Week 13 had many people in do-or-die matchups and there is sure to be some heartbreak. We saw #FatGuyTouchdowns, multiple skill players throwing for scores, and what seemed like vultured touchdown after vultured touchdown. It was a wild week.
Let’s recap the good and the bad from the main slate.
Ravens @ Falcons
The Good
From a fantasy perspective? Not a lot. Lamar Jackson’s rushing floor and the Ravens defense is about it.
The Bad
Just about everything. Falcons offense was a mess, Lamar Jackson continued to throw the ball poorly, and Gus Edwards got banged up near the end of the game.
Broncos @ Bengals
The Good
Phillip Lindsay is an absolute beast, and the “running backs don’t matter” crowd gets another data point.
Courtland Sutton was nibbling the edges for what has seemed like weeks and he finally had a big game, hauling in four catches for 85 yards and a score.
The Bad
Jeff Driskel was just as bad as everyone feared. The whole Bengals offense is a wild card going forward.
A.J. Green was carted off with a non-contact foot injury. You’d have to think his season is over.
Rams @ Lions
The Good
Todd Gurley continues to be amazing, compiling a casual 165 yards and two scores. He gave owners a scare in the fourth quarter when he purposely didn’t get into the end zone in order to force the Lions to use their timeouts, but he scored two plays later.
The Rams defense was all over Matthew Stafford all day long. They’re scary in the playoffs.
The Bad
Kenny Golladay disappointed again in a matchup where the game script favored him. He did almost score late in the fourth but was just out of bounds.
The Lions defense did a good job holding Jared Goff and, by extension, the Rams receivers in check. I wouldn’t count on the passing game to have many bad outings like this.
Cardinals @ Packers
The Good
Packers coach Mike McCarthy was finally fired after a loss to one of the league’s worst teams. It can only help the abysmal offense.
Davante Adams scored again. He might be the most valuable receiver in fantasy next season.
The Bad
Chase Edmonds vultured two David Johnson touchdowns. The tilt was real all day.
Johnson’s involvement in the passing game looked so promising in the first few games of Byron Leftwich’s tenure. I have no idea why they went away from it, but it severely caps his fantasy upside.
Bills @ Dolphins
The Good
I didn’t see this one coming at all, but Josh Allen’s dual-threat scoring somehow has made him a QB1.
Zay Jones saw more than double the number of targets than any other Bills player and hauled in two scores. He’s slid into that boom/bust WR3 category that seems to house 20 other receivers.
The Bad
The Dolphins backfield is among the most frustrating in recent memory. Completely unusable.
Bears @ Giants
The Good
Matt Nagy has done an excellent job incorporating Tarik Cohen into every aspect of the offense. He was simply unguardable in the passing game and even tossed a touchdown to send the game into overtime on the last play of regulation.
Saquon Barkley might as well be a mainstay in the “good” side. He’s special.
The Bad
Odell Beckham salvaged his day with a one-yard touchdown catch and a passing score of his own, but it was a poor performance with Eli Manning being as bad as ever.
Panthers @ Buccaneers
The Good
Another week, another 150 yards from scrimmage for Christian McCaffrey. He’s the definition of a bell-cow and maybe my biggest miss of the season.
Chris Godwin moves into must-start territory any time DeSean Jackson is sidelined.
The Bad
D.J. Moore disappeared after two weeks of lighting up the box score. It’s an extremely disappointing performance against one of the worst defenses in the league.
Speaking of disappointing performances – Cam Newton tossed four interceptions. The Buccaneers had three all season coming into Week 13. Atrocious.
Colts @ Jaguars
The Good
The Jacksonville defense flashed what got them to the AFC Championship game last season. What a dominant performance.
The Bad
Almost everything is bad from a fantasy perspective in a 6-0 game with only two field goals kicked. The Colts offense should be back to normal next week, but the Jaguars with Cody Kessler are always going to be limited.
Browns @ Texans
The Good
Jarvis Landry finally did something (6 catches for 103 yards) but it’s likely too little too late for anyone who drafted him.
Lamar Miller keeps cashing in for those who believed in him to be a high volume RB2 in the offseason, reeling off another 100-yard game.
The Bad
Baker Mayfield’s final stat line turned out okay, but his three first-half interceptions effectively ended any chance the Browns had in this one.
David Njoku shows flashes but he’s just way too inconsistent to be considered an every week TE1.
Jets @ Titans
The Good
Marcus Mariota’s second half resurgence continued with a big fourth quarter comeback win. He’s still making mistakes, but he’s playing much better now that he’s fully healthy.
Mariota’s strong play has brought Corey Davis back to life. He’s an upside WR3 going forward.
The Bad
The Titans backfield continues to be unreliable and worthless for our game.
Sam Darnold hasn’t been great, but Josh McCown is much worse. Nobody in the Jets offense is usable either.
Chiefs @ Raiders
The Good
295 passing yards, 52 rushing yards, and four touchdowns puts Patrick Mahomes squarely in the MVP lead. This Chiefs offense doesn’t look stoppable.
Travis Kelce absolutely exploded for 12/168/2. He lost a fumble on the first play of the game but put that behind him quickly.
Jared Cook will have his doubters, and Derek Carr can be erratic, but he’s an every week TE1.
The Bad
Spencer Ware didn’t have the game we all wanted, but the usage (15 touches compared to Damien Williams’ 7) is encouraging.
Tyreek Hill only caught one pass for 13 yards in a game the Chiefs scored 40. Better days are ahead, but what a dud.
Vikings @ Patriots
The Good
Dalvin Cook looked great but was mostly game scripted out. He’s completely healthy and locked in as the lead back in what should be a good offense.
James White finally saw the usage he had in the first half of the season. I wouldn’t expect it to continue but it was a good reward for fantasy owners who may have been forced to stick with him.
The Bad
Like David Johnson, Sony Michel was vultured twice on goal line scores. The ultimate tilt for those of us (me) who have a team with both Johnson and Michel.
Rob Gronkowski’s triumphant return last week didn’t carry over.
The entire Vikings offense couldn’t do anything in the air. Extremely disappointing to see a combined 57 yards from Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, though the latter did score a short touchdown.
49ers @ Seahawks
The Good
Russell Wilson only had to throw the ball 17 times but he made them count with four of them going for scores. The Seahawks did exactly what they needed to do against a bad team.
Tyler Lockett only had two targets but all that man does is score touchdowns, this time hauling in a 52 yarder for a score.
The Bad
Either Matt Breida’s ankle is still bothering him or Kyle Shanahan has to be the smartest guy in the room. Jeff Wilson Jr. out-touched him 23-8.
—
Be sure to check back in over the next few days for a more in-depth look at all the waiver options and injury notes that came from today’s games.
