When the Seahawks and Cowboys meet in Dallas on "Thursday Night Football" to open NFL Week 13 (8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video), it will be a prime-time matchup featuring two potential playoff teams and plenty of key fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em question marks.
With a game total of 47.5 and the Cowboys favored by three field goals, it may be another rout for the home team against a weaker opponent. Dallas has some red-hot fantasy assets, while Seattle's struggling offensive skill players might be best suited for fantasy benches.
Here's looking at who to start in seasonal leagues and DFS lineups from the latest edition of TNF:
MORE THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
DK lineup | FD lineup | ATS pick | Best props
Seahawks: Who to start, sit in fantasy football on TNF
Sit: QB Geno Smith
Smith has dropped from the top 12 last season to cumulative QB20 in 2023. He's had two great starts and three so-so ones, but the rest has been forgettable. The Cowboys have allowed only two strong fantasy performances by quarterbacks, (Brock Purdy and Jalen Hurts), and we don't expect Smith to make it three.
Sit: RB Zach Charbonnet
There was a black fly in the Charbonnet against the 49ers last week. This is the good advice that you should take: Be wary of anyone who's rushed for just 47 yards two straight weeks despite getting significant duty with Kenneth Walker III (oblique) on the shelf. Charbonnet's also not doing much in the passing game, and this is as bad of a matchup as San Francisco was last week. You should do better, even in a big bye.
WEEK 13 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start-sit
Start: WR DK Metcalf
Metcalf can flash big plays and stay involved in games...until he disappears when Smith can't get the ball to him. Smith might be judicious about throwing his way with second-year corner sensation DaRon Bland in coverage. That said, you simply can't sit DeKaylin Zacharius against anyone because of his big-game ability. Again, you can't expect more than WR3 production, which is where his overall scoring has been in 2023.
Start: WR Tyler Lockett
While Metcalf is WR34 in terms of total points this season in half-point PPR, Lockett is only two notches higher at WR32. They finished as WR13 and WR18, respectively, last season, so it's a big dropoff. Lockett also has a decent matchup vs. Stephon Gilmore. He, like Metcalf, remains a volume-based WR3.
WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Sit: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Smith-Njigba can be a bit interesting if you are desperate in a deeper league because he has the matchup on par with the other two wideouts vs. Jourdan Lewis. JSN can mirror some of the production Curtis Samuel gave the Commanders last week in Dallas, but forget 100 yards. Around 50 yards seems like the ceiling with a big boost from garbage time.
Sit: TEs Noah Fant and Will Dissly
Noah Gray is a better fantasy player than Noah Fant this season. Will Dissly is barely a better fantasy player than Will Mallory this season.
WEEK 13 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Sit: Seahawks D/ST
The Seahawks are getting better defensively against the pass, but that's not enough to trust them here, as they're getting gashed on the ground, too.
Sit: K Jason Myers
This is actually not a good spot for one of the most reliable fantasy kickers, given the Cowboys don't give up many field-goal attempts.
WEEK 13 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best stacks | Best values
Cowboys: Who to start, sit in fantasy football on TNF
Start: QB Dak Prescott
Guess the only two quarterbacks who have been better than Rayne Dakota in fantasy this season? Yep, after his sizzling seven-game stretch, Prescott has ascended behind just Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts. The Seahawks haven't given up many big games to QBs, but you need to keep rolling with Dak on his heater, especially at home. One can't be surprised, however, if it's more of a 250-and-2 kind of night.
Start: RB Tony Pollard | Sit: RB Rico Dowdle
Pollard and the Cowboys' defense is a reason why Prescott may not need to go nuts passing. The Seahawks have now joined the bottom five teams in giving up fantasy points to running backs. Pollard has come on the past two weeks against the Panthers and Commanders after sliding into RB2 range. Pollard scoots to something like 80 and a score. Dowdle is a stretch to get mop-up production, however,
Start: WR CeeDee Lamb
Lamb can eat again in the slot against Jamal Adams, as he avoids the Seahawks' better cornerbacks on the outside. Again, don't expect a massive game because the running game, defense, and special teams will have plenty of success in another big victory.
Sit: WR Brandin Cooks
Cooks is the one Cowboy to fade this week vs. rookie Devon Witherspoon, who's quickly emerging as the Seahawks' best corner. The nature of the zone defense is to limit big plays. Plus, between Lamb, Pollard, the tight ends, and younger receivers, Cooks won't be needed much.
Start: TE Jake Ferguson
Ferguson has slumped the past two weeks, catching a combined four-of-eight targets for 67 yards and no TDs against the Commanders and Panthers. He should be more active here working the middle of the field, as the Seahawks' TE defense is a bit inflated by the numbers. This is definitely set up to be more of a Ferguson game than a Cooks game.
Start: Cowboys D/ST
They are once again the top-scoring fantasy defense thanks to six massive outings, including the past two games. Dallas will get it done vs. Geno.
Start: K Brandon Aubrey
Aubrey has been elite as a rookie with his field-goal production. He should be good for a couple of field goals to complement the Cowboys' touchdowns.
Seahawks vs. Cowboys: DraftKings Showdown lineup
- Captain (1.5X): Cowboys RB Tony Pollard $14,700
- FLEX: Cowboys QB Dak Prescott $11,000
- FLEX: Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett $7,200
- FLEX: Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson $6,200
- FLEX: Cowboys D/ST $5,600
- FLEX: Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba $5,200
Based on the analysis, it's fine to invest plenty in the Cowboys' running and intermediate passing games. Pollard would be a good correlated stack with the Cowboys' defense. Here's hoping that Lockett and JSN will be the busiest Seahawks in second-half catchup mode.
Seahawks vs. Cowboys: FanDuel single-game lineup
- MVP (1.5X): Cowboys RB Tony Pollard $14,500
- AnyFLEX: Cowboys QB Dak Prescott $17,500
- AnyFLEX: Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett $11,000
- AnyFLEX: Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson $9,000
- AnyFLEX: Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba $8,000
This construction maxes out the salary on FD and is very similar to the DK philosophy of focusing on Pollard, this time not stacking with the defense.
