Fantasy Football Week 13 Rankings: Rounding Up Top 50 Players

Fantasy football drafts seem so important every August, but players such as Colin Kaepernick, Tim Hightower, Taylor Gabriel and Clive Walford end up deciding critical Week 12 games when crunch time of the actual season rolls around.

Any experienced fantasy football player knows the success or failure of the season depends on a number of factors, not the least of which is luck. After all, avoiding injuries and being high on the waiver wire when that unexpected superstar emerges is equally or even more important than snagging Le'Veon Bell on draft day.

The fantasy playoffs are right around the corner as Week 13 approaches, and making the right call with your lineup could be the difference between eventual bragging rights and a playoff-less campaign. After all, a breakout performance from someone on your bench won't help you get into the playoffs.

With that in mind, here is a look at a projection for the top 50 standard-league players in Week 13, factoring opponent and overall skill level into the rankings.

Schedule

Date	Matchup
Thursday, Dec. 1	Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, Dec. 4	Kansas City Chiefs at Atlanta Falcons
Sunday, Dec. 4	Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints
Sunday, Dec. 4	Los Angeles Rams at New England Patriots
Sunday, Dec. 4	Denver Broncos at Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday, Dec. 4	Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers
Sunday, Dec. 4	Philadelphia Eagles at Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, Dec. 4	Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, Dec. 4	San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears
Sunday, Dec. 4	Buffalo Bills at Oakland Raiders
Sunday, Dec. 4	New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, Dec. 4	Washington at Arizona Cardinals
Sunday, Dec. 4	Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Diego Chargers
Sunday, Dec. 4	Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks
Monday, Dec. 5	Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets

Rankings

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	David Johnson, RB, ARI	WAS
2	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT	NYG
3	Mike Evans, WR, TB	SD
4	Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT	NYG
5	Ezekiel Elliott, RB, DAL	MIN
6	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG	PIT
7	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF	OAK
8	Melvin Gordon, RB, SD	TB
9	Tom Brady, QB, NE	LA
10	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN	JAX
11	Julio Jones, WR, ATL	KC
12	Drew Brees, QB, NO	DET
13	Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB	HOU
14	Dez Bryant, WR, DAL	MIN
15	Matthew Stafford, QB, DET	NO
16	Jay Ajayi, RB, MIA	BAL
17	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN	JAX
18	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK	BUF
19	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL	KC
20	Derek Carr, QB, OAK	BUF
21	Jordan Reed, TE, WAS	ARI
22	Michael Thomas, WR, NO	DET
23	Jordan Howard, RB, CHI	SF
24	Lamar Miller, RB, HOU	GB
25	Davante Adams, WR, GB	HOU
26	Spencer Ware, RB, KC	ATL
27	Jimmy Graham, TE, SEA	CAR
28	Carlos Hyde, RB, SF	CHI
29	Julian Edelman, WR, NE	LA
30	Tyreek Hill, WR, KC	ATL
31	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND	NYJ
32	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE	LA
33	Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN	DAL
34	Jordy Nelson, WR, GB	HOU
35	Ben Roethlisberger, QB, PIT	NYG
36	Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA	CAR
37	Mark Ingram, RB, NO	DET
38	Jamison Crowder, WR, WAS	ARI
39	Tyrell Williams, WR, SD	TB
40	Rob Kelley, RB, WAS	ARI
41	LeGarrette Blount, RB, NE	LA
42	Russell Wilson, QB, SEA	CAR
43	Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA	CAR
44	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI	WAS
45	Martellus Bennett, TE, NE	LA
46	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU	GB
47	Kelvin Benjamin, WR, CAR	SEA
48	Todd Gurley, RB, LA	NE
49	Devontae Booker, RB, DEN	JAX
50	Colin Kaepernick, QB, SF	CHI

Players to Watch

Stud: David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are 4-6-1 and one of the biggest disappointments in the league after reaching the NFC Championship Game last season.

That has overshadowed the fact David Johnson has been the most consistent playmaker in the league, but fantasy players have taken notice. The running back has 921 rushing yards, 613 receiving yards and 13 total touchdowns on the year and has topped 100 yards from scrimmage in all 11 of his games.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk cited the NFL and said Johnson and Edgerrin James are the only two players in NFL history to reach the 100-yard mark in the first 11 games of a season.

Matthew Berry of ESPN noted Johnson would be a valuable fantasy player even as just a receiver:

Johnson will face a Washington defense that was tied for 18th in the league in points allowed per game and an abysmal 25th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game, as of Monday. Fantasy players just saw what an elite running back can do against it when Ezekiel Elliott tallied 120 total yards and two touchdowns on Thanksgiving in the Dallas Cowboys' 31-26 victory over Washington.

Now it is Johnson's turn to exploit the vulnerable defensive front.

Don't Forget About Me: Carlos Hyde, RB, San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde appeared well on his way to a productive season when he racked up 429 rushing yards and six touchdowns in his first six games.

However, he didn't play from Oct. 16 to Nov. 13 because of a shoulder injury, which derailed a promising fantasy campaign.

He hasn't scored since his return, but that will change on Sunday against the 2-9 Chicago Bears, especially since Chicago will need to devote additional defensive attention toward slowing Kaepernick, who has four straight games with more than 200 passing yards. The quarterback also ran for 113 yards on Sunday in a loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The running threat of Kaepernick will freeze the Chicago linebackers for a brief moment on various plays, which will be all Hyde needs to explode for a big day.

San Francisco head coach Chip Kelly recently indicated Hyde will see plenty of carries down the stretch, which is music to the ears of fantasy players, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com:

"

It's just overall the way our team is built. We're built to run the football. Carlos is the main focus of what we're doing offensively. We have a running quarterback that complements him and then our play-action pass complements that, and when we're running the ball successfully and play-action pass off of that, we're very good as an offensive football team. But to think we're going to go into a game and throw the ball 60 times and win, that's not a game plan for success for us.

"

The Bears' run defense was tied for 18th in the league in points allowed per game and 17th in rushing yards allowed per game, as of Monday. San Francisco will jump out to a quick lead against that mediocre group and ride Hyde to a productive day as it works the clock and earns a rare victory.

Rookie on the Rise: Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints 

The explosive New Orleans Saints scored 49 points on Sunday, and rookie Michael Thomas led the team in targets (10), receiving yards (108), touchdown catches (two) and receptions (nine).

By contrast, there were zero targets for Brandin Cooks, which is head-turning for fantasy players looking at New Orleans' receiving corps. While it is premature to write Cooks off as a potential No. 1 option, it is clear quarterback Drew Brees is growing more comfortable with Thomas as the receiver's first season progresses.

Evan Silva of Rotoworld provided some stats suggesting just that:

The Ohio State product has 789 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches on the season, and Rotoworld and NBC Sports fantasy analyst Josh Norris said he loved him as a fantasy option during his "amazing rookie year."

Next up in that amazing year is a date with a middling Detroit Lions pass defense that was 14th in the league in passing yards allowed per game, as of Monday.

The Saints will not hesitate to throw the ball against Detroit considering Brees has attempted more than 30 passes every game but one this season, when he threw 29 against the Denver Broncos. That will mean plenty of opportunities for the thriving Thomas, and fantasy players will be the beneficiary in Week 13.