Week 13 Fantasy Football Rankings: Projections to Love and Matchups to Exploit
Week 13 got underway on Thursday with a trio of Thanksgiving games. This leaves 13 games for fantasy managers to navigate, including Friday's contest between the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders.
With no teams on bye, managers should have most of their top options available. Some matchups, however, will be more favorable than others.
Here, you'll find a look at the top remaining matchups of Week 13, along with the best plays and statistical projections. All rankings and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.
Quarterback
1 of 4
1. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: 313 passing yards, 2 TDs, 48 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: 331 passing yards, 3 TDs, 28 rushing yards
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: 266 passing yards, 2 TDs, 51 rushing yards
4. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders: 245 passing yards, 2 TDs, 43 rushing yards
5. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: 311 passing yards, 2 TDs, 25 rushing yards
6. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: 280 passing yards, 2 TDs, 27 rushing yards
7. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 275 passing yards, 2 TDs, 22 rushing yards
8. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos: 268 passing yards, 2 TDs, 21 rushing yards
9. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: 265 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 18 rushing yards
10. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans: 242 passing yards, 2 TDs
Matchup to Love: Jalen Hurts at Baltimore Ravens
Sunday will bring one of the week's hottest matchups when the Baltimore Ravens host the Philadelphia Eagles. These are two Super Bowl contenders and two of the most explosive offenses in the NFL.
Much of the focus will be on running backs Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry. Barkley leads the NFL with 1,392 rushing yards, but Henry is right behind with 1,325 rushing yards.
"You have the best two running backs in the NFL facing each other. It's cool, especially for today's NFL," Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard said, per Ryan Mink of the team's official website.
Baltimore has been very good against the run, though, and Philadelphia should center its offensive game plan around quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Ravens' secondary has been better in recent weeks, but it has been the team's biggest liability.
The Ravens have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.
It's a favorable matchup for Hurts, who should also see a high volume of work in an offensive battle.
Running Back
2 of 4
1. Joe Mixon, Houston Texans: 6 receptions, 166 scrimmage yards, 2 TDs
2. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles: 4 receptions, 171 scrimmage yards, 2 TDs
3. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints: 5 receptions, 155 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
4. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons: 6 receptions, 122 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
5. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers: 5 receptions, 128 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
6. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams: 4 receptions, 119 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
7. Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals: 5 receptions, 98 scrimmage yards, 1TD
8. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens: 2 receptions, 120 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
9. Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers: 4 receptions, 100 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
10. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts: 3 receptions, 145 scrimmage yards
Matchup to Love: Joe Mixon at Jacksonville Jaguars
Henry and Barkley will both be worth starting in Week 13, though neither has an ideal matchup. The Eagles have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing RBs, while the Ravens have allowed the eighth-fewest.
Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon, however, has an ideal matchup. The Texans will visit the rival Jacksonville Jaguars, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to running backs in 2024.
Mixon is a high-volume back who sees regular work in both the running and receiving games. He may also be the focal point of Houston's offense as the Texans look to bounce back from last week's loss to the Tennessee Titans.
To put it bluntly, quarterback C.J. Stroud hasn't been as sharp as he was a year ago, and the Texans have struggled because of it. Leaning on Mixon and the ground game may help allow Houston to get back on track.
Wide Receiver
3 of 4
1. Nico Collins, Houston Texans: 8 receptions, 129 yards, 1 TD
2. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals: 7 receptions, 131 yards, 1 TD
3. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles: 6 receptions, 140 yards, 1 TD
4. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams: 7 receptions, 121 yards, 1 TD
5. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings: 6 receptions, 118 yards, 1 TD
6. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams; 6 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD
7. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons: 5 receptions, 97 yards, 1 TD
8. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos; 5 receptions, 96 yards, 1 TD
9. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6 receptions, 122 yards
10. Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers: 6 receptions, 118 yards
Matchup to Love: Nico Collins at Jacksonville Jaguars
The Texans may (and should) look to run early and often in an effort to get Stroud back into a rhythm. However, they won't field a completely one-dimensional offensive attack. When Stroud does pass, he should pepper top receiver Nico Collins with targets.
Last week against a very good Titans pass defense, Collins caught five of nine targets for 92 yards and a touchdown. He should be even more productive against a Jacksonville secondary that is not very good.
The Jags have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.
Jacksonville is coming out of its bye, but the last time the Jaguars were on the field, they allowed two receivers—Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams—to top 120 receiving yards. Collins should be in line for similar production.
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Tight End
4 of 4
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs: 9 receptions, 108 yards, 1 TD
2. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders: 8 receptions, 112 yards, 1 TD
3. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals: 6 receptions, 98 yards, 1 TD
4. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings: 6 receptions, 92 yards, 1 TD
5. Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars: 6 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD
6. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers: 6 receptions, 91 yards
7. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6 receptions, 81 yards
8. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints: 3 receptions, 98 scrimmage yards
9. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns; 5 receptions, 67 yards
10. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles: 5 receptions, 65 yards
Matchup to Love: Travis Kelce vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Friday's Chiefs-Raiders game promises to be a tight end showcase. Travis Kelce has long been one of the league's biggest threats at the position. Raiders rookie Brock Bowers has already established himself as one.
This is a terrific matchup for both tight ends. Las Vegas has allowed the third-most fantasy points to tight ends, while Kansas City has allowed the fourth-most.
We'll give Kelce a slight edge between the two simply because of the quarterback situations. Patrick Mahomes and Kelce have one of the strongest rapports in the NFL. The Raiders are turning back to quarterback Aidan O'Connell, who has been on injured reserve (thumb) and last played in Week 7.
It may take some time for O'Connell to find a rhythm, while Mahomes and Kelce will be on the same page from the opening whistle. Both tight ends should show out in Week 13, but Kelce should set the standard for the position.
*Fantasy scoring information via FantasyPros.
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