Week 13 is upon us and the time is now to secure our playoff hopes, making this the hardest start/sit week of the season. To make matters worse there are four teams on byes this week including the Panthers, Browns, Packers and Titans. I have a few key starts and sits to cover to hopefully help you win your week and secure that playoff birth!
Week 13 Start/Sit Quarterbacks
Start: Derek Carr (Las Vegas Raiders)
This past week we saw Derek Carr pick apart a Cowboys defense, throwing for 373 yards, and a touchdown. He also added 21 yards on the ground. This allowed him to break the 20 point threshold, finishing with 21 points and as the QB6. The Cowboys are allowing the 10th most points to quarterbacks this season. Now this week he draws the Football team who is allowing the most points to fantasy quarterbacks. They are allowing over 25 points a week to the position. I expect Derek Carr to repeat his top 12 finish in Week 13. This makes him a must start in my Week 13 start/sits.
Sit: Mac Jones (New England Patriots)
I know coming off a QB5 finish last week where he threw for over 300 yards and 2 touchdowns, I may sound crazy. However most of the season Mac Jones has been a serviceable QB2-3. He has only broke the 20 point mark twice this season. In Week 13 he faces off against the Buffalo bills on Monday Night Football in Buffalo. This game will have many implications and I expect the Bills defense to step up to the plate. Currently the Bills are the best against fantasy quarterbacks only allowing 12 points a week to them. I expect Mac Jones to finish right around that point total, this makes him a sit for me this week.
Week 13 Start/Sit Running Backs
Start: Alexander Mattison (Minnesota Vikings)
With the injury to Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison will step up into the lead role for the Vikings. He has been here before over the past few seasons, when filling in he has been extremely reliable for fantasy managers. In Week 3 he took 26 carries for 112 yards and 6 receptions for 59, scoring over 23 PPR points. He followed that up in Week 5 with another 25 carry game in which he rushed for 113 yards and took 7 receptions for 40 yards. Totaling over 26 PPR points against this weeks opponent the Lions. The Lions have continued there struggles all year against running backs and rank third worst allowing over 28 points a week. For these reason Alexander Mattison is a must start in my Week 13 Start/sits.
Sit: Alex Collins (Seattle Seahawks)
I know many of us managers have tried to give Alex Collins a chance, mainly do to injuries. However the time has come to cut ties with him in most leagues. Since his blow up game in Week 6 against the Steelers where he scored 15 PPR points he has produced no more than 5 ppr points. He has seen less and less carries each week down to his lowest since Week 4 last week at 7 carries. Even in a matchup that is in his favor I do not think he produces anything more than 7 points this week. This makes him a must sit for me in my Week 13 Start/sits.
Week 13 Start/Sit Wide Receivers
Start: Brandon Aiyuk (San Francisco 49ers)
It appears that the super rookie that we saw last season may have finally returned. Over the past 5 games Brandon Aiyuk has been more involved and produced 4 double digit point weeks. In Week 11 he scored 21 points against the Jaguars. He has seen over 6 targets in 4 of the last 5 games, and he has scored two touchdowns in this span. This week it appears that Deebo Samuel will be out of the lineup. This will allow for more targets and opportunities to flow to Brandon Aiyuk. Facing an average Seahawks defense this week who allows over 35 points to the position a week, should allow for an opportunity to produce a solid PPR point total. I expect him to finish as a high end WR2 making him a must start in any format in Week 13.
Sit: Elijah Moore (New York Jets)
One of the highest rated rookies this season many people expected a huge season from Elijah Moore. It did not start off that way, however since Week 7 he has managed to put it all together and score double digit points in every week in PPR. Expect one week, last week when Zach Wilson returned. He saw 8 targets however was only able to reel in 4 of them for 46 yards. This week the Jets face off against the Eagles who currently allow only 28 points to the position a week. This is third best against fantasy wide receivers. With a struggling rookie quarterback and a tough matchup Elijah Moore is a must sit for me in my Week 13 start/sits.
Week 13 Start/Sit Tight End
Start: Pat Freiermuth (Pittsburgh Steelers)
This rookie tight end counties to produce for fantasy football. Since the Steelers Week 7 bye he has scored double digit points in every week but one. Last week he saw 4 targets which he turned into 4 receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown. He has 5 touchdowns over the last 5 weeks, he is a key target in the red zone. He has become a very reliable tight end this year for fantasy football. This week the Steelers face the Ravens wo allow over 18 points a week to the position. I expect Pat Freiermuth to find the endzone this week, continuing his double digit point production streak. This makes him a must start in my Week 13 Start/sits.
Sit: Cole Kmet (Chicago Bears)
Over the last three weeks we have seen Cole Kmet emerge as a possible start in fantasy football. He had an 8 target game in Week 9 against the steelers producing 14 PPR points, and then an 11 target game on Thanksgiving also producing 14 PPR points. However this week he faces the Cardinals who are the best aginsat fantasy tight ends.They only allow 7.9 points a week to the position currently. Even in a positive game script I expect Cole Kmet to struggle. He has to be a sit this week ns a bad matchup for him. As a result I expect a very low point total from him this week.
