The Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos matchup on Monday Night is all that is left in Week 13. As always, there were eye-catching performances around the NFL for good and bad reasons in fantasy football. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest takeaways from Week 13 ahead of the last week of the fantasy football regular season.
Week 13 Takeaways
49ers Lost Season Continues
The 49ers season is only getting worse as star running back Christian McCaffrey suffered a season-ending PCL injury. McCaffrey had been struggling with an Achilles injury all season and has struggled to match his production in his first few weeks back from the injury. After starting the game against Buffalo on fire, McCaffrey went down, and the 49ers proceeded to get routed after that moment. Jordan Mason will fill back in for McCaffrey and averaged 14.5 fantasy points per game in the first seven games. Isaac Guerendo will likely be the backup but has shown flashes this season and could earn a bigger role
Outside of the running back situation, other playmakers have struggled for the 49ers. Deebo Samuel has not scored over 6.2 fantasy points in his last three games and has not topped 20 points since Week 6. Samuel should not be in anyone’s starting lineups ahead of the fantasy playoffs. Brock Purdy now has 4 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in his last five games and should not be in starting lineups. The two guys you can trust, George Kittle and Jauan Jennings were held to single digit points last night. This is not the same 49ers offense we are accustomed to.
Ladd McConkey and DJ Moore Peaking at the Right Time
McConkey over the last three weeks has 123, 83, and 117 yards with no less than 14.3 points during that stretch. He has not recorded a game under 50 receiving yards since Week 7 and has established himself as Justin Herbert’s go-to receiver. The Chargers’ passing rate was up last week post J.K. Dobbins injury which bodes well for Ladd and other Chargers receivers. The rest of their schedule includes matchups against the Chiefs, Buccaneers, and Patriots providing McConkey a chance to continue his stretch of WR1 play.
Moore has been one of the biggest takeaways here in the last few weeks post-Shane Waldron era. He has capitalized on his consistent involvement in the Chicago offense, recording seven or more receptions for 90 or more receiving yards and at least one touchdown in each of the last two games. He has at least 7 catches in three straight games and saw 16 targets last week against Detroit. Moore does have a tough schedule ahead, but the volume and route changes are helping Moore see a second half comeback.
Aaron Jones Has Major Red Flags
Jones has been trending in the wrong direction in the last few weeks with only one performance over 12.2 points in the last six weeks. Jones salvaged an inefficient day by catching a game-winning touchdown. He finished the day with 5 carries for 22 yards while hauling in 3 catches for 6 yards and that receiving touchdown. Jones has struggled with fumbles in recent weeks with two on Sunday and has fumbled in four straight games. This led to Jones only playing 17 snaps in the second half while Cam Akers saw 13 snaps.
The veteran has a good track record but with the number of fumbles he has had in recent weeks, I am not sure he returns to the bell-cow role he started the season with. Both Akers and Ty Chandler appear to have increasing roles within the Vikings offense due to Jones’ struggles. Jones in his last six games has fallen below 4 yards per carry three times and with a lack of efficiency, he will not be able to capitalize on a reduced role. The Vikings have a decent playoff schedule, but Jones’ rest of the season outlook is grim.
Running Back Notes
Isiah Pacheco returned to the Chiefs’ lineup after missing 9 games. It shaped out to be a true split between Pacheco and Kareem Hunt on early downs while Samaje Perine operated as the primary 3rd down back. Pacheco had a big 34-yard gain in the third quarter and finished the day with 44 rushing yards while Hunt only had 15 rushing yards on 7 carries. Hunt has been trending in the wrong direction over the last few weeks and will likely see his role decrease more over the next few weeks. Pacheco on the other hand will continue to increase his role and play over 65% of snaps. Pacheco might still be a risky play next week as they get him up to speed.
With J.K. Dobbins heading to IR, Gus Edwards slotted in as the main running back for the Chargers. Edwards led the backfield with a 52.2% snap share but had only 6 carries. Vidal followed him with a 26.1% snap share for 4 carries. I mentioned I liked Vidal’s upside due to Edwards never having a role as a receiver in his career, but Edwards led all Chargers running backs in routes run. With the current state of the Chargers’ backfield, I expect them to lean more into the passing game. Edwards and Vidal should be rostered in every league but are not worth starting this week against the Chiefs.
After the injuries to Alexander Mattison and Zamir White, Ameer Abdullah stepped up last week as the primary running back finishing with 17.5 points. Sincere McCormick averaged 6.6 yards per carry last week and it allowed him to have a bigger role this week. Abdullah led the backfield with 42 snaps while McCormick had 26 snaps. Both running backs split time on early downs while Abdullah operated as the third down back. McCormick gave the Raiders a spark on the ground game and has looked like the most effective runner the Raiders have had this season. This backfield is hard to trust in fantasy starting lineups, but McCormick is worth taking a look at on waivers.
After last week’s three-headed committee in New York, the Giants made Devin Singletary the starter. Despite being the most talented back, Tracy has had fumbling problems this season which have caused him to have a reduced role in the offense. Tracy dominated the backfield in snaps but only finished with two more carries than Singletary. On the positive side of things, Tracy reestablished his role as the third down back and the two-minute drill back. Despite him having a decent output in Week 13, one of my takeaways is that it is hard to trust Tyrone Tracy for the rest of this season in fantasy football.
Jonathan Brooks had a limited role in his debut last week but increased his role this week. Brooks received 14 total snaps while seeing 2 goal-line touches. He finished the day with 6 carries for 18 yards while hauling in all 3 of his targets for 23 yards. While Chuba Hubbard remains the guy in Carolina, it limits Brooks potential, but it makes him a premium handcuff to own. We have seen multiple backfields support two running backs this season and the Panthers have one of the best schedules for running backs ahead making Brooks someone you should stash.
Pass Catcher Notes
The Chiefs finally went to their best three receivers on the field for a majority of the game. DeAndre Hopkins led the team in snaps played and routes run while Xavier Worthy and Juju Smith-Schuster followed him. This will continue to be the trend in Kansas City as all of the wide receivers are up to speed and healthy. We will see this rotation change again in Week 17 with the return of Hollywood Brown but that will have little impact on fantasy football. DeAndre Hopkins value has increased with the increased role.
The Panthers passing game continues to look better with Bryce Young playing the best football of his career. Adam Thielen led the group this week with 10 targets for 99 yards and a touchdown slotting into an increased role in his second game back. Since Thielen returned the target share splits in Carolina have been Moore at 25.7%, Thielen at 18.9%, Legette at 18.9%, and Tremble at 13.5%. Once Jalen Coker returns, David Moore will have a reduced role on the outside while Thielen and Legette will hold their volumes. Both Thielen and Legette are worth rostering right now.
Brandon Cooks returned to the lineup and had 3 catches for 16 yards with a touchdown on 7 targets. Although Cooks had a decent day, he finished with only 30 snaps played slotting in as the WR3. Jalen Tolbert had 54 snaps, Jonathan Mingo had 25 snaps, Jalen Brooks had 22 snaps, and KaVonte Turpin had 14 snaps. I am not sure we see Cooks return to his 80% snap share that we have seen in his time as a Cowboy. The Cowboys have young players like Tolbert, Mingo, and Brooks who are developing and playing better as of late. Outside of CeeDee Lamb, there are no other Cowboys receivers worth rostering.
Romeo Doubs was inactive this week due to a concussion which led to an increased role for Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks. Watson and Wicks led the Packers receiving room in snaps played while also having the most routes run. Jayden Reed did not see an increase in his usage and had a solid day in fantasy football due to his two touchdown catches. With Doubs out, Watson has more value but should not be trusted in starting lineups as he has yet to record more than four catches in a game this season. The Packers’ wide receivers should be avoided in starting lineups for the rest of the season.
Breakout Performances
Each Week I like to highlight three players whose stock is rising after a breakout performance.
The Current State of WR’s in Fantasy Football
The receiver position has been disappointing this season with superstar players not living up to their potential. Week 13 was no different with names like Parker Washington, Adam Thielen, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine being three of the highest ten scorers at wide receiver. Keenan Allen has been on a heater as of late making this twice in the last two weeks in a late-season turnaround. Ja’Marr Chase and Ladd McConkey have lived on this list this season but for the other guys it has been rare to find the top ten. Below are the top ten receivers from Week 13.
- Terry McLaurin (WAS) 27.3 Points
- Mike Evans (TB) 25.8 Points
- Keenan Allen (CHI) 24.3 Points
- Parker Washington (JAX) 24.3 Points
- Adam Thielen (CAR) 23.9 Points
- DJ Moore (CHI) 23.7 Points
- Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (TEN) 21.1 Points
- Ladd McConkey (LAC) 20.7 Points
- Ja’Marr Chase (CIN) 20.6 Points
- Tyreek Hill (MIA) 20.3 Points
Injury Notes
Several injuries significantly impacted the fantasy football landscape. Christian McCaffrey and Taysom Hill will miss the entire season due to knee injuries. Ladd McConkey has been on fire lately but could miss this week due to a knee injury. Dallas Goedert has been heating up as of late but left the game with a knee sprain that may keep him out for multiple weeks. Trevor Lawrence, Roschon Johnson, Noah Brown, and Calvin Austin all suffered concussions putting their status in jeopardy. From early reports, it looks like CeeDee Lamb will be good to go this week.
Christian McCaffrey (SF): Out for the Season
Trevor Lawrence (JAX): Week to Week
Taysom Hill (NO): Out for the Season
CeeDee Lamb (DAL): Day to Day
Ladd McConkey (LAC): Week to Week
Dallas Goedert (PHI): Week to Week
Rashod Bateman (BAL): Day to Day
Roschon Johnson (CHI): Week to Week
Noah Brown (WAS): Week to Week
Calvin Austin III (PIT): Week to Week
Demarcus Robinson (LAR): Week to Week
For all of the Week 13 Reactions in Fantasy Football check out this YouTube Video
