Fantasy Football Week 13 Rankings: Projections to Love and Matchups to Exploit

Due to the shuffling of last week's Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers game, Week 13 didn't kick off with its usual Thursday night matchup. However, there will be an extra night of football this week, as the Ravens and Dallas Cowboys will play on Tuesday.

Even with that game on the docket—and two games scheduled for Monday—fantasy managers will want to get the majority of their lineups set by Sunday. Considering the fantasy playoffs are right around the corner—or already here in larger leagues—making the right lineup decisions is as important as it's been all season.

We're here to help by examining the top projected performers at each key position and some of the best matchups of the week. All rankings and picks are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring. As a reminder, the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on bye weeks.

Quarterback

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1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

3. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

4. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans

5. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

6. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

7. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

8. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

9. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

10. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

11. Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders

12. Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts

Matchup to Love: Ryan Tannehill vs. Cleveland Browns

While Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill might not jump out as a fantasy star, he's been mostly reliable in favorable matchups. He has thrown for two or more touchdowns in eight of his 11 games, and he has a great matchup on tap against the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns have already surrendered the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. They'll also be down some key defenders for this game.

Star cornerback Denzel Ward is expected to miss multiple weeks with a calf injury, while safety Ronnie Harrison was recently placed on injured reserve.

While Cleveland is expected to have star pass-rusher Myles Garrett back in the lineup, Tannehill could potentially have one of his best statistical games of 2020.

Projection: 330 passing yards, 3 TDs, 25 rushing yards

Running Back

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1. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

2. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

3. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

4. James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars

5. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

6. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

7. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles

8. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

9. Antonio Gibson, Washington Football Team

10. Chris Carson, Philadelphia Eagles

11. D'Andre Swift, Detroit Lions

12. Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns

13. Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis Colts

14. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears

15. Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers

Matchup to Love: Austin Ekeler vs. New England Patriots

Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler missed roughly two months with a hamstring injury, and he was very patient with his recovery.

"Even the trainers said you don't want to come back from this early because you'll re-injure it and have to go back. So I'm checking all the boxes," Ekeler said before making his return in Week 12, according to ESPN's Shelley Smith.

If Ekeler was still bothered by the injury, it wasn't apparent. In his first action back, he caught 11 passes and totaled 129 yards from scrimmage. Heading into Week 13, he may have the highest PPR upside of any fantasy back.

Ekeler also has a solid matchup against a New England Patriots defense tied for the 15th-most points allowed to opposing running backs. This is admittedly more of a combination of role and matchup than a pure matchup-based play, but Ekeler should be in line to shine.

Projection: 9 receptions, 123 scrimmage yards, 1 TD

Wide Receiver

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1. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

2. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

3. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

4. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings

5. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

6. A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans

7. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons

8. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

9. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

10. Allen Robinson II, Chicago Bears

11. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams

12. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

13. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

14. Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team

15. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

16. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints

17. DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins

18. Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans

19. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys

20. Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers

Matchup to Love: Adam Thielen vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Minnesota Vikings activated wide receiver Adam Thielen from the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier this week, and he should storm back to fantasy stardom with a stellar matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jaguars rank just 29th against the pass and have surrendered 23 passing touchdowns on the season. They have also given up the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

Thielen and teammate Justin Jefferson should both be strong plays against Jacksonville, but Thielen may have the higher floor based on his PPR potential.

When the two last played together in Week 11, Jefferson was only targeted five times, while Thielen was targeted 11 times. He finished that game with eight receptions, 123 receiving yards and two touchdowns. While he may not have that prolific an outing, Thielen should still have a fantastic day.

Projection: 7 receptions, 117 yards, 1 TD

Tight End

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1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders

3. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions

4. Evan Engram, New York Giants

5. Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers

6. Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers

7. Eric Ebron, Pittsburgh Steelers

8. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

9. Hayden Hurst, Atlanta Falcons

10. Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans

11. Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins

12. Noah Fant, Denver Broncos

Matchup to Love: Darren Waller at New York Jets

Over the last two years, Las Vegas Raiders standout Darren Waller has emerged as one of the few elite tight ends in fantasy. He had a subpar four-catch, 23-yard outing against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12, but he is poised to bounce back in Week 13.

Waller and the Raiders will visit the New York Jets, who rank 30th against the pass. More importantly, the Jets have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season.

While Las Vegas' blowout loss in Atlanta could be tough to shake off—and the cross-country trip to New Jersey isn't going to help, managers should expect high-end production from Waller. He has caught seven or more passes in three different games this season and could make it a fourth this weekend.

Projection: 8 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD

Fantasy points allowed from FantasyPros. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference.