Week 13 of the fantasy football season is here, and we’re back with another crop of start/sit options. We have a nice set of data about each team through six weeks, and can make informed decisions on good plays and traps. With that in mind, we’ll pick quarterbacks who should exceed expectations in Week 13, along with three you should probably sit.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 13 Running backs
We break down the top starting options at running back this week, along with some players who should be avoided.
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Start
The Chargers allow the most receptions to running backs in the league and the third-most passing yards. Johnson has been making his living as a pass-catcher, averaging five catches on six targets over his past five games. Those stats, plus a game script which expects the Browns to be playing from behind all day, add up to a big game for Duke.
Because it’s Jimmy Garoppolo’s first start for the 49ers — a team he’s only been with for six weeks — there’s a high probability that Hyde is going to be a check-down monster in this game, on top of his usual allotment of carries. In sum, it’s Hyde who should be carrying the offense, not the quarterback, and that volume should translate into a nice fantasy number.
Lynch went full beast mode last week against the Broncos, at least in terms of volume. After not topping 18 carries since his first game of the season, Lynch pounded the ball 26 times last week. And for good measure, Lynch also had a season-high three targets, catching all three for 43 yards. If he gets that kind of volume against a Giants team that has little incentive to try tackling him, he could easily go for 150 combined yards.
Sit
In his past four games. Murray has rushing totals of 19, 10 and 9. The wheels have finally fallen off this workhorse back, and facing a defense that ranks fourth in terms of fewest points allowed to running backs, it doesn’t look likely that Murray is going to make a dramatic recovery this week.
For all the well-deserved talk about the Jaguars’ secondary, the addition of Marcell Dareus have made the Jags a formidable defense against the run, as well. That’s not good news for Gore, who has two touchdowns all season (none since Week 3) and one game over 80 yards.
Coleman had a great three-week run while Devonta Freeman was out with a concussion, but Freeman is coming back full-strength this week, which is going to put a massive dent in Coleman’s volume. He’ll still be a factor in the offense, but after games of 20, 20 and 19 carries, it’s worth noting that Coleman topped nine carries just once in eight games when Freeman is in the lineup.
