Fantasy football projections, Week 13: Cowboys-Vikings featuring Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, Stefon Diggs, more

The Week 13 matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings features two star receivers capable of making big plays going toe-to-toe. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott enters Week 13 just one yard shy of 1,200 yards rushing on the season. Combine that with the fact that he has 11 rushing touchdowns this year and the case could be made that he should be both Offensive Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player. Elliott once again stole the show in Week 12. He ran all over Washington for 97 yards and two touchdowns. On Thursday, he faces a Vikings defense that has given up the second-fewest fantasy points to running backs this season. The stats don’t really matter, because fantasy owners know that Elliott is going to produce no matter who he is facing. He should still beat his projections. Even in a tough road game.

If for whatever reason Elliott struggles, quarterback Dak Prescott will lead the charge through the passing game. Prescott was limited to just 17 completions, 195 passing yards and one touchdown against Washington last week. He didn’t need to do much because his running back took over the game. Fortunately for Prescott’s fantasy owners, his fantasy stats on the season are still excellent even when Elliott plays out of this world, which is all of the time. Finding open receivers in Minnesota is going to be a challenge however, so those resting their fantasy playoff hopes on Prescott’s arm wouldn’t be absolutely crazy to consider starting a different quarterback. Still, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Prescott fails to reach his projected totals in back-to-back games. That hasn’t really been a problem this season.

Stefon Diggs is expected to play on Thursday after returning to practice during the week. Diggs missed the team’s Week 12 Thanksgiving day loss to the Detroit Lions to rest his ailing knee. Prior to sitting out, Diggs had seen an incredible 49 targets in the previous four games combined. He’s definitely a focal point of Minnesota’s offense, particularly since offensive coordinator Norv Turner resigned earlier this season. Diggs will be a big factor against the Dallas Cowboys. The Vikings are going to need him given that Dallas has won 10 straight games. Diggs will be an elite fantasy performer heading into the fantasy postseason, especially in PPR formats.

If the Cowboys somehow manage to bottle him up near the red zone, quarterback Sam Bradford will likely turn to tight end Kyle Rudolph as the next man up in the pecking order. Rudolph failed to score a touchdown against the Lions last week, but he did see double digits in targets for the third time this season with Diggs missing in action. Rudolph caught nine of 10 passes for 64 yards in Week 12. Only three teams give up more fantasy points to tight ends than Dallas. Week 13 should be another productive one for Rudolph and his owners.