Fantasy football advice, Week 13: Who to start/sit for Chiefs vs. Raiders
Can the Chiefs possibly be as good as they’ve looked the last few weeks?
There was a brief time when the Oakland Raiders looked like potential contenders in the AFC, but after a slump, the team needed a Week 12 win just to get to 5-6. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs were a disaster early in the season, sitting at 1-5, but have won five in a row since to get to 6-5 and are suddenly in the thick of the playoff race. Sunday, the two teams face off in a game with significant playoff implications.
The Chiefs will be without wide receiver De'Anthony Thomas Sunday, but expect to have tight end Travis Kelce and running backs Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware all ready to go despite their injuries. On the Oakland side, the Raiders should have all their fantasy-relevant players healthy and fine for Sunday.
The Raiders host the Chiefs Sunday, with kickoff scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET. Let’s take a look at the fantasy names to consider:
CHIEFS
Start ‘em: You'd like more weekly consistency out of Travis Kelce, but he still has a better shot at a big game than just about any other tight end. ... Cairo Santos has had nine-plus fantasy points in five straight games. Start him. ... The Chiefs' defense struggled in Week 12, but had been a fantasy monster for several weeks in a row before that.
Start ‘em?: You get a high floor out of Alex Smith most weeks, but he also doesn't offer much in the way of ceiling. He's a QB2 with only marginal upside. ... With both Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware on the field and apparently healthy, the Chiefs will go to a committee situation, making both guys flex plays with limited upside. ... Jeremy Maclin had a monster Week 12, but he'd been very average for more than a month before that.
Sit ‘em: Behind Kelce and Maclin, there haven't been many targets available to guys like Albert Wilson.
RAIDERS
Start ‘em: You're using Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper every week. They're easy WR2 options.
Start ‘em?: A bit of the shine is off the early rose of Derek Carr. He's a QB2 at this point, albeit with big upside. ... Latavius Murray had 34 fantasy points in Week 2 and 3; since then, he's averaged only 8.8 fantasy points a game. He's a flex play at this point, not a sure starter. ... Sebastian Janikowski has been good more than he's been not-good this season.
Sit ‘em: Since 24 fantasy point in a four-game stretch, Clive Walford has totaled only three in his last two. ... The Raiders' defense equaled its best fantasy game of the season in Week 12, but still, it doesn't have a lot of upside.
SUMMARY
Start in every league: Travis Kelce, Cairo Santos, Kansas City defense, Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper
Start if you're desperate: Alex Smith, Charcandrick West, Spencer Ware, Jeremy Maclin, Derek Carr, Latavius Murray, Sebastian Janikowski
Bench: Albert Wilson, Clive Walford, Oakland defense
