The all-important week 13 is right in front of our eyes with a full set of games ready to kickoff on Sunday and Monday. On the line are playoff hopes and if you drafted well, you may even be in the driver’s seat with a locked in bye week. If you’re not one of those lucky few, then every lineup decision you make from here on out can potentially end your season!
With so much on the line we’re asking the most accurate experts in the industry questions that we know many of you have. What should owners make of the Chargers’ running back situation? What surprising players could end up carrying teams to a championship? What high-profile player should we cut bait on? And of course, what bold prediction could actually happen this weekend? Without further ado, here are their answers.
Import your team to My Playbook for instant Start/Sit advice 
Q1. How do you value Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson ROS and is either a must-start?
“The Chargers are 8-3 and shouldn’t rush Melvin Gordon back, but he’s been spotted on a treadmill and may only miss one week. This would make Jackson a nonfactor and Ekeler back to a PPR flex play around RB No. 30 each week, but let’s entertain the possibility that he misses more time. I’d prefer Ekeler over Jackson in Week 13 (he’s my No. 20 RB right now) after Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn praised Ekeler’s pound-for-pound strength, but I can’t ignore Jackson gaining 57 yards on seven carries in Week 12 (Ekeler hasn’t tallied seven carries since Week 7). The LA Chargers face Cincinnati and Kansas City in Weeks 14 and 15 — the two most generous teams to opposing RBs in 0.5 PPR settings — before taking on Baltimore in Week 16, so Ekeler is a decent RB2 while Jackson is more of a dart-throw flex until proven otherwise.”
– Nick Mariano (RotoBaller)
“If you think Ekeler is going to see 20-plus touches with Melvin Gordon out, you may be let down. Since they trusted him to carry the workload in London when filling in for Gordon, where he failed, the Chargers have been hesitant to give him many carries since then. He’s totaled just 17 carries in the four games since and was even out-carried by Jackson last week. It’s not to say that Ekeler won’t receive the majority of touches, but you need to see the trends to account for potential risk. Jackson ran very well last week, too, totaling 57 yards on seven carries. The way I see it, they’ll ride the hot hand, but it’s going to be some sort of timeshare, though Ekeler has the more valuable role as the pass-catching back. Ekeler should provide low-end RB2 value, while Jackson is going to be more of a touchdown-dependent running back who gets 8-12 touches per game, though he’s much cheaper to acquire.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
“Ekeler is probably going to deliver mid-range RB2 production at worst, and RB1 value is within the range of outcomes. He’s athletic, he can catch passes, he’s been productive at the NFL level — what’s not to like? He should be in fantasy lineups for as long as Gordon is out, and his matchups against the Bengals and Chiefs in Weeks 14-15 are scrumptious. Jackson was a productive college back at Northwestern and could have fringy value over the next few weeks as a complement to Ekeler, but I think this is mostly Ekeler’s show.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)
Q2. What 1 or 2 players do you think will be league-winners in the playoffs that may surprise people?
Lamar Miller (RB – HOU) | Courtland Sutton (WR – DEN)
“Can I mention that I hate the phrase “league winners”? OK … objection registered. As for players who could be unexpectedly helpful down the stretch, Lamar Miller is starting to look like the player we all thought he could be back when everyone was furious about his underutilization in Miami. The Texans are running the ball quite a bit, and Miller’s remaining schedule is friendly. And I’ve been pumping up Courtland Sutton for a while now. He hasn’t paid off yet, but there’s still time. He gets some soft matchups over the next few weeks, and there isn’t much target competition for him in Denver.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)
Courtland Sutton (WR – DEN) | David Njoku (TE – CLE)
“Sutton is coming off a disappointing one-catch effort against the Steelers, but prior to that, he had 50 yards or a touchdown in seven straight games. We’ve been waiting for that true breakout from Sutton, but it’s coming. Starting this week and running through the fantasy playoffs, he gets the Bengals, 49ers, Browns, and Raiders. David Njoku also has an excellent slate over the next month and will flirt with top-five numbers down the stretch.”
– Justin Boone (theScore)
Phillip Lindsay (RB – DEN) | Amari Cooper (WR – DAL)
“Lindsay is the running back who could carry your fantasy team through the playoffs. The Broncos will play at San Francisco, at home against the Browns, and then on the road against the Raiders. Not only are they all winnable games, but they all struggle against the run. Another player who might surprise is Amari Cooper, as he’ll go against the Eagles, Colts, and Bucs secondaries during the fantasy playoffs. He may not have been reliable week-to-week in Oakland, but while with the Cowboys, he’s put together solid numbers in 4-of-5 games.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
Q3. What notable player(s) are you comfortable dropping that owners might hesitate on?
Tom Brady (QB – NE)
“Brady is a future Hall-of-Fame QB on a team with a seemingly automatic annual pass to the AFC Championship each week, which makes him synonymous with winning. That said, he’s the No. 14 QB right now and faces an ugly slate in the fantasy playoffs that’s headlined by Buffalo’s No. 1 pass defense in the NFL in Week 16 — also known as the traditional championship week. People put Brady in the untouchable first tier of QBs on name value, but he’s not that guy anymore. And yet, he’s owned in 97.5% of ESPN leagues and 99% of Yahoo leagues, the fifth-highest ownership rates on each site.”
– Nick Mariano (RotoBaller)
Michael Crabtree (WR – BAL) | John Brown (WR – BAL) | Tom Brady (QB – NE)
“I said on the podcast a few weeks ago that I’d cut Michael Crabtree for someone with more upside and it’s now extended to John Brown. You want no part of the Ravens passing game right now, as it’s simply too volatile entering the most important part of the fantasy season. If you just removed his name, you’d be looking at Tom Brady completely differently. Through 12 weeks of the season, he ranks as the No. 14 quarterback on a points-per-game basis, and has traditionally struggled in December. There have been 92 quarterback performances of 22-plus points this year, and Brady has just one of them. He’s not someone you need to hang on to.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
Derrick Henry (RB – TEN) | DeSean Jackson (WR – TB)
“When I use the FantasyPros rankings tool to input my weekly rankings, I occasionally get warnings that I have Derrick Henry ranked much lower than consensus. Thank you, robotic watchdog, but those low rankings of Henry are very much intentional, He’s terrible. Throw him overboard if you haven’t already. There isn’t much reason to keep DeSean Jackson around either. D-Jax is dealing with a thumb injury, his weekly floor is scary-low even when he’s healthy, and he and Jameis Winston have never really gotten on the same page.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)
Q4. What’s one bold prediction you have for this week?
“That Randall Cobb returns from the dead to finish as a top-30 wide receiver play this week against the Cardinals. They’re a team who’s struggled consistently against slot receivers, mixing and matching different players over the last few weeks. If Cobb were to miss another game (he’s supposed to play), it would be Marquez Valdes-Scantling who would fill the slot role and finish top-30.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
“Christian McCaffrey and Aaron Jones each total 200+ yards from scrimmage this week.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)
“After three quiet outings, Jordan Howard will bounce back with his first 100-yard game of the season. Howard’s recent struggles came against a tough Vikings front and a Lions run defense that’s improved significantly since adding Snacks Harrison. Now Howard gets to face the Giants, who traded Harrison away before the deadline. Since that deal, the G-Men have given up an average of 110 rushing yards and a touchdown to the last four starting running backs they’ve faced.”
– Justin Boone (theScore)
Thank you to the experts for answering our pressing questions for Week 13. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS
