Whether it’s because of matches, injuries or usage trends, there are plenty of reasons why a player might struggle during a given week. It is important to try to identify these risks in advance. With the four goodbye teams (Packers, Panthers, Browns, Titans), you might be forced to play someone on our Week 13 fantasy bust list, but at least you’ll be aware of the situations situation and have the opportunity to replace that player. This week, we worry about Russell Wilson, Sony Michel, and seemingly everyone from the Patriots-Bills game. Players who like this character will be involved in a lot of the fantasy decisions Week 13 begins, which is why it’s important to think twice before locking them into your squad.
As always, even longtime stars can go bust in favorable matches, but it’s hard to call superstars “bust” unless they’re less than 100%, they’re actually trending. direction goes down or they have a particularly brutal match. We mostly stick to naming the guys on the bubble who are just starting out or right away, not the guys who are simply going to have a good but not great week or the guys who are over 90 % abandonment. Sometimes you don’t have enough depth to rate these players properly (or you might disagree completely with our assessment), but at least you’ll know who’s at risk in the game. this week. There is nothing worse than being caught off guard by an imaginary fool.
WEEK 13 EFFECTS: Sleepers | Start with ’em, sit’ em
In Week 12, we correctly identified Alex Collins, Rhamondre Stevenson, Rashod Bateman, Courtland Sutton, CJ Uzomah, Hunter Henry and Steelers D/ST as flat busts = out. Our misses were Myles Gaskin, Tua Tagovailoa, Aaron Rodgers, Odell Beckham and the Broncos defence. Admittedly we went there boldly, so we weren’t shocked by the results.
Overall, we’re in the green, so it’s going to be another solid week to find worrying players.
WEEK 13 PPR RANKING:
Midfielder | Run back | Wide receiver | Tight ending | VND / ST | Kicker
Week 13 Bust Illusion: Running Back
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs vs. Broncos (Jackson Sparks). Since CEH wasn’t as effective in the reception game as many had hoped when he entered the tournament, he was barely on a solid footing and was practically match-dependent. Aside from better performances by D’Ernest Johnson and Kenyan Drake, Denver is just 13 points behind Najee Harris and Austin Ekeler. Also, Edwards-Helaire is far from back at this point, as Darrel Williams is usually right on his heel to the touch. His lack of use and guaranteed job combined with a tough match make this a tough spot to put your faith in.
Najee Harris, Steelers vs. Ravens (Vinnie Iyer). You’re starting him in most leagues but can’t feel good about it after he was shut down by the Bengals and the Ravens just silenced Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
Sony Michel, Rams and Jaguars (Matt Lutovsky). With Darrell Henderson convalescing four goals, imaginary owners would be tempted to warm up Michel even while Henderson was active. Either way, we’re not big fans of the Rams handcuffs. Jacksonville has had a surprisingly good record against the RBs this year (the 12th most fantasy points allowed per game), and Michel has averaged just 3.9 yards per take in 79 attempts. If he starts, he can be upside down, but there are a lot of people back with higher ceilings.
WEEK 13 STANDARD RANKING:
Midfielder | Run back | Wide receiver | Tight ending | VND / ST | Kicker
Week 13 Fantasy Football Bust: The Quartet
Teddy Bridgewater, Broncos @ Chiefs (Spark). The Chiefs’ full-season numbers versus QB are staggering, but early games against Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen and Justin Herbert at the start of the year are blowing them up. If it were to depend on Denver, it would be a game-heavy scenario, and with Kansas City’s defense playing well into the late game, it would be hard to trust Bridgewater in Arrowhead under the lights.
Joe Burrow, Bengals vs. Chargers (Iyer). Bringing him in could force a good game, but the numbers and trends suggest it would be smart for Cincinnati to keep up Joe Mixon against a defense that hasn’t succumbed to expansions much. and QB.
Russell Wilson, Seahawks vs 49ers (Lutovsky). Wilson finished with good numbers last week thanks to a desperate last-minute strike, but he remained out of shape for much of the game. In his three games since returning from a finger injury, he’s completed just 55.7% of his passes at 205 yards per game, two TDs and two INTs in total. He also managed only 50 yards of javelin. The 49ers’ defense was problematic, but Wilson was an unnecessary risk in a week with plenty of good streaming options.
WEEK 13 USING DFS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo!
Week 13 Football Illusion: Wide Receiver
Darnell Mooney, Bears vs. Cardinals (Sparks). Mooney has made more than 120 yards in each of his past two games, but the Cardinals’ defense is the one in the top 10 in limiting fantasy WRs. Also, Allen Robinson (hamstring) should be back, and so should Justin Fields (rib). Oddly enough, Andy Dalton is better for Mooney’s imagined success, and Robinson’s absence has at least lured some targets away from him. Add the fact that Arizona will be saying goodbye and there are too many factors against Mooney this week.
Kendrick Bourne, Patriots at Bills (Iyer). He finally had a big time last week to add to his solid season – and without Tre’Davious White (knee) – but you can do much better at WR3 than force him into this disadvantageous position.
Tee Higgins, Bengals vs. Chargers (Lutovsky). Higgins has a pretty solid background, so just for that reason you might not want him sitting, but before scoring last week, his last TD was in Week 2. Last week as well. marks the second time in a year he has more than 78 picks. ruler in a game. The charger allows for FPPG-less third to WR, so if you think you’ll need big points, you might want to look elsewhere.
Week 13 Fantasy Football Busts: Tight Ending
Hunter Henry, Patriots @ Bills (Spark). Henry was a standard league pick that hit lane or bust and gave up an encounter to just Travis Kelce, Logan Thomas and Nick Vannett. Thomas and Vannett scored in free time, so we simply bet on Henry’s touchdown. With Tre’Davius White (knee) missing for the season, Buffalo’s defensive weakness will become even more apparent.
Dawson Knox, Bills vs. Patriots (Iyer). Patriots have realized how important Knox is to Josh Allen having corner range, safety, and a guard to make him the only thing to stop the non-Stefon Diggs , who will see a lot of JC Jackson. He’s a lower level TE1 for that reason.
Zach Ertz, Cardinals @ Bears (Lutovsky). Kyler Murray (ankle) and DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) are expected to return, which isn’t a bad thing for Ertz, but he has been hit or missed since joining the Cardinals. He has a good chance of a tight finish, at least in the PPR tournaments, but the Bears are solid against the TEs despite some recent struggles (at least Saturday allowed by the FPPG), as so Ertz is mostly TD-or-bust.
Week 13 Fantasy Busts: Defense
Denver Broncos @ Chiefs (Spark). We wouldn’t be shocked if Denver had a good day here, but Andy Ried’s goodbye is a dangerous question for the defence. Expect Kansas City to come out with weird packs and forms, and eventually build on their momentum.
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Washington (Iyer). No, it won’t be a “jackpot, baby!” stay at home watching the team in red shirt with dangerous attack led by Taylor Heinicke.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Ravens (Lutovsky). At this point, you probably don’t need any push to bench the Steelers. This unit is clearly struggling at every stage, a match against Raven won’t help. Lamar Jackson won’t continue to throw INTs like he did the past two games. Expect a dense game plan with plenty of knockdowns against Pittsburgh’s dominant D.
