Week 13 Fantasy Football Rankings Guide for Top Players and Sleepers

Week 13 figures to be a pivotal one for fantasy managers looking to make a playoff push. All 32 teams will be in action, but a quarter of them will be playing short-week games.

Three games are set for Thursday's Thanksgiving slate, while the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles will face off in the NFL's latest Black Friday Game.

Here you'll find early point-per-reception (PPR) rankings for the top fantasy positions, along with a few sleepers to consider targeting on the waiver wire.

Quarterback

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

Falcons QB Kirk Cousins

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

3. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

4. Drake Maye, New England Patriots

5. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

6. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

7. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

8. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

9. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

10. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers

11. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

12. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

Sleeper: Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons

With Michael Penix Jr. out for the season with a knee injury, the Atlanta Falcons are Kirk Cousins' team. The 37-year-old started and had a decent outing against the New Orleans Saints in Week 12.

Cousins wasn't perfect, but he managed to produce 15.5 fantasy points without No. 1 receiver Drake London.

This week, the Falcons will face a New York Jets team that has been average at best defensively. New York has surrendered an average of 17.6 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.

While no teams are on bye this week, injuries to quarterbacks like Penix, Jayden Daniels and Baker Mayfield should earn Cousins some consideration. He's available in over 90 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

Running Back

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Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin

1. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions

2. De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins

3. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens

4. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

5. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons

6. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

7. James Cook, Buffalo Bills

8. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

9. Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals

10. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams

11. TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots

12. Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars

13. Breece Hall, New York Jets

14. Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers

15. Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs

Sleeper: Jaleel McLaughlin, Denver Broncos

Veteran Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins is dealing with a Lisfranc injury that will likely sideline him through the regular season, at a minimum. Naturally, this has boosted the fantasy stock of rookie second-round pick RJ Harvey.

However, Harvey isn't the only Broncos back who may benefit from the opportunity. Veteran Jaleel McLaughlin is also part of Denver's backfield rotation and has some sleeper value.

In Week 11, McLaughlin ran for a touchdown and tallied 8.4 fantasy points. He could see more work against a banged-up Washington Commanders team with a struggling run defense.

Washington has surrendered an average of 21.1 fantasy points to opposing backfields this season. McLaughlin is available in 99 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

Wide Receiver

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Packers WR Christian Watson

1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

2. Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs

3. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams

4. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

5. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

6. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

7. Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams

8. George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys

9. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

10. Nico Collins, Houston Texans

11. Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers

12. Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

13. Stefon Diggs, New England Patriots

14. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

15. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

16. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles

17. Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers

18. Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens

19. Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants

20. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

Sleeper: Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers wideout Christian Watson has been one of Jordan Love's top targets since returning from last year's ACL tear. With tight end Tucker Kraft out for the season, Watson has pretty much taken over the No. 1 receiver role.

Yet, Watson is still available in over 50 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

Watson is likely to be a very popular pickup this week, and there's good reason for that. He's averaged 11.5 fantasy points since returning to the lineup and has a pretty favorable matchup in Week 13.

The Packers are set to visit the Detroit Lions on Thursday. Detroit has surrendered the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.

Tight End

AP Photo/John Raoux

Jaguars TE Brenton Strange

1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

2. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

4. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

5. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts

6. Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers

7. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

8. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

9. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints

10. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

11. Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars

12. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

13. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

14. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys

15. Theo Johnson, New York Giants

Sleeper: Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange is a sleeper with legitimate top-10 potential this week. The 24-year-old was just activated off injured reserve and immediately earned a prominent role in the offense.

On Sunday, Strange caught all five of his targets for 93 yards and 14.3 fantasy points.

This week, Strange will face a tougher matchup against the Tennessee Titans. The Titans haven't been good this year, but they have surrendered the eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends.

Still, Strange figures to be a high-volume target, and he's available in over 80 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

*Fantasy roster and scoring information from FantasyPros.