It’s the last week of the regular season for the majority of fantasy leagues. Hopefully you’ve already locked up a playoff berth, but if you’re fighting for one last matchup, you might need a little help setting that final lineup.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 13
We’re one week away from the start of the fantasy playoffs in most leagues. Let’s take a look at some of the best and worst matchups to prepare you for the last week of the regular season.
Last week’s advice featured starting Isaiah Crowell, Josh Gordon and Anquan Boldin. Jay Cutler, Tre Mason and Larry Donnell let us down, but the recommended sits looked great.
As we head into the weekend, let’s look at the recommended lineup options for Week 13.
Start
QB Ryan Tannehill at Jets: The Jets allow the third-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. They've given up the most touchdown passes (27) and picked off the fewest passes (3) among all defenses in 2014. Tannehill has completed over 70 percent of his passes in four consecutive games and scored 10 touchdowns in that span. He's easily a QB1 stream again for Week 13.
QB Eli Manning at Jaguars: After throwing five interceptions in Week 11, Manning bounced back with 338 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday night. The Giants offense looks vastly improved with the versatile Rashad Jennings back and rookie Odell Beckham Jr. making ridiculous catches all over the field. The Jaguars have allowed 19 touchdown passes and forced just five interceptions all year. Time to consider Manning as a QB1 again.
RB Jeremy Hill at Buccaneers: Giovani Bernard is back in the mix, but Hill was still able to see 19 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown in Week 12. Now he gets a Buccaneers defense that gives up the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. Hill is averaging 4.91 yards per carry and should continue to command the bigger workload in the running game. With the way he's playing, he holds RB2 value even with Bernard starting.
RB LeGarrette Blount at Packers: Vegas foresees this to be a high-scoring matchup, with over/under lines nearing the 60-point mark. The Packers defense allows 4.25 yards per carry and 136.7 rush yards per game, ranking No. 30 in the league. Blount might have surprised football fans with his Week 12 breakout, but it's clear he's a great fit for what the Patriots want to do on the ground. This is another matchup where they should utilize the power running game, and while Blount could be switched out with Jonas Gray at any time, I think he stays ahead in the carry count and gets a few goal-line touches.
WR Jarvis Landry at Jets: If I'm confident about Tannehill, it's no surprise I'm big on Landry as well for Week 13. The rookie wide receiver has posted double-digit PPR finishes in four straight games. He also has four touchdowns and the most targets out of any Dolphins receiver in that span. Tannehill continues to target Landry near the goal line, and given the duo's success in recent weeks, it's easy to bet on them against a weak pass defense.
WR Kenny Stills at Steelers: With Brandin Cooks out, Stills is reaping the benefits of an expanded workload. The Saints threw him several screens last week against the Ravens, adding some versatility to his targets. He posted a season-high eight catches in that game. According to Rich Hribar of XN Sports, Stills has the second-most targets on the Saints over the past six games. Start him with confidence in what should be a close matchup against Pittsburgh.
TE Travis Kelce vs. Broncos: Consistency is not his game, but Kelce is the TE10 for standard leagues through 12 weeks. The Chiefs continue to increase his snaps every game. Now they just need to feed him the ball. Kansas City will find itself in a shootout against Peyton Manning. Kelce is the best bet to provide a threat in the passing game. He's not a starter you always feel confident about, but he should find better success in a potentially high-scoring matchup.
Sit
QB Josh McCown vs. Bengals: Cincinnati has allowed the fewest touchdown passes in the league, giving up only 11 scores in as many games. McCown threw for over 300 yards again in Week 12, but he also turned the ball over three times and score just one touchdown. Facing a much tougher defense than those he's played in the last three games, McCown is back in the sit discussion.
QB Colt McCoy at Colts: The quarterback carousel just keeps rotating in Washington. McCoy takes the reigns again, and after seeing his work in two starts this season, no fantasy owner can fire him up as a starter. The Colts held Blake Bortles to 146 yards in Week 12. While Washington is clearly more of a threat offensively than Jacksonville, McCoy can't be trusted in any format.
RB Trent Richardson vs. Washington: Dan Herron got the start last week and while he played fewer snaps than Richardson, he still received more touches. Washington allows just 3.64 yards per carry to opposing running backs. Richardson has three receptions in his last three games. He's a low-end option for standard leagues. Look for options with more upside.
RB Steven Jackson vs. Cardinals: Arizona ranks No. 3 in rush yards allowed per game and No. 1 in fewest fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. The Cardinals have allowed one running back to score in the past five games. Jackson is a touchdown-dependent flex play most weeks. Despite his recent uptick in points scored, this is a matchup to avoid.
WR Michael Floyd/John Brown at Falcons: Another stat from Hribar, Floyd is the only Cardinals wide receiver to break the 70-yard mark with Drew Stanton under center, and that happened just once in Week 3. Stanton is not producing any fantasy studs as the starting quarterback in Arizona. This is decent matchup against a weaker Falcons defense, but do you really want to bet on one of these wideouts in crunch time?
TE Mychal Rivera at Rams: With four catches for 48 yards over his last two games, Rivera's value continues to fade. The Rams have allowed two touchdowns to opposing tight ends all season. Time to find another tight end streamer.
