Fantasy Football Week 13: Biggest Takeaways from Sunday

Week 13 of the fantasy football season is nearing its end, which means the fantasy football playoffs are right around the corner. Let’s take a look at some of the key takeaways from Sunday’s action to prepare you for the fantasy postseason.

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have dropped two straight games, but Sunday’s outing for Brady reminds us once again that real football and fantasy football are only cousins—not twins. Brady and the Patriots have been slipping on the real football field, but his fantasy production hasn’t gone anywhere.

This article will go from the old (Brady) to the young; we’ll go over some of Sunday’s performances by rookies you should get to know prior to the fantasy playoffs.

We also have more on the Denver Broncos running back situation and some insight on what to make of Doug Baldwin, the wideout who has broken out for the Seattle Seahawks in recent weeks.

We’ll go over all of these takeaways and more, starting with Brady’s standing among fantasy quarterbacks.

Tom Brady Remains a Top-3 Fantasy Quarterback

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Tom Brady

Despite New England’s two-game losing streak, the team’s quarterback, Tom Brady, remains an elite fantasy quarterback. In fact, the only quarterback that should be considered over Brady right now is Carolina Panthers MVP candidate Cam Newton. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is also up there.

It hasn’t been pretty for Brady and the Patriots—especially with top options Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Dion Lewis and Danny Amendola missing time either indefinitely or sporadically—but Brady is still putting up big numbers. He scored 30 fantasy points Sunday, and, as of this writing, was the fifth-highest scoring quarterback on the week.

Brady threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns and added a rushing score as well. It's not hard to argue that Brady is the team's best goal-line rusher, which means one or two more one-yard touchdown runs from Brady could be in the cards. (We wouldn't count on too many more 30-plus yard receptions, however.)

Some might note that the Philadelphia Eagles defense is terrible, and that’s why Brady was able to put up monster numbers in Week 13, but he also put up big numbers in Week 12 against the No. 1 defense in football—the Denver Broncos.

With games against the Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans and New York Jets on tap for the fantasy playoffs, there’s no reason to send Brady to the fantasy bench.

Javorius Allen Has Entered Must-Start Territory

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Javorius Allen

The Baltimore Ravens have been hit hard by injuries this season, and none of the backups have been as good as their starters.

Except for Javorius Allen. The rookie running back has been just as good as Justin Forsett—if not better.

The dual-threat running back scored a touchdown through the air for the second straight week, and while his rushing totals haven't jumped off the page (he has fewer than 70 yards in every game he’s played this season), he does have double-digit fantasy points in three straight outings.

And those numbers are only climbing. After putting up 10 points in Week 11, Allen has followed it up with 13-point and 22-point efforts. His 22-point game in Week 13 earned him the distinction of highest-scoring fantasy running back of the week (as of this writing). He was particularly deadly in PPR leagues, thanks to his 12 receptions for 107 receiving yards.

He should be in all fantasy lineups as an RB2.

DeVante Parker Could Help You in the Fantasy Playoffs

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DeVante Parker

The 14th overall pick in this year’s draft, it took Miami Dolphins rookie wideout DeVante Parker some time to make noise worthy of such a high draft pick. Over the past two games, however—his first games since Week 3—Parker has caught seven passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns.

He caught an impressive 38-yard touchdown pass Sunday, “climbing the ladder” and high-pointing the ball in an Odell Beckham Jr.-esque way. It’s hard not to love Parker's potential after seeing that play.

At this point, Parker is worth a start in flex spots, assuming you aren’t already set at the position. He is currently owned in 21 percent of ESPN.com leagues—up from about 5 percent last week—and that number should continue to skyrocket. If he’s available in your league, you should scoop him up, even if you aren’t going to start him. At the very least, you’ll keep this high-upside player away from the competition.

Jonathan Stewart Continues Hot Streak, Is a Solid RB1

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Jonathan Stewart

Jonathan Stewart, running back of the undefeated Carolina Panthers, has been poison to fantasy players in recent seasons; he’s been hyped up only to underdeliver every single season.

