Week 13 Positional Rankings

Welcome to the last week of the fantasy football regular season (in many dynasty leagues). You have made it this far, and if you’re still reading a weekly rankings article, that means you still have meaningful games ahead of you: congratulations!! In what has been easily the most hectic NFL season I can remember, those who put in the work each and every week have absolutely been rewarded. Whether this week is the first round of your playoffs, you are fighting for a first-round bye, or you are fighting just to be in the playoff dance altogether, this article will help you make those critical lineup decisions.

One of the most challenging aspects of providing this article each week is the possibility of COVID delays. Hence, I will assume that – as of this writing – all games will be played. That way, I can provide the most information possible for you in case these games do wind up occurring.

In this series, I’ll give you my top 30 quarterbacks, 60 running backs, 60 wide receivers, and 30 tight ends each week to help you with your start/sit decisions in your leagues. To generate this list each and every week, I examine team trends, Vegas over/unders, implied points, pace of play, among various other factors to build a projection for each player and subsequently adjust rankings for upside and more detailed matchup specifics.

Among the rankings, there will surely be some that surprise you or that you may disagree with. At the end of each position section, I’ll give you my thoughts on some players that perhaps are ranked higher/lower than you might expect and insights as to why they are a good/bad play this week. Ultimately, these rankings should help your start/sit dilemmas and ensure you have the requisite resources to make an informed decision.

Without further ado, let’s dive into week 13’s positional rankings!

Quarterback

Pos	Player	Matchup	Rank
QB	Patrick Mahomes II	DEN	1
QB	Russell Wilson	NYG	2
QB	Aaron Rodgers	PHI	3
QB	Josh Allen	@SF	4
QB	Ryan Tannehill	CLE	5
QB	Deshaun Watson	IND	6
QB	Justin Herbert	NE	7
QB	Kyler Murray	LAR	8
QB	Kirk Cousins	JAC	9
QB	Lamar Jackson	DAL	10
QB	Taysom Hill	@ATL	11
QB	Ryan Fitzpatrick	CIN	12
QB	Ben Roethlisberger	WAS	13
QB	Derek Carr	@NYJ	14
QB	Cam Newton	@LAC	15
QB	Matt Ryan	NO	16
QB	Philip Rivers	@HOU	17
QB	Jared Goff	@ARI	18
QB	Mitchell Trubisky	DET	19
QB	Carson Wentz	@GB	20
QB	Matthew Stafford	@CHI	21
QB	Baker Mayfield	@TEN	22
QB	Nick Mullens	BUF	23
QB	Sam Darnold	LV	24
QB	Andy Dalton	@BAL	25
QB	Mike Glennon	@MIN	26
QB	Drew Lock	@KC	27
QB	Colt McCoy	@SEA	28
QB	Alex Smith	@PIT	29
QB	Brandon Allen	@MIA	30

Start ‘em: Kirk Cousins, QB MIN

Over the past four weeks, Cousins has been a top quarterback option in fantasy football. Ranking as the QB7 in points per game over this stretch, Cousins has had a two-touchdown floor and has thrown for 290 yards in each of his last three games.

This week, the Vikings take on the 1-11 Jaguars team that has downright given up on the season. Minnesota is a 10.5 point favorite and have the second-highest implied team total of the week at 30.75 points. Projected for over four touchdowns as a team, the Vikings should score early and often, and Cousins will be the main part of that scoring. Consider him a safe QB1 option and, if things break right, could be a top-five option on the week.

Sit ‘em: Carson Wentz, QB PHI

It’s no secret that Wentz has been simply terrible from a real-football perspective this season. The once-dynasty QB1 overall leads the league in turnovers, and as evidenced by his team’s five straight three-and-outs to start last week’s game, has been struggling to move the ball down the field. However, perhaps shockingly, Wentz has been a QB1 in the 2020 fantasy football season, ranking as QB11 on the year.

While Wentz does get star tight end Zach Ertz back from injury, week 13 projects to be tough sledding for the veteran quarterback. The Eagles have just a 20 point implied team total – in line with teams like the Jaguars, Jets, and Broncos – and Green Bay ranks towards the best in the league at defending quarterbacks in fantasy football. Wentz has a low floor in week 13, and it could cost you your fantasy matchup.

If you’re desperate: Derek Carr, QB LV

I completely understand if you won’t let Carr come anywhere near your fantasy football lineups the rest of the year. Carr’s week 12 performance will go down as one of the worst fantasy football quarterback performances of all time, particularly given all the positive forces he had going for him heading into that week. Football is a week-to-week sports, however, and as such, it is prudent to evaluate Carr again for week 13. The Raiders take on the winless Jets, and as a team they have a solid 27 point implied team total as eight-point favorites.

