Fantasy Football Week 13 Rankings: Position-by-Position Breakdown

Familiar faces like Josh Gordon, Knowshon Moreno, Philip Rivers, Jamaal Charles and Tom Brady topped all fantasy performers this past week, a gentle reminder that it is always best to trust your studs down the stretch. 

This week, fantasy owners will once again have their full complement of fantasy players as the bye weeks are now beyond us. It's a relief, but it also means all of the onus is once again on you to make the right lineup calls. There are no more, "well, I had to start that guy, I was crushed by the byes" excuses.

Any slip-up could cost you a spot in the playoffs. Luckily, I've compiled my top-10 rankings at every position so you don't have to worry about mistakenly benching one of this week's top performers.

Notes: All point totals for standard-scoring leagues. Points against stats via ESPN.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Matt Stafford	Detroit Lions	Green Bay Packers	26
2	Tony Romo	Dallas Cowboys	Oakland Raiders	25
3	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	22
4	Robert Griffin III	Washington	New York Giants	20
5	Tom Brady	New England Patriots	Houston Texans	19
6	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints	Seattle Seahawks	17
7	Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos	Kansas City Chiefs	17
8	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts	Tennessee Titans	16
9	Josh McCown*	Chicago Bears	Minnesota Vikings	15
10	Andy Dalton	Cincinnati Bengals	San Diego Chargers	15

Quarterback Notes

This is a tough week for top fantasy quarterbacks.

Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson, Nick Foles, Philip Rivers and Colin Kaepernick all have tough matchups. You obviously are starting Brees and Manning every single week, but Wilson, Rivers, Foles and Kaepernick have all been relegated to QB2 status for the time being.

The Green Bay Packers have held an opposing quarterback to under 13 fantasy points in standard-scoring leagues just once this season, so Matt Stafford (and Calvin Johnson, for that matter) should have a field day against them.

Quarterbacks like Andrew Luck, Manning, Rivers and Foles have absolutely torched the Oakland Raiders, so don't be surprised when Tony Romo does the same. 

I don't care who is starting for the Chicago Bears this week—they're worth a start against a poor Minnesota Vikings defense. And coming off a bye and facing a poor San Diego pass defense, Andy Dalton returns to the land of the QB1 this week.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings	Chicago Bears	24
2	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	Minnesota Vikings	22
3	Frank Gore	San Francisco 49ers	St. Louis Rams	20
4	Eddie Lacy	Green Bay Packers	Detroit Lions	19
5	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks	New Orleans Saints	17
6	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	Denver Broncos	17
7	Chris Johnson	Tennessee Titans	Indianapolis Colts	16
8	Reggie Bush	Detroit Lions	Green Bay Packers	15
9	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles	Arizona Cardinals	14
10	Knowshon Moreno	Denver Broncos	Kansas City Chiefs	13

Running Back Notes

The Chicago Bears just gave up 15 fantasy points to Zac Stacy in a half. Imagine what Adrian Peterson will do to them in a whole game...

Of course, the Vikings have given up over 20 fantasy points to opposing running backs in consecutive weeks, so Matt Forte is going to have a big game himself.

Truth be told, there really aren't many surprises in the top 10. Frank Gore, Eddie Lacy, Chris Johnson and Reggie Bush all have excellent matchups, while Marshawn Lynch, Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy and Knowshon Moreno have been too consistent to dismiss even when the matchup doesn't seem overly favorable.

One important player is Stacy, who misses this list more because of uncertainty with his injury and less because of a potentially tough matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Stacy scored a combined 27 fantasy points against the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers, so he basically seems matchup-proof at this point. 

If he's healthy, he should be considered a low-end RB1. With 98 points in the past seven weeks—that's 14 points per week, folks—he's earned that right.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions	Green Bay Packers	23
2	Josh Gordon	Cleveland Browns	Jacksonville Jaguars	20
3	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals	San Diego Chargers	19
4	Brandon Marshall	Chicago Bears	Minnesota Vikings	18
5	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys	Oakland Raiders	16
6	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers	Baltimore Ravens	16
7	Jordy Nelson	Green Bay Packers	Detroit Lions	15
8	Larry Fitzgerald	Arizona Cardinals	Philadelphia Eagles	15
9	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos	Kansas City Chiefs	14
10	Andre Johnson	Houston Texans	New England Patriots	13

Wide Receiver Notes

Calvin Johnson notched 11 fantasy points on Sunday, and it felt like a down week. That's how freaking good he has been recently. Until further notice, his home is atop these rankings.

Josh Gordon continues to prove he is an elite NFL receiver and excellent fantasy option. His 14 receptions for 247 yards and a touchdown on Sunday would put him at fifth on the Cleveland Browns this season in both receptions and receiving yards. 

With double-digit fantasy points in six of his past nine games, Gordon has firmly established himself as a weekly WR1.

A.J. Green, Brandon Marshall, Dez Bryant, Jordy Nelson and Larry Fitzgerald all have really tasty matchups, while Demaryius Thomas and Andre Johnson have earned our trust. And how about Antonio Brown absolutely torching Joe Haden this week for six receptions, 92 yards and a score?

I'll be honest, I didn't see that coming at all. Brown has turned himself into a legitimate WR1 in the past four weeks (all double-digit performances) and should be treated as such.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots	Houston Texans	20
2	Jimmy Graham	New Orleans Saints	Seattle Seahawks	17
3	Jason Witten	Dallas Cowboys	Oakland Raiders	15
4	Vernon Davis	San Francisco 49ers	St. Louis Rams	14
5	Julius Thomas*	Denver Broncos	Kansas City Chiefs	12
6	Jordan Cameron	Cleveland Browns	Jacksonville Jaguars	12
7	Coby Fleener	Indianapolis Colts	Tennessee Titans	11
8	Tony Gonzalez	Atlanta Falcons	Buffalo Bills	11
9	Jordan Reed*	Washington	New York Giants	10
10	Delanie Walker	Tennessee Titans	Indianapolis Colts	10

Tight End Notes

Much like Megatron at wide receiver, until further notice Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham will continue to live atop these rankings, regardless of matchup. They are each just a step above anyone else at the position.

Jason Witten's matchup against the Raiders should translate into his third double-digit performance in his past four games, while Vernon Davis continues to be one of the steadier options at the position (even if one 30-point week has slightly inflated his value).

Jordan Cameron has a tasty matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Coby Fleener torched the Tennessee Titans in their last meeting in Week 11 for eight receptions and 107 yards. He has now registered double-digit fantasy points in two straight weeks and has scored eight or more points in four of his past five games, making him a very intriguing option going forward.

If Julius Thomas is healthy, you start him. Plain and simple. 

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Carolina Panthers	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	20
2	San Francisco 49ers	St. Louis Rams	16
3	Miami Dolphins	New York Jets	15
4	Dallas Cowboys	Oakland Raiders	14
5	New England Patriots	Houston Texans	13
6	Cleveland Browns	Jacksonville Jaguars	13
7	New York Giants	Washington	12
8	Baltimore Ravens	Pittsburgh Steelers	11
9	St. Louis Rams	San Francisco 49ers	10
10	Seattle Seahawks	New Orleans Saints	9

Defense/Special Team Notes

You don't want to start the Cincinnati Bengals against the San Diego Chargers or the New Orleans Saints vs. the Seattle Seahawks this week. Too risky.

But yes, I think you play the Seahawks unless you have one of my top nine options, solely because Seattle is at home. In Seattle, the Seahawks defense is averaging 12.6 fantasy points per contest. On the road, that number drops to 10.3 fantasy points per game. 

Seattle has won 13 straight games at home, and the crowd noise is going to make life very difficult for Brees and the Saints offense. There are very few moments when you should take the chance on a defense facing New Orleans, but this is one calculated risk that I think will work out for fantasy owners.

Carolina and San Francisco will dominate this week, but beyond that, trust the matchups. Teams like the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants have played well in fantasy terms of late and should definitely be considered this week. 

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Stephen Gostkowski	New England Patriots	Houston Texans	15
2	Dan Bailey	Dallas Cowboys	Oakland Raiders	14
3	Matt Prater	Denver Broncos	Kansas City Chiefs	12
4	Mason Crosby	Green Bay Packers	Detroit Lions	12
5	Adam Vinatieri	Indianapolis Colts	Tennessee Titans	12
6	Robbie Gould	Chicago Bears	Minnesota Vikings	11
7	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens	Pittsburgh Steelers	11
8	Alex Henery	Philadelphia Eagles	Arizona Cardinals	10
9	Dan Carpenter	Buffalo Bills	Atlanta Falcons	10
10	Steven Hauschka	Seattle Seahawks	New Orleans Saints	9

Kicker Notes

In my primary league I have Matt Prater, and it has been a relief because streaming kickers is truly maddening. You can play the matchups and target players who have performed consistently, but kickers are so darn fickle you just never know.

If you have a kicker you trust and one that has remained a top option, stick with them. After 12 weeks of the NFL season, you should have a pretty good idea of what you have in them and don't need to risk weeks of frustrating kicker streaming as the playoffs approach. 

Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy lineup questions, tweet random fantasy musings and propose theories for how Antonio Brown overcame Joe Haden's fantasy kryptonite.