Except for 2015.

Stewart has been putting up consistent numbers this year. In fact, the case could be made that Stewart is currently the most consistent running back in fantasy. His ceiling is not as high as someone like Adrian Peterson’s, but Stewart’s floor is impressive enough to land him in the top 15 among running backs on a weekly basis. That means if he has an above-average game, he lands in the top 10.

Since Carolina’s Week 5 bye, Stewart has seen at least 20 rushing attempts in every single game. It’s almost as if the Carolina coaches are intentionally aiming for the 20-rush milestone for Stewart.

He has seen between 20-24 carries every single game from Week 6 on, and he has rushed for at least 65 yards in all of those games. That is in stark comparison to Weeks 1-4, when Stewart failed to see 20 rushes in any game and didn’t top 65 yards in any of those games.

The fantasy community’s perception of Stewart is so ingrained that it may be difficult to change, but it’s time to accept it as reality: Stewart is a top-10 fantasy running back in 2015. He won’t single-handedly win you any games, but he will be the most reliable part of your squad.

Doug Baldwin Is Fool’s Gold

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Doug Baldwin

As of this writing, Seattle Seahawks wideout Doug Baldwin appears primed to finish as a top-three fantasy wideout in back-to-back weeks. This will obviously cause his fantasy stock to rise—as it should—but don’t be lured in by the recent big numbers. Baldwin remains a middling flex option.

That's not to say he isn't trending in the right direction. Since Seattle’s Week 9 bye, Baldwin has two 100-plus yard games and a total of six touchdowns (in four games). He also has five receptions in all four of those games.

But in order to accept Baldwin as a WR2 or better, you’d have to ignore Weeks 1-8 of the 2015 season—and his entire career up until this point.

From Weeks 1-8, Baldwin caught a total of two touchdowns and had three or fewer receptions in six of the eight games. He also had fewer than 40 receiving yards in six of those eight games.

Heading into 2015, Baldwin didn’t have more than five touchdowns in any season of his career, which began in 2011. He caught five touchdowns in Weeks 12 and 13 combined.

If Baldwin’s career up until Week 10 of the 2015 NFL season is any indication, this isn’t sustainable. And while that’s usually not a bad thing, it comes at a tricky time for fantasy owners: right before the fantasy playoffs.

If you’re looking to ride the hot hand through the fantasy playoffs this season, Baldwin might interest you. But odds are his hot streak is coming to an end sooner rather than later, and you could end up getting burned as a result.

Ronnie Hillman Worth a Flex Spot

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Ronnie Hillman

Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman has been in a battle with teammate C.J. Anderson for touches all season long, but he should still be in fantasy lineups as a flex option. If Anderson is unable to suit up—he hurt is ankle in Week 13, but it’s not believed to be serious, per Denver Post writer Troy Renck—then Hillman would be an RB2.

Hillman has gained 50-plus rushing yards in three straight games and has a solid 54 rushing attempts in that span. He also has six double-digit-point fantasy games to his name this season.

His upside is obviously limited with Anderson in the mix (and Anderson’s upside is similarly limited), but the idea of a running-back-by-committee should no longer be new to fantasy players, so this really shouldn’t be a tough pill to swallow.

Hillman is seeing enough touches even with Anderson to be considered a strong flex player. He has high-end RB2 upside if Anderson misses any time.

Start All D/STs Against the Baltimore Ravens

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Matt Schaub

Somehow, someway, the “all Matt Schaub does is throw pick-sixes” joke is actually true.

The Baltimore Ravens backup quarterback started his second game of the season in place of the injured Joe Flacco Sunday, and for the second straight week, Schaub threw a pick-six. While this one wasn’t his fault (entirely), of course it would happen to Schaub.

Here’s a great nugget from Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith: “Matt Schaub has thrown a pick-six in six of his last nine starts.”

That’s uncannily bad, and while it’s unlikely he throws a pick-six in every game from here on out, another one or two seems like a certainty.

Schaub and the Ravens play against the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers from Weeks 14-16. Those defenses are absolute must-starts in those games.