

Royals Agree on Five-Year Extension
Melquizael Costa

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Looks to Win Second Consecutive Fights
Marcus Buchecha

Looks To Bounce Back
CFB

Sherrone Moore Charged with Home Invasion, Among Other Charges
CFB

Freddie Kitchens Fired from North Carolina Coaching Staff
CFB

Bryce Underwood Could Leave Michigan Without Buyout
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Padres Not Considering Trading Fernando Tatis Jr.
Tarik Skubal

Tigers Engaged in "Serious Talks" Around Trading Tarik Skubal at the Winter Meetings
CFB

Chris Brazzell II Declaring for NFL Draft
CFB

Fernando Mendoza Named AP College Football Player of the Year
Raisel Iglesias

to Remain the Braves Closer
Robert Suarez

Agrees on Three-Year Deal With Braves
CFB

Sherrone Moore Remains in Police Custody
CFB

Joe Klanderman Joining Baylor Coaching Staff
CFB

Kentucky Hiring Jay Bateman as Next Defensive Coordinator
Si Woo Kim

Closes 2025 With Strong Finish Among Putting Woes
Akshay Bhatia

Looks to Rebound in 2026 After Down Year Off the Tee
Brian Harman

2025 Season a Step Back Despite Spring Win
Sam Burns

' Elite Putting Headlines a Solid 2025 Season
Sepp Straka

Ends Stellar 2025 Campaign on a High Note
Robert MacIntyre

Closes Out a Steady 2025 Campaign
CFB

Chip Kelly Interviews for Georgia Tech Offensive Coordinator Job
CFB

Louisville Receiver Chris Bell has a Torn ACL
Min Woo Lee

Breaks Through to Win in Texas This Year
PGA

Alex Noren Wins Twice on European Tour This Year
Wyndham Clark

has Up-and-Down 2025 Golf Season
CFB

Michigan Fires Head Coach Sherrone Moore
Corey Conners

Comes Close to Winning Again in Very Good 2025
Justin Rose

Turns Back the Clock in 2025
CFB

Jim Knowles Expected to be Hired as Tennessee's Defensive Coordinator
Harris English

Enjoys Solid Finish at Hero World Challenge
CFB

Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles Not Being Retained at Penn State
Pete Alonso

Orioles Finalizing Five-Year Deal
Kyle Finnegan

Tigers, Kyle Finnegan Agree on Two-Year Deal
Bo Bichette

Red Sox Out on Bo Bichette For Now
Philadelphia Phillies

Phillies Extend Manager Rob Thomson Through 2027 Season

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP