Fantasy Football Week 13: Flex Rankings, Waiver-Wire Targets and Projections

This is the time where fantasy football championships need to be won.

Every waiver-wire addition makes the difference between winning a league and falling flat down the stretch. That statement rings true after looking at Week 12, where guys who come out of nowhere (Oakland Raiders receiver Seth Russell) have one of the best weeks by any positional player.

As we draw near to the fantasy football playoffs, here are the rankings and some projections heading into Week 13.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Tom Brady	28
2	Andy Dalton	27
3	Carson Palmer	25
4	Aaron Rodgers	24
5	Blake Bortles	24
6	Jameis Winston	23
7	Cam Newton	23
8	Ben Roethlisberger	22
9	Derek Carr	21
10	Brock Osweiler	21
11	Kirk Cousins	20
12	Ryan Fitzpatrick	19
13	Ryan Tannehill	18
14	Tyrod Taylor	18
15	Russell Wilson	18

Boom: Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals got back on track Sunday with a 31-7 win over the St. Louis Rams, snapping their two-game losing streak after starting 8-0.

With the leaders of the AFC North getting back on track, so did Dalton, who threw for 233 yards and three touchdowns against a good Rams defense.

The Bengals will have a good opportunity to win their 10th game on Sunday against the dysfunctional Cleveland Browns. Dalton racked up 21 points in ESPN leagues the last time Cincinnati and Cleveland got together. And coming into Monday night's matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, the Browns have given up 24 points or more in each of those losses.

Sunday's win over the Rams marked the fifth time this year Dalton threw three touchdowns in a game, and one more would tie his career high, per ESPN's Coley Harvey. Expect that to happen against the Browns.

Bust: Brian Hoyer, Houston Texans

Hoyer had an opportunity to have a solid fantasy day against the New Orleans Saints, but he only amassed 14 fantasy points against a Saints defense that's allowed 45 passing touchdowns coming into Sunday.

Although the Buffalo Bills defense had an off day, coming back home and facing Hoyer and the Texans will be what Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby need after a rough day against Alex Smith and Co. They're too impressive, especially in head coach Rex Ryan's eyes, to have back-to-back off games, per ESPN's Mike Rodak:

"Those two are probably playing as good as I've ever seen, for two corners," Ryan said. "They are doing a tremendous job."

On the road, in the cold, it should be a rough day for Hoyer who will be limited if DeAndre Hopkins is taken out of the offense like he was against the Saints.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Adrian Peterson	25
2	LeSean McCoy	19
3	Thomas Rawls	18
4	DeAngelo Williams	18
5	Charcandrick West	17
6	Joique Bell	17
7	Spencer Ware	16
8	Doug Martin	14
9	Jeremy Langford	14
10	Chris Ivory	14
11	Alfred Morris	13
12	Jonathan Stewart	12
13	Darren McFadden	10
14	Giovani Bernard	9
15	Ameer Abdullah	8

Boom: Spencer Ware or Charcandrick West, Kansas City Chiefs

Pretty much, if a Chiefs running back is available, he should be on your roster.

West didn't play in Sunday's 30-22 win over the Buffalo Bills because of a hamstring injury, but Ware ran for 114 yards and a touchdown in his first career start. 

The safe bet is that West was held out for precautionary reasons, especially since he didn't practice all week. NFL.com's Ian Rapoport said West's hamstring was "improving" and could have been a "game-time decision." He should go next week against the Oakland Raiders, and if he does, Ware becomes another weapon in Andy Reid's holster.

Getting one of these almost guarantees a solid day at the RB slot in fantasy.

Bust: Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers

The good news is Lacy has regained his old form the last two games, running for 100 yards in both contests, including 105 yards and a receiving touchdown on a short week against the Chicago Bears.

Bad news? The Detroit Lions might be the NFL's hottest four-win team and have been arguably the best defense in the last three games. Detroit has given up less than 70 rushing yards to its last three opponents with the most coming on Thursday against the Philadelphia Eagles, on a short week.

