Following the conclusion of Week 11, I joked that someone needed to unplug the week, wait a few minutes, and then plug it back in to see if a reset was possible. At this point, I think that we might need to replace the fantasy football router entirely.
Week 13. Woof.
That was something.
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During Thanksgiving week, when several teams have short rest, it is typical for scoring to be depressed, with bodies still recovering physically and little time to construct game plans. Yet even when one factors in both variables, it was still a tough pill to swallow. Though there were a few glimpses of sunlight peeking through the clouds with positive comeback performances, the lingering memory from Week 13 will be superstars that failed to produce.
At this point, I’m crossing my fingers in the hopes that this is the final time a “mega-dud” week happens this season.
Here are a few of the more notable performances from Week 13 around the league.
Fantasy Football Studs & Duds: Week 13
Quarterback
Stud: Patrick Mahomes (QB – KC)
Following three down performances and a bye, fantasy managers were wondering what to make of Patrick Mahomes. With the Chiefs finally back at full strength and entering must-win mode to keep their playoff hopes alive, he turned in a vintage performance on the road against Dallas. Mahomes completed 23-of-34 pass attempts for 261 yards and four touchdowns, adding another 30 yards on the ground.
This was the first time since Week 8 that Mahomes had multiple touchdown passes — he is clearly benefiting from the return of wideout Rashee Rice. If the Chiefs were in “must-win” mode before, they are now on life support to save their season at 6-6. Kansas City has consecutive home games against Houston and the Los Angeles Chargers the next two weeks — two defenses that make things difficult for opposing signal-callers. View Mahomes as a low-end QB1 in each contest.
Stud: Jordan Love (QB – GB)
Perhaps the scoring was depressed on Sunday because of a Thanksgiving hangover? Who knows, but it certainly seemed like all the points came on Thursday instead. In an epic clash to determine the NFC North, Green Bay made a significant statement on the road, taking down Detroit 31-24. Love managed to capture his early-season magic, tossing four touchdowns (two to Dontayvion Wicks, one to Romeo Doubs, one to Christian Watson) on 18 completions for 234 yards.
This was a welcome sight for his managers, after Love had failed to record a touchdown pass in three of his past four outings, struggling to adapt to games without tight end Tucker Kraft as his safety net. The Packers take on Chicago in two of the next three games, with Week 14 coming at the friendly confines of Lambeau Field. He will rank as a mid-range QB1 in each game.
Dud: Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL)
At what point do we start seriously worrying about Lamar Jackson? Week 13 marked the second time in the past three contests where Jackson finished with a negative stat line (factoring in points subtracted for turnovers), his third consecutive game without a touchdown (passing or rushing) and fewer than 30 yards scrambling. Jackson appears uncomfortable on the field and hasn’t exhibited signs of his usual dynamic self, capable of single-handedly willing Baltimore back into contests.
Jackson has struggled as a passer, with a 56% completion rate over the last four games, and he has not shown his normal elusiveness running the ball, dealing with toe and ankle issues. Jackson’s struggles against Cincinnati during Week 13 were particularly puzzling, as the Bengals, before this game, had surrendered yards and points in droves. The hope for Baltimore is that a home game against the reeling Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14 will allow Jackson to return to his former MVP caliber, but his managers are justifiably frustrated at his lack of production.
Dud: Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR)
The most aggravating outcome from Week 13 wasn’t just the sheer number of duds, but where they came from. Matthew Stafford had been on an absolute tear since Week 6 and was expected to continue his strong play on the road against Carolina, but instead fell apart and looked totally out of sync. Committing three turnovers (two interceptions and a lost fumble) proved costly for Los Angeles, as the Rams fell in a surprise loss to the Panthers, 31-28.
The loss allowed Chicago to move into the first seed within the NFC playoff picture, and now the Rams will need to make a surge to reclaim their potential bye. Thankfully, Stafford is set for a bounce-back effort next week against Arizona, a defense that allows the ninth-most points per game (25.3) and rarely pressures quarterbacks. Even after a poor showing on Sunday, Stafford is the QB3 on the season and is a must-start.
