NFL Predictions Week 13: Final Odds Projections and Fantasy Stars to Watch

Thanksgiving Day featured a little something for everyone. Bettors had three enticing matchups to choose from, fantasy enthusiasts saw plenty of stars take the gridiron and fans of the NFL saw the NFC's playoff picture become a little clearer.

Looking ahead to the week's remaining 13 contests, we should expect much more of the same. There are many intriguing spreads provided by Vegas oddsmakers, the majority of fantasy football's studs will be in action and a bevy of matchups still have postseason implications.

This is a pivotal time of year for NFL teams, bettors and fantasy owners, as all three are looking to finish out the season on a high note. So, here's the weekly burning question: Which teams and players are the likeliest to succeed? Let's speculate on the matter.

Matchup	Spread	Pick ATS	Fantasy Star
Cleveland at Buffalo	BUF -3	Bills	Fred Jackson
New Orleans at Pittsburgh	PIT -5	Steelers	Le'Veon Bell
San Diego at Baltimore	BAL -7	Ravens	Justin Forsett
Carolina at Minnesota	MIN -3	Vikings	Kelvin Benjamin
NY Giants at Jacksonville	NYG -3	Giants	Odell Beckham Jr.
Washington at Indianapolis	IND -10.5	Colts	T.Y. Hilton
Cincinnati at Tampa Bay	CIN -3.5	Bengals	A.J. Green
Tennessee at Houston	HOU -7	Titans	Arian Foster
Oakland at St. Louis	STL -7	Raiders	Tre Mason
Arizona at Atlanta	Even	Cardinals	Andre Ellington
New England at Green Bay	GB -3	Packers	Aaron Rodgers
Denver at Kansas City	Even	Broncos	Peyton Manning
Miami at NY Jets	MIA -7	Dolphins	Ryan Tannehill

All game odds courtesy of Odds Shark and current as of November 28.

Fantasy Analysis

Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New Orleans Saints

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Bell's had a bit of a roller-coaster season, but he put up his strongest performance of the year in Week 11, rushing for 204 yards and a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans. He'll look to continue that momentum against the Saints this week coming off a bye.

This tweet from ESPN Fantasy Sports says it all:

The Saints are allowing an average of 19.5 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, the ninth most in the league. However, they've been even worse lately. During their last two games, both against AFC North teams, New Orleans gave up 174 and 210 rushing yards, respectively, to the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.

Those performances were put up in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome where the Saints are comfortable. Now, the team must attempt to contain Bell at Heinz Field. That's no easy task.

Expect the Steelers to get Bell involved early and often in an attempt to sustain their drives and keep Drew Brees and Co. off the field. This should ramp up Bell's touches, allowing him to come away with some gaudy numbers for his fantasy owners.

A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Patric Schneider/Associated Press

Green continues to be one of the league's most prolific wide receivers, and he now has the privilege of facing a porous Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense in Week 13.

The Buccaneers are allowing an average of 25.1 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers, the fourth most in the NFL. This is the same team that allowed a total of five touchdowns to the Ravens back in Week 6. Containing Green will be no easy task.

Earlier in the season, Green missed three games with a lingering toe injury. Although, over the last two weeks, the wide receiver has finally looked completely healthy, racking up over 120 receiving yards in each game.

Following Green's last game, ESPN Stats & Info tweeted this impressive feat:

Quarterback Andy Dalton continues to rely heavily on Green, and the wide receiver is coming off a 12-reception performance, a career high, as a result. Expect that trend to continue Sunday against a shaky secondary, as Green delivers another monster fantasy performance.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers vs. New England Patriots

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Rodgers doesn't have a good fantasy matchup this week. The Patriots are only allowing an average of 14.9 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks and haven't allowed more than 21 fantasy points in any game this season—even against the likes of Peyton Manning.

Although, there's one big difference in this game: While Manning had to play in Foxborough, the Patriots must travel to Lambeau Field, where Rodgers has been virtually unstoppable this season. Here's a look at the quarterback's numbers at home versus the road this year:

Split	CMP%	AVG	TD	INT	RAT
Home	66.7	9.81	18	0	138.1
Away	66.7	7.80	12	3	104.0

Let's put that a different way: This season, Rodgers has only produced fewer than 24 fantasy points just once in five home contests—he scored 18 against the Minnesota Vikings before being pulled early due to a huge lead.

Even Patriots cornerback Brandon Browner had some high praise for the quarterback, via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald:

It really doesn't matter what kind of defense Rodgers faces in Green Bay. He'll put up numbers. Expect to see another performance of more than 20 fantasy points once again, as he racks up both yards and touchdowns against New England's secondary.

All fantasy statistics and points against courtesy of ESPN.com and current as of November 28.