Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 13: Making the Call on Fantasy Football Fringe Starters

It's time for fantasy owners to put their thinking caps on. This week marks the first time every NFL team will be in action since Week 4, giving fantasy owners many different options for their Week 13 starting lineups. However, it also increases the amount of difficult decisions that must be made throughout the week.

Every fantasy squad has its own must-start players. No matter the matchup, the likes of Aaron Rodgers, DeMarco Murray or Demaryius Thomas will never see time on the bench. However, every fantasy squad is also comprised mostly of fringe players. These matchup-based plays are what give owners fits and cause weekly debates to rage on throughout the Web.

This week, selecting the right fringe starters will be extremely important as some leagues conclude their regular seasons, and others begin their playoffs. In an effort to help ease the burden of making the correct choices, here's a look at a player to start, and one to sit, at all four major fantasy positions.

Quarterback

Start 'Em: Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

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This is the week to get Smith into your starting lineup. Sure, he isn't known for his ability to light up scoreboards or post any kind of gaudy numbers, but his favorable Week 13 matchup against the Denver Broncos is likely to buck that trend.

Kansas City is a run-first team. We all know that. However, the Chiefs are going to have to get creative to get around a Broncos run defense that ranks second in the league, allowing just 75.5 yards per game on the ground. When these teams met earlier this season, Smith racked up 42 passing attempts—his highest total this season.

From a fantasy perspective, Denver is one of the worst teams against opposing quarterbacks, allowing an average of 18.0 fantasy points per game to the position, the fifth-most in the league. In Week 12, the Broncos were lit up by Ryan Tannehill, as the Miami Dolphins signal-caller racked up 26 fantasy points.

Smith has eclipsed 20 fantasy points just once this season, but he has an excellent chance to do it again Sunday.

Sit 'Em: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

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Early this season, it looked as though Ryan would be the fantasy stud we were all hoping for. Unfortunately, due to a decimated offensive line, that didn't come to fruition and he's been putting up average numbers for most of the year.

NFL analyst Benjamin Allbright summed up how the quarterback looked in Week 12 against the Cleveland Browns:

That trend is very likely to continue in Week 13 against a stout Arizona Cardinals defense that is allowing an average of just 14.2 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.

Russell Wilson accumulated some points on this defense in Week 12, but much of that was due to his ability to run. In the Cardinals' three previous contests, they allowed no more than seven fantasy points to the quarterback position.

Over the past three weeks, Ryan has had some favorable fantasy matchups against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers and Browns. He was only able to put up 14 fantasy points in each contest. Expect him to score even less this week against a much tougher opponent.

Running Back

Start 'Em: Denard Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars

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All right, Robinson didn't exactly come through for his fantasy owners last week, producing just four points. However, let's go ahead and consider that an outlier. This ball-carrier was phenomenal in previous weeks, and he'll get back on track in Week 13.

The Jaguars are set to play a bad New York Giants run defense on Sunday. New York is giving up an average of 20.9 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs this season, good enough for the third-most in the league. In fact, the Giants have allowed over 120 rushing yards to opposing backfields in five of their last six contests.

Without much of a passing game to speak of, expect the Jaguars to lean heavily on Robinson this week against New York. The Giants haven't exactly been a high-scoring team this year, so Robinson should receive a healthy workload through a full 60 minutes of action.

Sit 'Em: Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers

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Mathews has looked great since returning from injury in Week 11, racking up 175 rushing yards and a score in two weeks; however, fantasy owners shouldn't expect the veteran ball-carrier to put up any significant points this week against a stingy Baltimore Ravens defense.

Baltimore has been fantasy's most feared defense against the run this season, giving up an average of just 10.4 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, by far the lowest in the league. Just how good are the Ravens at stopping the run? They've only given up one 100-yard performance and three total rushing touchdowns to opposing backfields all season long.

Mathews may have hit his stride in Week 12 against the St. Louis Rams, rushing for 105 yards on 12 carries, but he won't get anywhere near those numbers this week. In fact, with difficult matchups down the road, this running back is a perfect sell-high candidate right now.

Wide Receiver

Start 'Em: Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins

Landry has really come into his own over the last four weeks. He's obviously gained the trust of his quarterback, and that's led to a team-high 32 targets over that span. The rookie hasn't caught fewer than five passes over that duration, and he's scored four times.

Here's a good recent look at Landry, via Fantasy Football Live:

The LSU product is an intriguing play in Week 13 due to a very favorable matchup against the New York Jets. New York is allowing an average of 22.2 fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season and has been torched by teams that utilize wideouts heavily such as the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Adding to Landry's value is the fact that while he is the team's most targeted wide receiver, he isn't its No. 1 option. That privilege would still go to Mike Wallace at this point. That's great for Landry's fantasy owners, as the more attention Wallace gets, more opportunities become available for this promising rookie.

Sit 'Em: Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Shaky quarterback play and the emergence of rookie wide receiver Mike Evans has doomed Jackson's fantasy value this season. While he's coming off just his second 100-yard performance of the season, he hasn't reached the end zone since Week 4. That's not likely to change on Sunday.

Tampa Bay's receivers have a difficult contest forthcoming against the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati's cornerbacks have been playing extremely well this season and are allowing an average of just 15.3 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers, the second-fewest in the league. Even the Houston Texans' formidable duo of Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins only came away with a combined 75 yards in Week 12 against this team.

Jackson will still have other opportunities to put up some fantasy numbers in the remaining weeks of the season, but fantasy owners should avoid playing this veteran wideout in Week 13 unless there's absolutely no better option available.

Tight End

Start 'Em: Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings

Rudolph may seem like a strange selection here, but there's a few good reasons why he'll be a legitimate fantasy play this week. He's coming off a solid game, catching three passes for 50 yards against the Packers in Week 12. That's a good sign considering his limited time spent with rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Here's a look at the tight end's increased snap count, via Matt Vensel of The Minneapolis Star Tribune:

The Vikings are hosting the Carolina Panthers this week, and while the Panthers seem like a stout team against tight ends, the numbers may be skewed. While Carolina is only giving up an average of 6.0 fantasy points per game to the position, the team hasn't played many opponents that rely on tight ends in the passing game.

When the Panthers have played teams that utilize the position, they've given up some big numbers, allowing 12 fantasy points to the Philadelphia Eagles and 14 to the New Orleans Saints. Minnesota isn't known to rely heavily on tight ends, but with a rookie signal-caller at the helm, expect a big security blanket like Rudolph to see his fair share of targets once again this week.

Sit 'Em: Mychal Rivera, Oakland Raiders

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Rivera had a really nice run for fantasy owners lucky enough to play him between Weeks 8 and 10; however, that run officially came to an end Thursday, as he only caught one pass for eight yards despite Oakland battling with Kansas City throughout the contest.

Don't expect Rivera to get things back on track this week, either. The Raiders are up against a St. Louis Rams team that is only allowing an average of 4.8 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers, the sixth-fewest in the league. This position has had a difficult time reaching paydirt against the Rams, as tight ends have scored just twice on them all season.

Considering Rivera isn't known to be a big-play threat, his value resides as a red-zone target. With St. Louis likely to take away that factor of his game, he immediately becomes a player who should be left out of starting lineups in all fantasy formats.

All fantasy statistics and points against courtesy of ESPN.com and current as of Nov. 26 at 2 a.m. ET.