It's Week 13, and the fantasy football playoffs are only a few weeks away. That makes every start 'em, sit 'em decision more critical with most matchups having a lot on the line. Fortunately, SN's Vinnie Iyer is here to help with fantasy lineup advice and DFS tips for those who have already fallen out of the running in season-long leagues.
After no byes in Week 12, Carolina and Arizona are off this week. That takes away Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, James, Marquise Brown, D'Onta Foreman, and D.J. Moore. More worrisome is the rash of injuries plaguing RB (Najee Harris, Christian McCaffrey, Travis Etienne, Michael Carter, Josh Jacobs) and WR (Ja'Marr Chase, Mike Williams, Jerry Jeudy, Jakobi Meyers).
Weighing all the potential starting options, here are our must-starts and start 'em sit 'em recommendations for Week 13. If you have specific lineup questions, check out RotoBaller's industry-leading "Who To Start?" tool below and compare up to four players across all positions.
MORE: Click here to become a RotoBaller VIP subscriber and receive exclusive access to their premium lineup tools, DFS cheat sheets, and Team Sync platform! Use discount code SPORTING.
WEEK 13 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts
Fantasy Football Week 13 Start 'Em: Quarterbacks
QB must-starts
- Joe Burrow, Bengals (vs. KC)
- Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (at CIN)
- Justin Herbert, Chargers (at LV)
- Jalen Hurts, Eagles (vs. TEN)
- Josh Allen, Bills (at NE)
- Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins (at SF)
- Lamar Jackson, Ravens (vs. DEN)
- Dak Prescott, Cowboys (vs. IND)
Stronger starts
Deshaun Watson, Browns (at HOU). There's some worry about rust, but he knows this defense well and his weapons are solid. He'll immediately return to being a reliable QB1.
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars (at DET). He's playing well, and the Lions' pass defense still has enough holes for Lawrence to exploit.
Tom Brady, Buccaneers (vs. NO). He can get to the 250-yard, two-TD floor with a 300-yard, three-TD ceiling.
Kirk Cousins, Vikings (vs. NYJ). Cousins is feeling it at home again, and despite a tough matchup, he'll use his targets well enough to produce QB1-caliber numbers.
Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers (vs. MIA). Garoppolo wasn't needed much last week, but this figures to be a bit of a track meet.
Aaron Rodgers, Packers (at CHI). Rodgers is expected to fight through his rib injury and play, and as we know, he still "owns the Bears."
Mike White, Jets (at MIN). White steps into another plum passing matchup in the NFC North with no weather this week.
Jared Goff, Lions (vs. JAX). Goff should go off for the first time in a while at home while working opposite Trevor Lawrence.
DFS Targets
FanDuel cash game pick
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars (at DET, $7,500). Lawrence still has a nice price despite ripping the Ravens. He'll easily return value given the matchup.
DraftKings tournament pick
Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers (vs. MIA, $5,700). There will be heavy ownership for the cheaper Mike White with many chasing another great matchup in Minnesota, but here's a pivot to take advantage of his playmakers.
Streamer Special
Kenny Pickett, Steelers (at ATL). The rookie should have his most complete passing and running game yet against a defense that struggles with both.
WEEK 13 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Fantasy Football Week 13 Sit 'Em: Quarterbacks
Weaker starts
Geno Smith, Seahawks (at LAR). The Rams held Patrick Mahomes in check, and this could be a bit of a grind.
Derek Carr, Raiders (vs. LAC). His history against the Chargers is brutal.
Marcus Mariota, Falcons (vs. PIT). It's a trap against an improving defense.
Daniel Jones, Giants (vs. WAS). The Commanders are suddenly tough to get QB points against.
Taylor Heinicke, Commanders (vs. NYG). The Giants have been consistently tough to get QB points against.
Ryan Tannehill, Titans (at PHI). He cooled off vs. the Bengals, and that will continue this week in a run-heavy game plan.
