Fantasy Football Week 13: Upgrades, Downgrades, and Sleepers from the Experts

Each week, we will analyze the matchups and provide our take on which WR's you should start and which should be riding the pine based on difficult matchups with shutdown CBs, injuries, potential weather problems, etc.  Five offenses (San Diego, Indianapolis, Denver, New Orleans and Dallas) are averaging over 275 passing yards per game. On the flip side, the four worst passing games (averaging less than 190 passing yards per game) can be found in Cleveland, Arizona, Tennessee and Carolina.

The top five passing defenses can be found in New Orleans, New York Giants, Oakland, San Diego, and Carolina—meaning that Santana Moss (@ NYG) , Mike Williams (vs. Carolina) and TO/OCHO (vs NO) could struggle in week 13. If you are looking to avoid some of these difficult week 13 matchups, you might be able to upgrade your starting lineup via free agency. Check out our Week 13 Waiver Wire WR Article.

The worst pass defenses (surrendering over 260 yards/game) exist in Jacksonville, New England, Seattle, Washington and Houston. DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin could each produce top 10 numbers on Thursday night against Houston’s 31st ranked pass defense.  Santonio and Braylon should excel on Monday Night against a New England defense allowing over 275 passing yards per contest.  Mario Manningham has a prime matchup vs. Washington as Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks continue to be sidelined.

VIEWS:

Rotoprofessor.com is expecting a bounceback week for the Colts passing game as they rank Reggie Wayne #1 for a matchup with a Dallas defense that ranks 23rd against the pass, having allowed 23 TDs through the air.

LestersLegends.com are more pessimistic than most on Calvin Johnson as they rank him 14th for a home matchup with an emerging Bears defense that ranks 16th against the pass but have only allowed 8 TDs through the air all season. Drew Stanton starting at QB is a major downgrade for the Lions' aerial attack.

NFL.com are on board with Steve Johnson as an elite option this week as they rank him 10th for a road matchup with a Minnesota defense that ranks 14th against the pass, allowing 23 fantasy pts/game to opposing WRs.

ProFootballWeekly.com are expecting the Bears' Johnny Knox to impress in week 13 as they rank him 18th for a matchup with a Detroit secondary that ranks 18th against the pass (225 yards/game).

FANTASY FOOTBALL SPIN:

UPGRADE: Desean Jackson (vs. Houston) – Way too much has been made of the locker room blow out and Jackson being called out by coach Reid.  This could be a kiss and make up week for Reid, Vick, and Jackson and it could be easy against the 31st ranked pass defense in the league.  The Texans have been victimized to the tune of 286 yards per game.  Do not be worried about starting Jackson.  We think he will be a top five WR this week.

DOWNGRADE: Dez Bryant (vs Colts) – The Colts have a pretty good pass defense and teams have been able to shut Bryant down with a combination of double coverage and pressure on Kitna.  Bryant enjoyed several games where he was able to post big numbers, but teams have adjusted since discovering that Bryant was Kitna’s favorite target.  Another thing teams have quickly discovered is that Bryant has the emotional maturity of a toddler.  He gets pissed off and loses his cool when teams play him effectively.  They do their part in working toward taking him out of the game and Bryant does the rest by allowing his emotions to completely remove him from the contest.

Calvin Johnson playing with a third string QB also belongs in the “Downgrade” bucket.

SLEEPER: Danario Alexander (vs. Cardinals) The Cards have surrendered an average of 249 yards per game through the air.  The 6’5" but fragile Alexander will likely have the benefit of squaring off against a 5’8" corner in Michael Adams.  Alexander has proven in the two games he managed to stay healthy in his rookie season that he can excel at this level.  Look for the Rams coaching staff and fellow rookie Sam Bradford to make the most of the size differential.  It could be huge whenever they reach the redzone.  Alexander has stud potential whenever he is healthy, however rare that may be.

Check out the Upgrades, Downgrades, and Sleepers at Running Back and Quarterback. Remember to check in at FFSpin.com starting Friday for updated status reports in our interactive grid.