Fantasy Football Week 13 Rankings: Examining Lineup Options After Injury Reports
Week 13 kicked off with a Thursday night thrilled between the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks. The game had its fair share of fantasy standouts, but it was also a game impacted by injury.
Seahawks rookie running back Zach Charbonnet, who was starting in the place of the injured Kenneth Walker III (obliques) exited late with a knee injury—fortunately, it does not appear to be serious.
Walker managers may have missed out on a strong performance, as Charbonnet tallied 9 scrimmage yards, one reception and a touchdown before exiting. Walker's injury situation isn't the last one managers will have to navigate this week either.
Players like Aaron Jones, Hayden Hurts, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Hayden Hurst have already been ruled out.
Here, we'll examine the top remaining plays for Week 13 and identify a few potential waiver-wire targets to consider.
All rankings and picks are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.
Quarterback
1 of 4
QB Rankings
1. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
2. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
3. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
4. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
5. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
6. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
7. Sam Howell, Washington Commanders
8. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
9. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
10. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Waiver Target: Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers
Managers in a pinch can target Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett with a fair bit of confidence this week. While the firing of offensive coordinator Matt Canada didn't yield a points explosion in Pittsburgh, Pickett played much better in his first post-Canada outing.
The Steelers only produced 16 points against the Cincinnati Bengals, but Pickett had his first 275-yard game of the season. He pushed the ball downfield, found playmakers George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth often, and should have had a touchdown pass—officials ruled that Diontae Johnson dropped it, though it was a debatable call.
Expect Pickett to have another solid game against an Arizona Cardinals defense that has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. The Cardinals rank 29th in passing touchdowns allowed, so it would be a major surprise if Pickett doesn't put at least one into the end zone.
Pickett is rostered in only 21 percent of Yahoo leagues and 18 percent of ESPN leagues.
Running Back
2 of 4
RB Rankings
1. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
2. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
3. Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
5. Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
7. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
8. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
9. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
10. Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
11. Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
12. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
13. D'Andre Swift, Philadelphia Eagles
14. Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
15. Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos
16. Breece Hall, New York Jets
17. David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
18. Zack Moss, Indianapolis Colts
19. Devin Singletary, Houston Texans
20. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
Waiver Target: Samaje Perine, Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos haven't leaned on Samaje Perine often this season, but he proved to be a difference-maker against the Cleveland Browns in Week 12. The journeyman back recorded 55 yards and a touchdown on a second-high seven carries while adding one 11-yard reception.
Expect Denver to utilize Perine even more in a pivotal Week 13 matchup with the Houston Texans. The two teams share a 6-5 record and are battling for a playoff spot, so the Broncos will be apt to use every player at their disposal.
Javonte Williams is still the top Broncos back to start because of his workload, but Perine should be a serviceable fill-in. The Texans have limited opposing rushing attacks but haven't shut down running backs—Houston ranks a middling 16th in fantasy points allowed to the position.
Perine is rostered in 36 percent of Yahoo leagues and 34 percent of ESPN leagues.
Wide Receiver
3 of 4
WR Rankings
1. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
2. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
3. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
4. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
5. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts
7. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
8. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
9. Tank Dell, Houston Texans
10. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
11. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
12. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
13. Adam Thielen, Carolina Panthers
14. Nico Collins, Houston Texans
15. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
16. Calvin Ridley, Jacksonville Jaguars
17. Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars
18. DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans
19. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
20. Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
Waiver Target: Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers rookie wideout doesn't have the best matchup this week, as the Kansas City Chiefs have allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers. However, Reed is still a top waiver target ahead of the fantasy playoff push.
The rookie has developed a strong chemistry with quarterback Jordan Love in recent weeks and has been targeted at least five times in each of his past three games. He's had at least four receptions in each of those contests, has topped 40 yards twice and has found the end zone in two of the three.
Reed's worst game in that span was a four-catch, 46-yard outing.
Moving forward, Reed should have a solid PPR floor, even if his ceiling is limited in certain matchups. He's rostered in 57 percent of Yahoo leagues and only 42 percent of ESPN leagues.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Tight End
4 of 4
TE Rankings
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
3. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
4. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
5. Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
6. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
7. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
8. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
9. Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders
10. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Waiver Target: Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There aren't many tight ends readily available and worth playing in Week 13, but if Isaiah Likely is available in your league, he's worth a flier. Likely has been tasked with replacing Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, and he had a solid four-catch, 40-yard outing in Week 12.
The Ravens are on bye this week, but Likely is only rostered in 38 percent of Yahoo leagues and 26 percent of ESPN leagues.
Cade Otton of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is rostered in 42 percent of Yahoo leagues and 31 percent of ESPN leagues, and his floor makes him worth a spot-start this week. He's caught four passes in back-to-back games and has reached 45 in both of them.
The Carolina Panthers aren't the spiciest of matchups—Carolina has allowed the 11th-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends—but Otton can help managers avoid a blank.
*Fantasy roster and scoring information from FantasyPros.
*Injury information via NFL.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
