Ted Chmyz | Wed, Nov 26th 2025, 7:06am EST

Fantasy Football Points Allowed: Best & Worst Matchups (Week 13)

Remember to double-check your fantasy lineups early this week. With Thanksgiving, we have three games on Thursday and one extra game on Black Friday — don’t get distracted by the turkey and leave Ja’Marr Chase on your bench after his Week 12 suspension.

As always, this article is here to help you put your best foot forward, using the Fantasy Points Allowed tool to find top matchups to target (and tough matchups to avoid) at every position. Without further ado, let’s get started.

Fantasy Points Allowed: Best & Worst Matchups (Week 13)

Week 13 Quarterback Fantasy Football Matchups

Good Matchup: Patrick Mahomes (QB – KC) @ Dallas Cowboys

Believe it or not, the Cowboys’ defense is actually trending upward. Quinnen Williams is a game-changer, and he has been on fire since being traded to Dallas from the Jets. However, most of Williams’ impact is on the running game. The Cowboys’ secondary is still beatable, and their season average of 24.8 points per game allowed to quarterbacks is still easily the league’s highest.

That makes this Thanksgiving Day matchup a good bounce-back spot for Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes started the season on fire from a fantasy standpoint, running more than ever and tossing touchdowns left and right. But he has averaged just 14.6 points over the last month, with zero QB1 finishes. That should change this week, so don’t let his recent struggles keep Mahomes out of your Week 13 lineup.

Bad Matchup: Daniel Jones (QB – IND) vs. Houston Texans

Daniel Jones has revitalized his career in Indianapolis, and that includes his fantasy production. He’s always added value with his legs, and now he has excellent passing efficiency to go with it. Jones currently ranks as the QB7 in both points per game and total fantasy points so far this season. However, this is a week to consider looking elsewhere if you have been relying on Jones as your fantasy QB1.

The Texans’ defense allows just 12.2 points per game to opposing quarterbacks, the lowest number in the league. They’ve also allowed the lowest expected points added (EPA) per dropback in the league, to go with the second-lowest dropback success rate. Houston’s defense is also excellent against the run, but not quite as dominant, so we can expect an even heavier dose of Jonathan Taylor than usual. Jones could still get there with a couple of touchdowns (especially if he happens to run one in), but he’s a QB2 rather than a true QB1 this week.

Week 13 Running Back Fantasy Football Matchups

Good Matchup: TreVeyon Henderson (RB – NE) vs. New York Giants

After giving up a record-setting performance to Jahmyr Gibbs, the Giants are officially the second-softest matchup for fantasy running backs. They also allow by far the most yards per attempt to the position: 6.2, nearly a full yard ahead of the Bills in second (5.3).

TreVeyon Henderson is coming off a relatively underwhelming performance against the actual softest matchup for running backs, the Bengals. But his usage was excellent, even with Rhamondre Stevenson returning. The rookie saw 18 carries and four targets on a 64% snap share. If he sees that workload again in this matchup, he should come through with a solid fantasy performance.

Bad Matchup: Tyrone Tracy Jr. (RB – NYG) @ New England Patriots

We can actually stay put in this same Monday Night Football contest to find our bad running back matchup, as the Patriots’ defense is the toughest opponent for fantasy running backs. Tracy has firmly established himself as the Giants’ No. 1 RB, with 20 attempts and four targets last week on a 71% snap share. But he’s still not a true workhorse, as Devin Singletary also recorded 14 carries of his own.

The Giants are also 7.5-point underdogs with an uninspiring 19.5-point team total, so there aren’t likely to be 34 carries to go around again in Week 13. Whatever carries Tracy does see likely won’t be hugely productive, as the Patriots have allowed the second-fewest yards per carry and fewest rushing touchdowns to the running back position.

New England’s defense is slightly softer in terms of passing production allowed to opposing backfields, providing a slight ray of hope. But Tracy is still a risky starter this week, especially given that every player on your roster should be available with zero teams on bye.

Week 13 Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Matchups

Good Matchup: Khalil Shakir (WR – BUF) @ Pittsburgh Steelers

As a consistent borderline starting option, Khalil Shakir has appeared in this column quite a few times this season… but mostly as a player to avoid, as I am generally skeptical of his low-usage/high-efficiency profile. However, the Bills’ No. 1 WR is in an undeniably good spot this week.

Pittsburgh’s defense allows the second-most points per game to opposing wideouts. They lead the league in targets, receptions and yards allowed. Shakir isn’t a traditional No. 1 WR, as he runs most of his routes from the slot. But the Steelers are susceptible there, too, giving up the sixth-most yards and seventh-most points per game to slot receivers. Put it all together, and this is a week where Shakir is more likely to have one of his big outings than one of his duds.

Bad Matchup: Michael Pittman Jr. (WR – IND)/Alec Pierce (WR – IND) vs. Houston Texans

Unsurprisingly, defenses that are tough on opposing quarterbacks often tend to also shut down opposing wide receivers. That is the case with the Texans, who allow the third-fewest points per game to opposing wideouts.

Both Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce have had productive seasons so far in Indianapolis’ resurgent offense. But neither is a true alpha No. 1 WR, and both have had games where they don’t see the ball much. If we do get the heavy dose of Jonathan Taylor I predicted earlier, it’s easy to see one or both of Pittman and Pierce being left out of the fun again this week. That’s enough to make you think twice before putting either in your fantasy lineup.

Week 13 Tight End Fantasy Football Matchups

Good Matchup: Mark Andrews (TE – BAL) vs. Cincinnati Bengals

It’s almost comical how much worse the Bengals have been at defending tight ends than any other team this season. Cincinnati’s defense is giving up 19.5 fantasy points per game to tight ends, while the second-softest team is all the way down at 14.1. A lot of this is driven by the absurd 1.18 touchdowns they’ve allowed per game (no other team is above 0.64), but they also lead the league in both receptions and yards given up to tight ends.

Mark Andrews isn’t the truly elite fantasy option he once was. He ranks as the TE15 in points per game and is only playing a part-time role in the Ravens’ offense. But he is an absolute must-start in this matchup. Even Isaiah Likely, who has just one game above three half-PPR points all season, is worth considering if you need a streaming option — the Bengals have given up plenty of big performances to No.2 TEs, too.

Bad Matchup: Colston Loveland (TE – CHI) @ Philadelphia Eagles

Colston Loveland is coming off by far his best outing of the season with Cole Kmet healthy, as he caught four of his five targets for 49 yards and a touchdown in Week 12. But his overall usage was still mediocre. According to Fantasy Points Data, he posted just a 53% route participation rate. That was his season-high with Kmet available, and it’s still a far from impressive number.

Still, the first-round rookie has been excellent on a per-route basis, and his usage does seem to be trending upward. But this is not the week to plug him into your lineup. The Eagles’ defense is the second-toughest opponent for fantasy tight ends, allowing just 32.4 yards and 6.3 points per game to the position. Mediocre usage and a terrible matchup combine to keep Loveland clearly out of the TE1 range this week.

Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasyPros.com. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.

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