Week 13 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Projections for Top 10 Players at Each Position

Hopefully Thanksgiving Day's three-game slate made you thankful for all of the touchdowns scored by your fantasy studs. If not, there's no need to worry. Sunday will provide plenty of favorable matchups for the remainder of your players—the trick is to start the right ones.

Of course, we never know for certain which players will have an enormous week. All we can do is go by the matchups and current trends. If one of your buddies told you he knew Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray would go off for 100-plus yards and two touchdowns in Week 12, he was probably lying.

In poker, the goal is to get our chips on the table when we know we have the best hand. The same can be said for fantasy football. The goal in this instance is to get a player with the best possible matchup in your stating lineup. Fate will take it from there.

To help with any difficult decisions you may need to make in Week 13, here's a look at projections for the top 10 players at each fantasy position following Thursday's action.

Quarterback

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection*
1	Andrew Luck, IND	Washington Redskins	27 points
2	Aaron Rodgers, GB	New England Patriots	26 points
3	Peyton Manning, DEN	Kansas City Chiefs	25 points
4	Ryan Tannehill, MIA	New York Jets	23 points
5	Tom Brady, NE	Green Bay Packers	21 points
6	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	New Orleans Saints	20 points
7	Eli Manning, NYG	Jacksonville Jaguars	19 points
8	Philip Rivers, SD	Baltimore Ravens	18 points
9	Andy Dalton, CIN	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	17 points
10	Drew Brees, NO	Pittsburgh Steelers	17 points

Start 'Em: Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Rivers hasn't put up any kind of gaudy fantasy points since he dropped 19 on the Denver Broncos in Week 8. However, there's reason to believe that will change this week against the Baltimore Ravens.

Baltimore's secondary is a little beat up at the moment, and that's been evident in the fantasy points it has given up to opposing quarterbacks. For the season, the Ravens are allowing an average of 17.4 fantasy points per game to the position. However, they just allowed 27 to Drew Brees in Week 12 despite winning the game.

Don't fret if Rivers doesn't have huge numbers by halftime, either. Take a look at what he did in Week 12, via Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego:

Yes, the Ravens are a better all-around team when they play at home, but Rivers has played well on the road this season, and he's entering a game with a must-win mentality.

Sit 'Em: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Ryan hasn't been very good for most of the season due to a rash of injuries suffered along the offensive line. When he doesn't have sufficient protection, it doesn't allow him enough time in the pocket to utilize deep threat Julio Jones in a proper manner.

Expect the quarterback to continue his struggles in Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals. This team is only allowing an average of 14.2 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterback and have held the position to single-digit fantasy points in four of its last six games.

The Cardinals should be applying plenty of pressure to Ryan this week, taking the long ball out of the game and severely limiting his production for a full 60 minutes.

Running Back

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection*
1	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	New Orleans Saints	21 points
2	Arian Foster, HOU	Tennessee Titans	19 points
3	Justin Forsett, BAL	San Diego Chargers	18 points
4	Andre Ellington, ARI	Atlanta Falcons	17 points
5	Eddie Lacy, GB	New England Patriots	15 points
6	Rashad Jennings, NYG	Jacksonville Jaguars	14 points
7	Denard Robinson, JAC	New York Giants	14 points
8	Jeremy Hill, CIN	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	13 points
9	Mark Ingram, NO	Pittsburgh Steelers	13 points
10	Jamaal Charles, KC	Denver Broncos	13 points

Start 'Em: Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Ingram hasn't lit it up since Week 10, but he's poised to get back on track this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Saints are in dire need of a win, and with Drew Brees' struggles on the road, expect the offense to rely heavily on this ball-carrier.

The Steelers are giving up an average of 15.1 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, and they've been torched every time a team has attempted at least 25 carries this season, giving up 15 or more fantasy points on each occasion.

Before Week 12, Ingram carried the ball at least 23 times in four consecutive games. If his workload does get back inside that ballpark, he should be in line for a nice outing at Heinz Field.

Sit 'Em: Bishop Sankey, Tennessee Titans

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

All we need to do is look back at the history of this season to see why Sankey isn't a viable fantasy play for Week 13 against the Houston Texans.

The rookie is having trouble finding space, limiting him to an average of less than four yards per carry in each of his last seven contests. The last time he faced Houston, the longest run he could manage to break off was nine yards. The Texans have only allowed a rushing touchdown in three of their last eight game, so a score shouldn't be expected, either.

ESPN's Christopher Harris gave his take on the running back following Week 12:

Sankey has far more downside than upside for this matchup, so fantasy owners should avoid the running back unless there's absolutely no other available option.

Wide Receiver

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection*
1	Antonio Brown, PIT	New Orleans Saints	19 points
2	Jordy Nelson, GB	New England Patriots	17 points
3	T.Y. Hilton, IND	Washington Redskins	16 points
4	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	Kansas City Chiefs	16 points
5	A.J. Green, CIN	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	16 points
6	Josh Gordon, CLE	Buffalo Bills	15 points
7	Julio Jones, ATL	Arizona Cardinals	15 points
8	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN	Kansas City Chiefs	14 points
9	Odell Beckham, Jr., NYG	Jacksonville Jaguars	14 points
10	Randall Cobb, GB	New England Patriots	13 points

Start 'Em: Josh Gordon, Cleveland Browns

Gordon returned to action in Week 12 with a bang, catching eight passes for 120 yards. Quarterback Brian Hoyer was like a kid in a candy shop, targeting his new weapon early and often. We should expect that to continue Sunday.

Here's a very telling stat from that game, courtesy of NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

The Buffalo Bills have been decent against opposing wide receivers this season, allowing an average of 19.8 fantasy points per game to the position. However, they've been torched by some of the league's more talented pass-catchers, making Gordon a nice play in Week 13.

Buffalo is very stout against the run, so Isaiah Crowell and Co. may not find much room to work with. That will be just fine for Gordon's owners, as he's likely to see an increase in targets as a result.

Sit 'Em: Andre Johnson, Houston Texans

Benching a big-name player may be difficult for most fantasy owners, but it's the right call in Week 13. The Texans are in a state of flux at the quarterback position following a season-ending injury to Ryan Mallett, and a matchup against a good Titans secondary only worsens Johnson's value.

The Titans are allowing an average of 19.7 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers this season. They've only allowed more than one touchdown to the position in just one game this year and haven't allowed a wide receiver corps to eclipse 200 receiving yards since Week 6.

With the speedy DeAndre Hopkins figuring to have the best opportunity to score this week, Johnson should be continuing his trend of zero touchdowns and sub-100-yard performances once again.

Tight End

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection*
1	Rob Gronkowski, NE	Green Bay Packers	17 points
2	Jimmy Graham, NO	Pittsburgh Steelers	15 points
3	Greg Olsen, CAR	Minnesota Vikings	14 points
4	Travis Kelce, KC	Denver Broncos	12 points
5	Antonio Gates, SD	Baltimore Ravens	10 points
6	Delanie Walker, TEN	Houston Texans	10 points
7	Larry Donnell, NYG	Jacksonville Jaguars	9 points
8	Julius Thomas, DEN	Kansas City Chiefs	9 points
9	Coby Fleener, IND	Washington Redskins	8 points
10	Kyle Rudolph, MIN	Carolina Panthers	7 points

Start 'Em: Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

This is a unique circumstance considering Walker's matchup isn't very good. The Texans are only allowing an average of 4.7 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends, the third-fewest in the league. Still, there's a good reason that warrants a start for Walker this week.

While Houston has only given up three touchdowns to tight ends this season, one of those three went to Walker in Week 8. Adding to his value, he's earned the attention of rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who hit him five times for 155 yards in Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

That performance was good enough for second in franchise history, according to the Titans' official Twitter account:

This is one of those rare circumstances where a player happens to be in a good enough situation to warrant a start despite having a terrible matchup on paper.

Sit 'Em: Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

While the Saints have a bunch of deficiencies on defense, covering tight ends isn't one of them. New Orleans is only allowing an average of 4.0 fantasy points per game to the position, and Jermaine Gresham's two-touchdown game was the only double-digit fantasy performance given up by this team in 2014.

Miller has seen inconsistent usage this season, catching three passes or fewer in six contests. He's also scored just twice this season, and considering the Saints have only allowed three touchdowns to tight ends, it isn't likely he reaches paydirt this week.

There are other options out there at tight end for Week 13, so do yourself a favor and relegate Miller to the bench.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent	Projection*
1	New York Giants	Jacksonville Jaguars	14 points
2	Miami Dolphins	New York Jets	12 points
3	St. Louis Rams	Oakland Raiders	11 points
4	Baltimore Ravens	San Diego Chargers	10 points
5	Buffalo Bills	Cleveland Browns	9 points
6	Minnesota Vikings	Carolina Panthers	8 points
7	Carolina Panthers	Minnesota Vikings	8 points
8	Indianapolis Colts	Washington Redskins	7 points
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	7 points
10	Arizona Cardinals	Atlanta Falcons	7 points

Start 'Em: Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins defense may have scored negative fantasy points in Week 12, but that can be said about almost every defense that faces Peyton Manning. Expect a big bounce-back performance this week against a New York Jets team that can't get out of its own way.

New York is yielding 9.9 fantasy points to opposing defenses this year, the fourth-most in the league. The team is coming off a dreadful performance against Buffalo which included seven sacks, one interception and a defensive touchdown.

Expect the Dolphins' excellent pass rush and secondary to have a field day in Week 13.

Sit 'Em: San Diego Chargers

Donald Miralle/Getty Images

San Diego's defense may be coming off back-to-back double-digit fantasy performances, but don't let those games against the St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders skew your perspective. This is still a defense that can be taken advantage of.

The last two times this defense played away from home, it scored negative fantasy points. Now, it must face a Baltimore Ravens team that is known for its prowess at M&T Bank Stadium. This Ravens team is also red-hot coming off a great offensive showing against the Saints.

Don't roll with the Chargers this week. Their trip to the East Coast won't end well.

Kicker

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection*
1	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	Green Bay Packers	14 points
2	Adam Vinatieri, IND	Washington Redskins	12 points
3	Caleb Sturgis, MIA	New York Jets	11 points
4	Shaun Suisham, PIT	New Orleans Saints	11 points
5	Shayne Graham, NO	Pittsburgh Steelers	10 points
6	Josh Brown, NYG	Jacksonville Jaguars	10 points
7	Randy Bullock, HOU	Tennessee Titans	9 points
8	Mason Crosby, GB	New England Patriots	9 points
9	Mike Nugent, CIN	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	8 points
10	Billy Cundiff, CLE	Buffalo Bills	8 points

Start 'Em: Josh Brown, New York Giants

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Brown hasn't delivered for fantasy owners much this season, but if you're in need of a viable kicker this week, he actually makes a decent option. The Jaguars haven't been able to stop many offenses this season, allowing plenty of trips into their territory. This has resulted in just two games this season in which an opposing kicker didn't attempt more than one field goal.

While Brown only has three field-goal attempts over his last six games, that trend is likely to snap in Week 13, especially since Eli Manning and Co. have been moving the ball better of late.

Sit 'Em: Kai Forbath, Washington Redskins

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

The Indianapolis Colts don't allow too many field-goal attempts, and considering the Indianapolis offense is likely to blow the doors off Washington's defense this week, that tendency should continue in Week 13.

Indianapolis has only allowed more than one field-goal attempt in just two games this season, and considering Washington's recent change at the quarterback position, its offense can't be trusted enough to get Forbath into range enough times to buck that trend.

All fantasy stats and points against courtesy of ESPN.com and current as of Nov. 27 at 11:30 a.m. ET.