Mac Jones, Patriots (at BUF). Jones has some nice matchups ahead, but this isn't one of them.
WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Fantasy Football Week 13 Start 'Em: Running backs
RB must-starts
- Nick Chubb, Browns (at HOU)
- Austin Ekeler, Chargers (at LV)
- Josh Jacobs, Raiders (vs. LAC)
- Derrick Henry, Titans (at PHI)
- Christian McCaffrey, 49ers (vs. MIA)
- Joe Mixon, Bengals (if he returns, or Samaje Perine, vs. KC)
- Aaron Jones, Packers (at CHI)
- Kenneth Walker, Seahawks (at LAR)
- Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots (vs. BUF)
- Dalvin Cook, Vikings (vs. NYJ)
- David Montgomery, Bears (vs. GB)
- Najee Harris, Steelers (if he can play, at ATL)
- Jonathan Taylor, Colts (at DAL)
- Saquon Barkley, Giants (vs. WAS)
- Rachaad White, Buccaneers (at NO)
- Miles Sanders, Eagles (vs. TEN)
- Tony Pollard, Cowboys (vs. IND)
- Alvin Kamara, Saints (vs. TB)
Stronger starts
Dameon Pierce, Texans (vs. CLE). Don't be down too much about the past two games. He gets going again in the second-best matchup for running backs after his own team's defense.
Travis Etienne, Jaguars (if he returns, at DET). He should be OK with the foot injury, and if he is, he'll go nuts on the fast track making up for his missed opportunity last week.
Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys (vs. IND). Zeke keeps coming through at home working with Tony Pollard, and he'll score again here.
Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson, Commanders (at NYG). They are the bread and butter of Washington's new game plan, and the Giants keep getting gashed.
Jamaal Williams, Lions (vs. JAX). This will be a high-scoring game, and the Jaguars allow rushing TDs.
Zonovan Knight, Jets (at MIN). They love him, and with James Robinson out of favor and Michael Carter (ankle) ailing, he's the guy for nice volume against a vulnerable front.
DFS targets
FanDuel cash game picks
Aaron Jones, Packers (at CHI, $7,400). Jones destroyed this matchup in Week 2 and should be insanely busy for big numbers.
David Montgomery, Bears (vs. GB, $7,000). Montgomery has been rolling as the feature back of late, and the Packers are getting gashed. These are nice prices in the same game.
DraftKings tournament picks
Nick Chubb, Browns (at HOU, $8,000). Surprisingly, he's not too high-priced given the matchup being so ideal for him. He has a great shot to return 4x value.
Aaron Jones, Packers (at CHI, $6,900). Jones ripped the Bears for 35 DK points in the first meeting. You'll be fine with 25-27 this time around.
WEEK 13 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
Fantasy Football Week 13 Sit 'Em: Running backs
Weaker starts
Jeff Wilson Jr., Dolphins (at SF). We'll see about Raheem Mostert (knee) returning for this double revenge game, but that narrative doesn't cancel the fact the 49ers are nasty against the run.
Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs (at CIN). You can't trust him against a team that just contained the power running from Derrick Henry minus receiving work.
Devin Singletary, Bills (at NE). The Patriots can stiffen up front to give him little room.
D'Andre Swift, Lions (vs. JAX). Stop forcing this even in a fine matchup.
Cordarrelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier, Falcons (vs. PIT). The Steelers are shoring up things against the run, and you can't trust much in this offense anymore.
All Ravens (vs. DEN) and Broncos (at BAL). Latavius Murray is an interesting link between these teams, but neither Gus Edwards nor anyone else will do much on the ground.
All Rams (vs. SEA). In theory, both Cam Akers and Kyren Williams seem like good ideas, but you can't trust this split.
Kareem Hunt, Browns (at HOU). He's tempting based on the matchup, but this will be a huge Nick Chubb game.
