NFL Week 13 picks: Colts, Broncos, and Seahawks
Lorenzo Reyes is back with his best bets for NFL Week 13 games, including Thursday’s Thanksgiving slate.
Lorenzo’s Locks
Week 13 of the 2024 NFL season is officially underway, with four games already behind us.
Week 12 was another wild one for fantasy managers. Three of the top-seven quarterbacks (Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, and Bo Nix) were rookies. Saquon Barkley outscored the next-closest running back by 13.6 half-PPR points. Nick Chubb, Ameer Abdullah, Jaylen Warren, and Justice Hill posted top-15 finishes. Jordan Addison, Jaylen Waddle, David Moore, and Calvin Austin III finished as top-10 wideouts. At tight end, Noah Gray, Chig Okonkwo, Austin Hooper, Luke Schoonmaker, and Cade Stover all finished inside the top-12. You could’ve built a league-winning lineup with players who are rostered in under 5% of fantasy leagues.
To assist with your most difficult lineup decisions, you’ll find my Week 13 fantasy football rankings below. Toggle between standard, half PPR (point per reception), and full PPR to see where players rank in your league’s format.
Our team at the USA TODAY Sports Network also has you covered for all your fantasy football needs. Looking for up-to-date player news? We’ve got it. Need to know who the best starts and sits of the week are? We have an article for that. We also have fantasy defense rankings and kicker rankings to help you fill out your lineups.
Given the volatility of this league and fantasy football in particular, these rankings will be updated up until a half hour before the Sunday afternoon games kick off. Let’s get to it.
Week 13 fantasy football quarterback rankings
- STOCK UP: C.J. Stroud has finished higher than QB10 just one time since Week 1, but there’s plenty of reason for optimism this week. He faces a Jaguars defense’s giving up the most fantasy points to quarterbacks in 2024, including a season-best 23.5 to Stroud in Week 4.
- STOCK UP: Matthew Stafford has ranked as QB5, QB13, QB20, QB5, and QB7 in the five games since Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp returned to the lineup. His matchup gives him plenty of upside, since three of the last six quarterbacks to face the Saints have eclipsed 24 fantasy points.
- STOCK DOWN: Joe Burrow has been on fire, racking up 1,035 yards and 12 touchdowns over his last three games. That said, he’s gets the toughest matchup of the week versus the Steelers. No quarterback has surpassed 18.4 fantasy points against Pittsburgh this season.
- STOCK DOWN: Kirk Cousins has ranked higher than QB16 just once in nine non-Bucs matchups this season. He’s nothing more than a mid-level QB2 against a solid Chargers defense.
Week 13 fantasy football running back rankings
- STOCK UP: Bucky Irving has finished as the RB6 and RB3 in his last two games in half-PPR formats. In Week 13, he’ll square off against a Panthers front that’s allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2024.
- STOCK UP: Chase Brown has ranked as the RB5, RB4, and RB10 over the last three weeks while averaging a whopping 27 touches per contest. The volume alone makes him an RB1. It also helps that his opponent, the Steelers, have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to running backs since Week 4.
- STOCK DOWN: James Conner has posted just one performance higher than RB15 in his last nine games. That trend is unlikely to change against the Vikings this week. Only three running backs have amassed double-digit half-PPR points against Minnesota all season.
- STOCK DOWN: Gus Edwards is slated to take on a bigger role with J.K. Dobbins landing on IR. The issue is that the veteran just hasn’t been good in 2024. Among the 51 running backs with at least 60 carries this season, Edwards ranks 49th with an average of 3.3 yards per carry. He’s also a complete zero in the passing game, which essentially makes him a touchdown-or-bust streaming option.
Week 13 fantasy football wide receiver rankings
- STOCK UP: Courtland Sutton is fantasy’s WR2 since Week 8. During that stretch, he’s finished as the WR26, WR7, WR7, WR27, and WR2, in that order. He shouldn’t have any trouble staying hot against a Browns defense that’s given up the fifth-most fantasy points to wide receivers since Week 3.
- STOCK UP: Xavier Legette has finished as a top-35 receiver in four of his last six games, and he gets a delicious matchup in Week 13. Since Week 5, only the Ravens have given up more fantasy points to opposing wideouts than the Bucs. The rookie is an enticing flex play.
- STOCK DOWN: Deebo Samuel Sr. has been one of the more disappointing fantasy picks of the 2024 season. Among receivers with at least four games played since Week 4, Samuel ranks 60th with an average of 7.2 half-PPR points per game. With the weather forecast looking brutal for SNF, Deebo is a strong fade.
- STOCK DOWN: Amari Cooper is another player to downgrade due to the weather in the 49ers vs. Bills matchup. Since being traded to Buffalo, Cooper has totaled just eight targets over three games. In fact, the veteran might be worth fading even if the weather wasn’t a factor.
Week 13 fantasy football tight end rankings
- STOCK UP: Taysom Hill has finished as the TE1, TE29, TE5, TE16, and TE1 over his last five games, respectively. That includes a slate-high 38.5 half-PPR points in Week 11. Given that his floor hasn’t been any lower than most high-end tight ends, Hill is a no-brainer top-five option this week.
- STOCK UP: Cade Otton has slowed down a bit over his last two games, but his matchup this week simply can’t be ignored. Since Week 7, the Panthers have allowed nearly as many fantasy points per game to tight ends (18.9) as they have to wide receivers (19.6).
- STOCK DOWN: Evan Engram has finished higher than TE12 in half-PPR formats just once in seven games this season. Even with Trevor Lawrence looking likely to return this week, Engram is only worth starting in full-PPR formats.
Week 13 fantasy football rankings: PPR and non-PPR
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