Does anyone eat duck for Thanksgiving? Because the Browns defense will be looking to stand up for suspended Myles Garrett against Devlin 'Duck' Hodges and the Steelers on Sunday, and that has us very concerned about the Pittsburgh WR corps. That's part of what makes James Washington one of the worries in our Week 13 busts list.
We also don't love that Rashaad Penny is getting so much love. We all know he's a first-rounder, but it's not like Chris Carson is hurt. It wasn't even a total doghouse thing for Carson on Sunday -- the backs interspersed. It's probably a committee, and the Vikings have a strong run defense, so while Penny is playable, it's hard to expect a repeat this week.
WEEK 13 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
The concerns you're having about your Texans players against New England are totally valid. We've got both Carlos Hyde and DeAndre Hopkins on our busts list. Hopkins is especially tricky to consider sitting, but if anyone is going to shut him down, it's Stephon Gilmore. We also are wary of Mark Andrews in an equally difficult matchup against the 49ers.
We nailed some of our Week 12 bust picks. Brian Hill stunk. Tom Brady against Dak Prescott went about how we expected, with an assist from the bad weather. Courtland Sutton, Brandin Cooks, and Amari Cooper were all held down, too.
WEEK 13 DFS LINEUPS:
FD Cash | FD GPP | DK Cash | DK GPP | Y! Cash | Y! GPP
Our biggest whiffs came at running back, where we were down on Devin Singletary and Jonathan Williams. We also didn't anticipate a good game coming from Jared Cook, and both the 49ers and Patriots D/STs played up to their usual abilities.
For our Week 13 sleeper picks, click here.
WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Week 13 Fantasy Busts: Running backs
Carlos Hyde, Texans vs. Patriots (Billy Heyen). The Texans might move the ball through the air against New England, but there won't be any success on the ground for Hyde.
Joe Mixon, Bengals vs. Jets (Vinnie Iyer). The Jets have looked dominant against the run of late, and with Andy Dalton back, Cincinnati won’t force “give-up runs” when trailing in the second half, instead chucking it downfield.
Rashaad Penny, Seahawks vs. Vikings (Matt Lutovsky). Everyone's excited about Penny, and while he could get more touches, it's not as if Chris Carson is going away. He's been too good this year, and the Seahawks have stuck by him through worse ball-security issues. Plus, this is a brutal matchup, as the Vikings allow the seventh-fewest fantasy points to RBs.
MORE WEEK 13:
Waiver pickups | FAAB budget | Snap counts | Stock watch | Fantasy playoff SOS
Week 13 Fantasy Football Busts: Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield, Browns @ Steelers (Heyen). The Pittsburgh defense has been strong of late, and Baker is due for a dud after feasting on a couple of bad matchups in recent weeks.
Kirk Cousins, Vikings @ Seahawks (Iyer). Seattle’s pass defense isn’t as bad as you think anymore, and there’s a good chance Jadeveon Clowney will return at home on Monday night. Cousins is overdue for a prime-time clunker against a good team, and this is it.
Philip Rivers, Chargers @ Dolphins (Lutovsky). Maybe Rivers would shake his two slump after a bye week, but ...nah, we're counting on it. The Broncos are allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points to QBs, and watching Rivers throw seven INTs the previous games, you just can't trust him right now.
Week 13 Fantasy Football Busts: Wide receivers
Amari Cooper, Cowboys vs. Bills (Heyen). Cooper should get the full Tre'Davious White treatment, which has led to very little production for top receivers all season long. This might be a heavy Zeke and Michael Gallup game.
Deebo Samuel, 49ers @ Ravens (Iyer). The Ravens’ cornerbacks are extremely deep, so the rookie might struggle to separate for Jimmy G.
JuJu Smith-Schuster/James Washington, Steelers vs. Browns (Lutovsky). JuJu (knee, concussion) might not play and has been one of the biggest boom-or-bust receivers this year -- more often busting that booming. During his one game with Duck Hodges under center, he had one catch for seven yards (four targets). Washington came through with a long touchdown from Hodges last week, but that's not something you can always rely on. Hodgers was 15-of-20 for 132 yards, a touchdown, and an INT against the Chargers, and the Browns do a similar job in terms of limiting fantasy wide receivers, so the pickings will be slim for Pittsburgh's WRs. (Update: JuJu is officially out.)
Bonus: DeAndre Hopkins, Texans vs. Patriots (Lutovsky). It might seem crazy to sit Hopkins, but only one wide receiver has caught a touchdown against the Pats all year (Golden Tate), and only one has had more than 78 yards against them (also Tate). You could argue they're due to give up some TDs the rest of the way, and the Deshaun Watson-Hopkins duo is better than any QB-WR passing duo the Pats will have faced all year, especially when you factor in the weather in last week's game against Cowboys. But even with all that said, Hopkins seems more likely to give you a 4-41 line than anything better, and in a must-win week, is that really going to get the job done?
Week 13 Fantasy Football Busts: Tight ends
Gerald Everett, Rams @ Cardinals (Heyen). The Rams just aren't using Everett anymore. He feels like an obvious start against the Cardinals, but if he's only on the field for about 15 snaps, which has been the case each of the past two weeks, it will be hard to find production. (Update: Everett is officially out because of a knee injury.)
Mark Andrews, Ravens vs. 49ers (Iyer). The 49ers do not allow the tight end to get open, and he has a lot of competition for snaps and red-zone targets all of a sudden.
Jared Cook, Saints @ Falcons (Lutovsky). Cook has scored in four of his past five games, and that kind of hot streak is due to end soon. The Falcons have been solid against TEs this year, allowing just four total TDs to a trio of so-so players (Darren Fells, Maxx Williams, Gerald Everett). This just feels like a game where Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara dominate and the rest of the Saints have to fight for the scraps. t
Week 13 Fantasy Busts: Defenses
Green Bay Packers @ Giants (Heyen). The Packers have shown they can get gashed on the ground and over the middle of the field, and the Giants have enough talent to take advantage.
Los Angeles Rams @ Cardinals (Iyer). You can’t go here vs. Kyler Murray after that debacle we saw on Monday night.
San Francisco 49ers @ Ravens (Lutovsky). You've seen Lamar Jackson, right? He's carved up the Patriots, and he'll do enough against the 49ers to severely limit their fantasy value.