The Jets have been the fourth-worst team against opposing quarterbacks for fantasy football this season, and Carr’s projection for week 13 should be in line with other QB2 type plays on the week. He brings a wide range of outcomes – as we saw last week – but there are few options in this range with a better chance of being a QB1 on the week. If you’re desperate and not scarred from last week, start Carr again.

Running Back

Pos	Player	Matchup	Rank
RB	Dalvin Cook	JAC	1
RB	Derrick Henry	CLE	2
RB	Nick Chubb	@TEN	3
RB	James Robinson	@MIN	4
RB	Austin Ekeler	NE	5
RB	Chris Carson	NYG	6
RB	Aaron Jones	PHI	7
RB	Miles Sanders	@GB	8
RB	Ezekiel Elliott	@BAL	9
RB	David Montgomery	DET	10
RB	Wayne Gallman	@SEA	11
RB	Kenyan Drake	LAR	12
RB	Antonio Gibson	@PIT	13
RB	Raheem Mostert	BUF	14
RB	Alvin Kamara	@ATL	15
RB	Clyde Edwards-Helaire	DEN	16
RB	J.K. Dobbins	DAL	17
RB	Kareem Hunt	@TEN	18
RB	D’Andre Swift	@CHI	19
RB	Jonathan Taylor	@HOU	20
RB	Melvin Gordon III	@KC	21
RB	Damien Harris	@LAC	22
RB	Devontae Booker	@NYJ	23
RB	Myles Gaskin	CIN	24
RB	Nyheim Hines	@HOU	25
RB	David Johnson	IND	26
RB	Latavius Murray	@ATL	27
RB	Benny Snell Jr.	WAS	28
RB	Frank Gore	LV	29
RB	Todd Gurley II	NO	30
RB	Giovani Bernard	@MIA	31
RB	Chase Edmonds	LAR	32
RB	Devin Singletary	@SF	33
RB	Zack Moss	@SF	34
RB	Cam Akers	@ARI	35
RB	Jamaal Williams	PHI	36
RB	Darrell Henderson	@ARI	37
RB	Gus Edwards	DAL	38
RB	James White	@LAC	39
RB	Duke Johnson Jr.	IND	40
RB	Carlos Hyde	NYG	41
RB	Le’Veon Bell	DEN	42
RB	Phillip Lindsay	@KC	43
RB	J.D. McKissic	@PIT	44
RB	Brian Hill	NO	45
RB	Adrian Peterson	@CHI	46
RB	Malcolm Brown	@ARI	47
RB	Tony Pollard	@BAL	48
RB	Joshua Kelley	NE	49
RB	Jordan Wilkins	@HOU	50
RB	Jerick McKinnon	BUF	51
RB	Boston Scott	@GB	52
RB	Kerryon Johnson	@CHI	53
RB	Anthony McFarland Jr.	WAS	54
RB	Samaje Perine	@MIA	55
RB	Jalen Richard	@NYJ	56
RB	Ito Smith	NO	57
RB	Mark Ingram II	DAL	58
RB	Jeremy McNichols	CLE	59
RB	Darrel Williams	DEN	60

Start ‘em: David Montgomery, RB CHI

Montgomery came back to the Bears lineup after the bye and had his best game of the entire 2020 season against a beatable Packers run defense. Perhaps most importantly, Montgomery is seeing consistent volume in the passing game, registering at least five targets in all but one of his last seven games. While the second-year back only has three total touchdowns on the season, he still ranks as RB15 overall in PPR formats.

In a great matchup against Detroit, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs on the season, Montgomery should continue his success as a focal point of the Bears’ offense. He’s a low-end RB1 in fantasy football’s pivotal week 13.

Sit ‘em: Duke Johnson, RB HOU

Johnson’s four-game streak of at least 12 touches looks to be coming to an end on Sunday as teammate David Johnson returns from his multi-week absence from the team. While Duke could continue to see looks as a pass-catching option given Will Fuller’s surprise suspension, fantasy managers shouldn’t rely on Duke to get them to that pivot playoff win/bye/birth.

The Texans take on a stout Colts defense that – other than to Derrick Henry – has been the best defense against running backs in fantasy football. The Texans have an implied team total of 23.75 points in a game that overall has one of the lower over/unders on the week. Duke ranks simply as an RB4/FLEX option due to his low overall ceiling, and fantasy managers shouldn’t expect more than a handful of touches overall from the veteran running back.

If you’re desperate: Myles Gaskin, RB MIA

In the early part of the 2020 season, Gaskin was shaping up to be one of the best values at running back. The second-year back commanded double-digit touches in every one of Miami’s games from weeks one through eight and slowly but surely saw his role increase. From weeks three through eight, Gaskin was the RB17 in points per game, averaging a solid 14.7 points in PPR formats.

The Bengals have allowed the third-most rushing yards to opposing running backs in 2020, and the Dolphins have a solid 27 point implied team total. In what will likely be a positive game-script day for the Dolphins, Gaskin should stand to benefit. Even just 10-15 touches will allow for Gaskin to be a usable RB2/FLEX option this week.

Wide Receiver

Pos	Player	Matchup	Rank
WR	Davante Adams	PHI	1
WR	Tyreek Hill	DEN	2
WR	D.K. Metcalf	NYG	3
WR	A.J. Brown	CLE	4
WR	Adam Thielen	JAC	5
WR	Keenan Allen	NE	6
WR	Calvin Ridley	NO	7
WR	Justin Jefferson	JAC	8
WR	Tyler Lockett	NYG	9
WR	Terry McLaurin	@PIT	10
WR	Stefon Diggs	@SF	11
WR	DeAndre Hopkins	LAR	12
WR	DeVante Parker	CIN	13
WR	Allen Robinson II	DET	14
WR	Brandin Cooks	IND	15
WR	Cooper Kupp	@ARI	16
WR	Diontae Johnson	WAS	17
WR	Julio Jones	NO	18
WR	Robert Woods	@ARI	19
WR	Jarvis Landry	@TEN	20
WR	Amari Cooper	@BAL	21
WR	Michael Thomas	@ATL	22
WR	Deebo Samuel	BUF	23
WR	Chase Claypool	WAS	24
WR	JuJu Smith-Schuster	WAS	25
WR	D.J. Chark Jr.	@MIN	26
WR	Corey Davis	CLE	27
WR	Jamison Crowder	LV	28
WR	Michael Pittman Jr.	@HOU	29
WR	CeeDee Lamb	@BAL	30
WR	Marvin Jones Jr.	@CHI	31
WR	Jakobi Meyers	@LAC	32
WR	Tyler Boyd	@MIA	33
WR	Tee Higgins	@MIA	34
WR	Jerry Jeudy	@KC	35
WR	Cole Beasley	@SF	36
WR	Brandon Aiyuk	BUF	37
WR	Sterling Shepard	@SEA	38
WR	T.Y. Hilton	@HOU	39
WR	Mike Williams	NE	40
WR	Breshad Perriman	LV	41
WR	Nelson Agholor	@NYJ	42
WR	Darius Slayton	@SEA	43
WR	Christian Kirk	LAR	44
WR	Marquise Brown	DAL	45
WR	Jalen Reagor	@GB	46
WR	Sammy Watkins	DEN	47
WR	Allen Lazard	PHI	48
WR	Denzel Mims	LV	49
WR	Keelan Cole Sr.	@MIN	50
WR	Tim Patrick	@KC	51
WR	Henry Ruggs III	@NYJ	52
WR	Gabriel Davis	@SF	53
WR	Keke Coutee	IND	54
WR	Josh Reynolds	@ARI	55
WR	Michael Gallup	@BAL	56
WR	Darnell Mooney	DET	57
WR	Laviska Shenault Jr.	@MIN	58
WR	Marquez Valdes-Scantling	PHI	59
WR	Rashard Higgins	@TEN	60

Start ‘em: Jarvis Landry, WR CLE

While Landry’s target share has been solid all season, particularly since teammate Odell Beckham went down, his production from a fantasy football standpoint had been lackluster. Through the first 11 weeks of the 2020 season, Landry failed to record a single touchdown and surpassed 50 yards receiving just three times. After a monster performance in week 12 where Landry scored his first touchdown in addition to putting up over 140 yards receiving, fantasy managers should be confident plugging in Landry as a WR2 option in a pivotal week 13.

The Browns take on the Titans and have a decent 24 point implied team total, but more importantly for this matchup, the Titans have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers on the season. Overall, the Titans-Browns game is expected to be one of the highest-scoring this week, and Landry should continue his recent success.

Sit ‘em: Christian Kirk, WR ARI

Since a trio of 20+ point fantasy football performances, Kirk has disappointed in each of the last three weeks. The third-year wideout has not topped nine PPR points since week nine despite seeing six targets in each of the last three games. While Arizona’s offense as a whole has taken a bit of a step back recently, Kirk’s performances leave fantasy managers in key spots wondering what to do with the talented receiver.