WEEK 13 DFS: Best values | Best stacks
Fantasy Football Week 13 Start 'Em: Wide receivers
WR must-starts
- A.J. Brown, Eagles (vs. TEN)
- Stefon Diggs, Bills (at NE)
- Davante Adams, Raiders (vs. LAC)
- Justin Jefferson, Vikings (vs. NYJ)
- Tyreek Hill, Dolphins (at SF)
- Deebo Samuel, 49ers (vs. MIA)
- Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals (vs. KC)
- Tee Higgins, Bengals (vs. KC)
- Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins (at SF)
- Amari Cooper, Browns (at HOU)
- CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys (vs. IND)
- Keenan Allen, Chargers (at LV)
- Chris Godwin, Buccaneers (vs. NO)
- Christian Kirk, Jaguars (at DET)
- Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions (vs. JAX)
- Gabe Davis, Bills (at NE)
- Mike Evans, Buccaneers (vs. NO)
- DK Metcalf, Seahawks (at LAR)
- Tyler Lockett, Seahawks (at LAR)
- Terry McLaurin, Commanders (vs. NYG)
- Chris Olave, Saints (at TB)
- Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers (vs. MIA)
- Courtland Sutton, Broncos (at BAL)
- Michael Pittman Jr., Colts (at DAL)
- DeVonta Smith, Eagles (vs. TEN)
Stronger starts
Garrett Wilson, Jets (at MIN). He'll keep it going with Mike White vs. a cornerback corps down mostly to Patrick Peterson.
Josh Palmer, Chargers (at LV). He and Keenan Allen will be what DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett were last week.
George Pickens and Diontae Johnson, Steelers (at ATL). They will have their best game together for Kenny Pickett.
Christian Watson and Allen Lazard, Packers (at CHI). With Aaron Rodgers (ribs) going, they are looking good to light up the Bears' thin secondary.
Treylon Burks, Titans (at PHI). He's too involved, and the Eagles' cornerbacks have struggled downfield of late.
Tyler Boyd, Bengals (vs. KC). Boyd needs to heat up in the slot, and that happens here finally with Ja'Marr Chase back.
Zay Jones, Jaguars (at DET). He stays hot over revenge-minded Marvin Jones in a high-volume passing game away from Christian Kirk.
Skyy Moore, Chiefs (at CIN). He's slowly getting more run outside given no one else is stepping up or healthy, and he'll make a big scoring play for Patrick Mahomes.
DFS targets
FanDuel cash game picks
A.J. Brown, Eagles (vs. TEN, $8,100). The "Revenge-Game" narrative says go after him. The plus matchup reinforces that idea.
Keenan Allen, Chargers (at LV, $7,700). Allen is back to his top-shelf self and can own the Raiders again.
Deebo Samuel, 49ers (vs. MIA, $6,800). It's weird to see Deebo so cheap, but the matchup in the passing game plus San Francisco's backfield injuries say hell yes.
DraftKings tournament picks
A.J. Brown, Eagles (vs. TEN, $7,800). Brown will be peppered with targets after a few quiet games and will command the ball. He has both a high floor and a high ceiling.
Garrett Wilson, Jets (at MIN, $5,300). This matchup is also great given his speed against limited corners, and he has proved to have multi-score potential.
Christian Watson, Packers (at CHI, $5,200). Did somebody say multi-score potential? This big-play-waiting-to-happen can crush this secondary regardless of QB.
Fantasy Football Week 13 Sit 'Em: Wide receivers
Weaker starts
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chiefs (at CIN). The Bengals have had more developing issues outside without Chidobe Awuzie than in the slot.
Jakobi Meyers and DeVante Parker, Patriots (vs. BUF). They're hard to trust even with Mac Jones playing well, but this feels like a run-heavy attack.
Darius Slayton, Giants (vs. WAS). The Commanders can be tougher on him than you expect thanks to scheme changes in their secondary.
Curtis Samuel, Commanders (at NYG). Washington is running more and using him that way, but Taylor Heinicke is not throwing as much to him anymore.
Adam Thielen, Vikings (vs. NYJ). Don't chase that TD from the Patriots game.