It's been a change for the better in Detroit since the recent management changes, as NBC Sports' Ross Tucker points out:

Lacy's recent resurgence has been good for him and the Packers, but Detroit's defense has been too stellar to think anyone can crack the code against that front seven.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	A.J. Green	28
2	Julio Jones	27
3	Amari Cooper	26
4	Brandon Marshall	25
5	T.Y. Hilton	24
6	Sammy Watkins	24
7	DeSean Jackson	22
8	Markus Wheaton	21
9	Antonio Brown	21
10	Calvin Johnson	20
11	Alshon Jeffery	19
12	Jeremy Maclin	18
13	Martavis Bryant	18
14	Larry Fitzgerald	17
15	Stevie Johnson	16

Boom: Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders

Despite the Kansas City Chiefs holding on to beat the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Sammy Watkins went bonkers against the Chiefs with six catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns.

Just imagine what the dynamic rookie receiver can do against the Chiefs defense.

Here's what's amazing with how Cooper played against the Tennessee Titans: He had 115 yards on seven catches and didn't have the best receiving day for the Silver and Black. That belonged to Seth Roberts, who had two touchdowns and 113 yards.

Cooper has already had a banner year, as he has to be considered the Offensive Rookie of the Year front-runner. Check out the list of Raider greats he's passed on his way to the top of the record books, per the NFL:

Cooper should see plenty of fades his way in the end zone against the Chiefs and should be due for a big day in fantasy.

Bust: Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys

I feel like we've been down this road.

Ah, yes. Tony Romo is hurt again, which means Matt Cassel has to take the Cowboys' reigns under center again. The Cowboys should just end their season now.

Bryant was targeted eight times in the 33-14 loss to the undefeated Carolina Panthers on Thanksgiving Day and only caught two passes. And that was with Romo under center. With Cassel back at quarterback, Bryant's projection should go back down to what it was when he returned from his foot injury: just under four catches a game for 53.6 yards.

Anybody playing offense for the Cowboys should be off limits, and that goes for Bryant.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Rob Gronkowski	21
2	Julius Thomas	18
3	Antonio Gates	16
4	Travis Kelce	14
5	Jordan Reed	14
6	Delanie Walker	12
7	Tyler Eifert	12
8	Greg Olsen	11
9	Brent Celek	10
10	Heath Miller	9
11	Zach Miller	9
12	Jason Witten	8
13	Charles Clay	7
14	Gary Barnidge	7
15	Cameron Brate	7

Boom: Julius Thomas, Jacksonville Jaguars

Cue the Hallelujah Chorus: The Jaguars have finally been utilizing their high-priced tight end the right way.

A two-game sample size is very small, but Thomas has caught more touchdown passes in the last two weeks (two) than he has in the last nine games prior (one). He also eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the first time as a Jaguar on Sunday in the loss to the San Diego Chargers, which is a rarity for Jacksonville, per Dan Hanzus of NFL.com:

Thomas' production has dropped with the emergence of Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, but the last two weeks are a good sign he'll be utilized much more down the stretch, which will give Blake Bortles another dangerous target in the passing game.

Bust: Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings

Rudolph has reeled in 13 catches over his last two games, which equals the number of catches he had in the seven games prior.

The Seattle Seahawks defense may not be as intimidating as it once was, but those linebackers present a challenge for all tight ends over the middle. Tight ends have only combined for 27 catches against the Seahawks in the last five games.

Teddy Bridgewater has thrown only three touchdowns in the last five games. Rudolph has only caught two touchdowns in the last seven games. That's not a formula that favors Rudolph being a start in fantasy leagues this week.

Waiver-Wire Advice: Why is Thomas Rawls not on your team?

ESPN leagues indicate Thomas Rawls is not owned in just over 10 percent of leagues and 14 percent in Yahoo leagues.

Why is he not on your fantasy team yet?

With Marshawn Lynch possibly missing the next few weeks while recovering from a sports hernia, Rawls, who has already shown to be a mini Beast Mode, will own the Seattle backfield.

Rawls scored a touchdown for the second straight game Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers and has eclipsed 100 yards three times, including a 200-yard game against the San Francisco 49ers.

If your league is one of the few that does not have Rawls, he needs to be added. Rawls has brought life to Seattle's offense and has made life easier for Russell Wilson, especially after a four-touchdown day against Pittsburgh.