Ultimately, this week brings a tough matchup for Kirk as the Cardinals face the LA Rams, who have allowed the second-fewest points to opposing wide receivers this season. Overall, with the Cardinals having just a 22.5 implied team total, this is not the week to start one of their secondary options, particularly if your trip to the fantasy playoffs is on the line.

If you’re desperate: DJ Chark, WR JAC

After missing last week’s matchup against the Browns, Chark is set to return to a great matchup against Minnesota. The Vikings have been a very favorable matchup for opposing wide receivers all season, allowing the third-most fantasy points to the position. In his active games this season, Chark has been seeing top tier volume in the Jaguars (dismal) offense.

Chark’s 21% target share per game ranks best among the team, but perhaps more importantly his 34% air yard share ranks top 15 in the NFL among receivers with 60 targets. Chark is a big play waiting to happen, but without one has been hit or miss as a fantasy player. The Jaguars offense and their 20.25 implied team total hold Chark back from being anything more than a desperation WR3 for dynasty managers.

Tight End

Pos	Player	Matchup	Rank
TE	Travis Kelce	DEN	1
TE	Darren Waller	@NYJ	2
TE	T.J. Hockenson	@CHI	3
TE	Robert Tonyan	PHI	4
TE	Hunter Henry	NE	5
TE	Zach Ertz	@GB	6
TE	Hayden Hurst	NO	7
TE	Evan Engram	@SEA	8
TE	Dallas Goedert	@GB	9
TE	Eric Ebron	WAS	10
TE	Mike Gesicki	CIN	11
TE	Noah Fant	@KC	12
TE	Austin Hooper	@TEN	13
TE	Trey Burton	@HOU	14
TE	Kyle Rudolph	JAC	15
TE	Jordan Reed	BUF	16
TE	Anthony Firkser	CLE	17
TE	Dalton Schultz	@BAL	18
TE	Logan Thomas	@PIT	19
TE	Jordan Akins	IND	20
TE	Tyler Higbee	@ARI	21
TE	Jimmy Graham	DET	22
TE	Gerald Everett	@ARI	23
TE	Tyler Eifert	@MIN	24
TE	Jared Cook	@ATL	25
TE	Jacob Hollister	NYG	26
TE	Dawson Knox	@SF	27
TE	Mo Alie-Cox	@HOU	28
TE	Drew Sample	@MIA	29
TE	Darren Fells	IND	30

Start ‘em: Robert Tonyan, TE GB

One of 2020’s biggest breakout tight ends, Tonyan has put together another string of solid performances as of late. With at least 15 fantasy points in each of the last two weeks, Tonyan is a must-start option at tight end. The Packers have a very high 29 point team total in week 13 against a very beatable Eagles team, which bodes well for Tonyan and the rest of the Packers’ offense.

In comparison to other tight ends, Tonyan is used as a deep threat option. The breakout tight end’s 9.2 average depth of target ranks sixth among tight ends with 30 or more targets. Combining high-value, deep-ball looks with a league-leading seven touchdowns, and you have yourself a top-five TE option for dynasty players.

Sit ‘em: Jared Cook, TE NO

If you have Cook on your roster, then you’ve probably put his face on a milk carton and sent it to your league-mates. After scoring double-digit fantasy points in four of seven games to start the season, Cook has just three catches for 36 yards combined in each of his last four games.

While the Saints have the best matchup for tight ends coming up – the Atlanta Falcons – Cook should not be in starting lineups in a crucial week 13 matchup for fantasy players. Between his lack of snaps (a maximum of 38% since week nine), Taysom Hill’s run-first gameplan, and Cook’s own struggles, there’s simply no reason to risk your fantasy season playing the veteran tight end.

If you’re desperate: Jordan Reed, TE SF

If you’re this far into your fantasy football season and desperate for a tight end option, Reed may provide the upside you need for a fantasy football win this week. The veteran tight end has filled in well for George Kittle when healthy – all things considered in a bad 49ers passing offense – and gets a good matchup in week 13.

The 49ers face the Buffalo Bills and their defense that has allowed the second-most points to tight ends on the season. While Reed is certainly a risky play, he brings touchdown upside in a good matchup and has earned six targets in each of the last two weeks. You can certainly do worse if you’re desperate for tight end production.

That concludes this week’s rankings article! If you’re wondering about a player I didn’t dive into detail about, feel free to reach out to me @FFzinger on Twitter. Best of luck this week, and I’ll be back next week to give week 14’s positional rankings.