Running Back
Stud: Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL)
It turns out that good things happen when you feed Bijan Robinson the ball. Who knew? Oh, wait, everyone other than Atlanta knew. In the four games in which Robinson has 19+ carries, he averages 140 rushing yards per outing. Go figure that giving the ball to your best player pays dividends. Robinson exploded for 193 yards from scrimmage (142 rushing, 51 receiving) against the New York Jets, carving up their defense every time that he touched the ball.
Robinson’s fantasy managers likely still have a “what if” scenario in their minds, envisioning a world where Tyler Allgeier didn’t constantly vulture touchdowns in the red zone — but weeks like this certainly help put salve on the wound. Robinson and Atlanta face stiff competition in Week 14, taking on the Seattle Seahawks, the NFL’s third-ranked rush defense. Robinson managers should hope for the return of wideout Drake London, whose presence would ease defensive attention in the box somewhat.
Studs: D’Andre Swift (RB – CHI)/Kyle Monangai (RB – CHI)
I’m highlighting both Chicago running backs, since their final stat line in PPR formats was nearly identical. D’Andre Swift ran for 125 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries against Philadelphia, carving up a hapless Eagles defense for nearly seven yards per carry (YPC) with each rushing attempt. Gashing his former team in a revenge game, this marked just the second time since Week 1 that Swift has handled over 19 touches, a good indication that he has returned to full health.
Fellow running mate Kyle Monangai handled 22 carries for 130 yards and a touchdown, bowling over Eagles defenders in the red zone at will. His increased usage has pushed him into low-end RB2 territory, as this situation takes on a similar vibe to Detroit last year, with the David Montgomery/Jahmyr Gibbs split. Head coach Ben Johnson is clearly comfortable using both players simultaneously, which creates a minor headache for fantasy managers. Monangai has scored a rushing touchdown in four consecutive weeks, and the hype train doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon.
Dud: Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI)
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Saquon Barkley had a disappointing week as Philadelphia’s offense looked like a total mess. Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is clearly struggling to find any sort of rhythm or consistency with how he calls plays — some weeks he prefers a ground-and-pound mentality where he plays clock control, and other times he prefers airing things out with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
This has led to Barkley becoming a maddeningly inconsistent option for fantasy purposes, something that few envisioned after last year’s breakout season. Barkley has just one game this season with over 100 rushing yards, and he hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 8. His upcoming schedule against the Los Angeles Chargers and Washington Commanders eases up somewhat, but it isn’t easy to peg him as a must-start RB1 each week at this point.
Dud: Travis Etienne Jr. (RB – JAX)
Suppose I started off this blurb mentioning that the Jacksonville Jaguars throttled the hapless Tennessee Titans 25-3 in a game that was never particularly close. In that case, you’d have to envision that Travis Etienne at least came away with a heavy workload, thanks in part to his team being up early and often, right? Wrong. An odd game script, along with an increasing snap share for rookie Bhayshul Tuten, led to Etienne totaling just 13 touches for 41 yards.
Though Etienne started the game ahead of Tuten, the Jaguars’ coaching staff has limited his touches each week, resulting in just one game with more than 20 carries. Etienne remains a big-play threat on a potent offense, but with so many mouths to feed and a committee situation in the backfield, he is hard to rely on for consistent production.
Wide Receiver
Stud: A.J. Brown (WR – PHI)
Apparently, whining on social media that you aren’t being helpful enough is the way to see more targets in the NFL these days. A.J. Brown came away with double-digit targets for the third consecutive week and converted his 12 looks into 10 receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort against Chicago.
The Eagles’ insistence upon getting Brown more involved has resulted in back-to-back losses, with Philadelphia fading in the NFC East race. One has to be curious if the team has noticed this detrimental shift as well, although Brown’s fantasy managers certainly don’t mind. With him regaining his status as the alpha threat on the team and upcoming matchups against the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders on the horizon, Brown will remain a mid-range WR1 each week as we hurdle into the playoff push.
Stud: Jameson Williams (WR – DET)
Thanks largely in part due to Amon-Ra St. Brown departing with an ankle injury in the first quarter, Jameson Williams was peppered with targets by quarterback Jared Goff, resulting in a breakout 7/144/1 performance. Head coach Dan Campbell seems confident that Williams was primed for a bigger portion of the offensive game plan as-is, and Week 13’s effort only proves his point. Williams has recorded a touchdown in four of the last five outings, bringing his season split up to a 38-706-6 line.
With St.Brown expected to miss a game or two and Detroit needing to win out to keep their NFC North hopes alive, expect another strong outing in Week 14 against the hapless Dallas Cowboys secondary, a unit that allows more than 250 passing yards per game (third-worst in the NFL).
Dud: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was due for a down performance at some point this season, but hopefully his paltry 2/23 outing didn’t sink your week. Targeted a season-low four times by quarterback Sam Darnold, it was evident that Seattle went into this contest against Minnesota with a run-first mentality, as they attempted just 26 passes on the afternoon.
Preferring to simply sap as much time away from the clock each possession as possible, the Seahawks relied upon Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet to move the ball up the field at a whim, and their defense to continually force turnovers from Minnesota’s Max Brosmer. I’m willing to chalk this poor performance up to several negative factors falling into place at once, coupled with Darnold struggling under pressure. Hopefully, Smith-Njigba can get back on track against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 14, who just allowed Adonai Mitchell to torch them repeatedly.
Dud: Zay Flowers (WR – BAL)
Truth be told, I could have easily highlighted plenty of other options within this space. As I remarked on Twitter, stud wideouts had a rough Week 13, with DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Emeka Egbuka, Justin Jefferson, Rome Odunze, DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. all royally flopping. Still, at least those players finished with positive points. Zay Flowers managed to reel in just two of his seven targets on Sunday afternoon against Cincinnati for six yards, but had a critical fumble at Baltimore’s 43-yard line that sealed the Ravens’ fate.
Flowers has just one touchdown reception all year (back in Week 1), and has averaged around 11 PPR points after the team’s Week 7 bye week. Poor play by quarterback Lamar Jackson has capped his upside, leaving Flowers as the WR28. Flowers has two plus-matchups approaching against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati; hopefully, he can turn things around in short order.
Tight End
Stud: Zach Ertz (TE – WSH)
Zach Ertz recorded 10 receptions on 13 targets for 106 yards during Sunday Night Football’s 27-26 overtime loss against Denver, his best outing of the season. Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota made it a point to pepper the veteran tight end all afternoon, as Ertz was able to find holes in the Broncos’ defense during critical situations. Ertz has averaged just over 10 PPR points per week, which currently has him as the TE8.
The healthy return of Jayden Daniels in Week 14 will allow Washington to have a more balanced offense moving forward, along with Terry McLaurin‘s return. Ertz will continue competing with Deebo Samuel for targets in the middle of the field.
Dud: Oronde Gadsden II (TE – LAC)
Oronde Gadsden was a total afterthought in the Los Angeles Chargers’ 31-14 victory over Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon, targeted just twice all afternoon. Since his breakout during Weeks 7-8, Gadsden has faded into a tertiary role in the Chargers’ offense, ceding targets to wideouts Keenan Allen and Tre’ Harris instead. Los Angeles’s ability to control the clock by leaning on its running game and shutting down opponents doesn’t exactly create a game script that requires targeting Gadsden.
Taking a glance at the schedule does give me optimism on things turning around, with Los Angeles squaring off against much stronger offensive opponents the next three weeks (Philadelphia, Kansas City, Dallas). Gadsden will be a boom-or-bust streaming TE2.
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