Parris Campbell, Colts (at DAL). You can't go there on Sunday night.
Michael Gallup, Cowboys (vs. IND). You can't go here either on Sunday night.
All Falcons (vs. PIT). It didn't really work for the Colts, save for Michael Pittman, and they don't have a Pittman.
All Rams (vs. SEA). The curse of Allen Robinson is at work.
All Bears (vs. GB). The curse of Allen Robinson is still at work.
All Ravens (vs. DEN). There's nothing to see here vs. Pat Surtain II and Co.
Fantasy Football Week 13 Start 'Em: Tight ends
TE must-starts
- Travis Kelce, Chiefs (at CIN)
- Mark Andrews, Ravens (vs. DEN)
- George Kittle, 49ers (vs. MIA)
- Pat Freiermuth, Steelers (at ATL)
David Njoku, Browns (at HOU)- Dalton Schultz, Cowboys (vs. IND)
- T.J. Hockenson, Vikings (vs. NYJ)
Stronger starts
Tyler Higbee, Rams (vs. SEA). Higbee gets the matchup cheat code, and he's the most reliable target left.
Gerald Everett, Chargers (at LV). Everett didn't score before his two-pointer last week, but he finds the end zone for six this week.
Foster Moreau, Raiders (vs. LAC). Moreau should put up another solid day minus a TD this time.
Juwan Johnson, Saints (at TB). The Bucs tend to give up TE TDs, and that's what he does.
Tyler Conklin, Jets (at MIN). He comes through in a good revenge-game matchup.
Evan Engram, Jaguars (at DET). He rebounds well with fine involvement.
DFS targets
FanDuel cash game and DraftKings tournament pick
George Kittle, 49ers (vs. MIA, $6,200 and $5,000). Kittle is already due for another blowup, and the Dolphins cannot cover him.
Fantasy Football Week 13 Sit 'Em: Tight ends
Weaker starts
Dawson Knox, Bills (at NE). Knox has another good spot, but he's not seeing the ball enough.
Hayden Hurst, Bengals (vs. KC). He'll be quiet relative to the wideouts this week.
Greg Dulcich, Broncos (at BAL). The near misses are there, but they're still misses.
Cole Kmet, Bears (vs. GB). It's not happening again, and this matchup is tough.
Robert Tonyan, Packers (at CHI). He's a fine thought, but just pass.
Hunter Henry, Patriots (vs. BUF). Don't chase the Vikings game because this is much tougher.
Jordan Akins, Texans (vs. CLE). Don't chase his random big game.
Fantasy Football Week 13 Start 'Em: Defenses
Defense must-starts
- Cowboys (vs. IND)
- Ravens (vs. DEN)
- Seahawks (at LAR)
- Bills (at NE)
- Buccaneers (vs. NO)
- Browns (at HOU)
Stronger starts
49ers (vs. MIA). The Dolphins' offensive line issues will lead to some sacks.
Commanders (at NYG). They'll keep bringing it and cause problems for Daniel Jones.
Steelers (at ATL). T.J. Watt and their playmakers are back.
Packers (at CHI). They can tee off a bit with a lead.
Vikings (vs. NYJ). They should have a shot at a few big plays vs. Mike White.
DFS targets
FanDuel cash game pick NS DraftKings tournament pick
Steelers (at ATL, $4,200 and $2,600). Turn down Watt vs. Mariota? No way.
Fantasy Football Week 13 Sit 'Em: Defenses
Weaker starts
Jets (at MIN). Don't trust them, much like you shouldn't have trusted the Patriots against Minnesota.
Broncos (at BAL). You can't go with this vs. Lamar.
Eagles (vs. TEN). You can't go with this vs. Henry.
Chiefs (at CIN). You can't go with this vs. Burrow.
Patriots (vs. BUF). You can't go with this vs. Allen.
Get more of Vinnie Iyer's in-depth fantasy football advice for Week 13 by subscribing to the Locked On Fantasy Football podcast.
