Fantasy NFL Week 13: Sunday's Top 25 Performers

Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy put in work in their win to stay atop the NFC East last Thursday night while defeating the Houston Texans.

LeSean McCoy rushed for 44 yards and touchdown while catching eight passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. Michael Vick continued to impress. Although he threw just his second interception of the season, he rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown while throwing for 302 yards and two touchdowns.

Andre Johsnon caught six balls for 149 yards. Teammate Arian Foster continued his excellent season by rushing for 83 yards and a touchdown while adding two receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown.

Those were the standout performers entering Sunday.

Reggie Wayne was a one-man show in the Indianapolis Colts’ shootout loss against Dallas.

Adrian Peterson and Sidney Rice turned back the clock to last season as they combined for five touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills.

Which other players stood out in the wild Week 13 of the NFL season?

25. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals QB

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CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 05: Carson Palmer #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals throws a pass during the NFL game against the New Orleans Saints at Paul Brown Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Saints won 34-30. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Im

Palmer has had a rough season just like the rest of the Bengals not named Terrell Owens. Palmer has regressed in his career since suffering several injuries but continues to try to be the productive, winning quarterback many envisioned him to be out of USC. In a decent matchup against the New Orleans Saints, Palmer completed 69.7 percent of his passes for 249 yards, a touchdown and a two-point conversion.

24. Tashard Choice, Dallas Cowboys RB

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 05: Tashard Choice #23 of the Dallas Cowboys runs in the end zone for a touchdown in the 1st quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Scott Boehm/Getty

Choice filled in this week for Marion Barber (calf) and played fantastic for the Cowboys, helping lead the team to a win over the Indianapolis Colts in overtime. Choice is a very good and underrated running back stuck on a team with two other quality rushers. Choice would start right now for a few teams in this league.

Choice has good vision, power, speed and receiving ability despite not recording a reception in the contest. Choice’s 20-yard touchdown run was one of the nicer plays of the day as he shifted through the defense and eluded defenders on his way to the end zone.

For the day, Choice carried the ball 19 times and gained 100 yards including the touchdown.

23. LeGarrette Blount, Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB

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SAN FRANCISCO - NOVEMBER 21: LeGarrette Blount #27 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is tackled by Ray McDonald #91 of the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on November 21, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Rookie LeGarrette Blount has been exceptional for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since taking over the starting job from Cadillac Williams earlier in the season. Blount has shown amazing leaping ability, good speed and great power.

In a nice home matchup against the division rival Atlanta Falcons, Blount rushed 20 times for 103 yards and a touchdown. This was Blount’s fifth rushing touchdown this season and first after a two-game drought.

22. Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders RB

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OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 07: Darren McFadden #20 of the Oakland Raiders runs against the Kansas City Chiefs during an NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on November 7, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Darren McFadden has been one of the league’s premier runners this season. He’s shown better field vision and power while maintaining his excellent speed. McFadden is a dual-threat back as he has great hands. He caught three passes for 30 yards Week 13. Although he lost a fumble, McFadden helped seal the division victory on the road in San Diego by rushing for 97 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

21. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams RB

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GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 05: Runningback Steven Jackson #39 of the St. Louis Rams walks off the field during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. The Rams defeated the Ca

Against a poor, underachieving Arizona Cardinals defense, Steve Jackson plowed through the lowly Cardinals, bashing in their beaks in the process. It was Steven Jackson all day as Sam Bradford surprisingly struggled against the Cardinals secondary.

Jackson rumbled for 102 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. He also added one reception for 13 yards. Jackson is one of the game’s elite runners and dual-threat running backs. With the Rams finally in position to make the playoffs for the first time in years, expect Steven Jackson to be relied on heavily as the Rams control their own destiny.

20. Robert Meachem, New Orleans Saints WR

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CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 05: Dree Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates with Robert Meachem #17 after they connected for a touchdown pass during the NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Cincinnati,

When Drew Brees has a big day, it means at least one of his receivers went on the joy ride with him. This week, Robert Meachem was the biggest fantastic beneficiary. Although Meachem only caught three passes, one went for a 52-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Meachem led the team with 106 yards.

Meachem can’t be trusted in the fantasy playoffs unless the Saints suffer an injury at the wide receiver position, but it’s nice to see Meachem still involved in the offense.

19. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals RB

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CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 05: Cedric Benson #32 of the Cincinnati Bengals runs with the ball during the NFL game against the New Orleans Saints at Paul Brown Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Saints won 34-30. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Get

Benson is starting to pick up some steam after disappointing fantasy owners early in the season. Benson was bottled up on Thanksgiving night but with the extra time to prepare and rest, Benson pulled in his second quality game in the past three weeks. Against a struggling Saints defense, Benson rushed 19 times for 49 yards and two touchdowns.

Benson isn’t running the same as he did last year, but as long as he gets those goal line touches his fantasy owners can’t complain that much.

18. Drew Stanton, Detroit Lions QB

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DETROIT - DECEMBER 05: Drew Stanton #5 of the Detroit Lions runs three yards for a first quarter touchdown as Lance Briggs #55 and Major Wright #27 of the Chicago Bears give chase during the game at Ford Field on December 5, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan. (

With Shaun Hill out due to a finger injury, Drew Stanton received his first start of the season. Surprisingly against the fantastic Bears defense that just “contained” Michael Vick in Week 12, Stanton turned in a very good game.

Stanton completed 16 of 24 passes (66.7 completion percentage) for 178 yards and a touchdown to Calvin Johnson. Johnson did all of the work on the touchdown, catching the pass in the middle of the field and turning up the field towards the right sideline and breaking away from defenders and eluding a tackle before stepping into the end zone inside the pile on. Stanton also ran a touchdown in from three yards out in the first quarter.

The Lions continue to play inspired football despite who starts at quarterback.

17. Jason Campbell, Oakland Raiders QB

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SAN DIEGO - DECEMBER 05: Quarterback Jason Campbell #8 the Oakland Raiders drops back to pass against the San Diego Chargers during the second quarter at Qualcomm Stadium on December 5, 2010 in San Diego, California. The Raiders defeated the Chargers 28-

In a big division matchup to keep his Raiders afloat in the AFC West division, Jason Campbell drew the started for the injured Bruce Gradkowski. Campbell played very good football, which many were unsure he could for the Raiders when he was acquired in the offseason.

Campbell completed 10 of 16 passes (62.5 completion percentage) for just 117 yards but also a touchdown. He refused to turn the ball over and ran for 37 yards include a touchdown on a fantastically designed bootleg from nine yards out.

16. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 05: Peyton Manning #18 of the Indianapolis Colts drops back to pass against the Dallas Cowboys at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Scott Boehm/Getty Images)

Manning was part of an exciting overtime shootout against the improving Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys defensive backs usually can’t catch a cold, but on this day, they were able to pick off the NFL’s most popular player four times. This means Manning has thrown an unbelievable total of 11 interceptions in his past three games, which have all resulted in losses.

Still, Manning threw for 346 yards and two touchdowns for his fantasy owners.

15. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos RB

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KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 05: Knowshon Moreno #27 of the Denver Broncos tries to leap over Eric Berry #29 of the Kansas City Chiefs as he carries the ball during the game on December 5, 2010 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jami

Knowshon Moreno is really starting to resemble the player we saw last season during his rookie campaign. Moreno was bothered by hamstring injuries early in the season but now that he has healthy, is starting to become more of a focal point in the offense now that he has proven to run the ball effectively.

On the road against a Kansas City Chiefs team looking for blood after being embarrassed by the Broncos three weeks ago, Moreno rushed 23 times for 161 yards and also caught one pass for 14 yards.

14. Anquan Boldin, Baltimore Ravens WR

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BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 05: Wide receiver Anquan Boldin #81 of the Baltimore Ravens catches a pass to score a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter of the game at M&T Bank Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Boldin showed up to play from the opening quarter of the AFC North division slugfest with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Backed up in their own end zone, Joe Flacco threw a bomb to Boldin that went for 61 yards. On a broken play in which Boldin was originally double teamed, he slipped past the Steelers secondary towards the middle of the end zone for a wide open touchdown.

Boldin finished the night with five receptions for 118 yards and the touchdown.

13. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints QB

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CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 05: Dree Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints gives instructions to his team during the NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Saints won 34-30. (Photo by Andy

Ol’ reliable. Brees, as usual, is a top 25 fantasy staple. Against an underachieving Bengals team that actually gave the Saints a run for their money, Brees turned in his typical game.

Although he threw another interception, Brees completed 82.8 percent of his passes as he only missed on five targets. Brees threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns.

Just another day at the office for Brees who is positioning his Saints to defend their Super Bowl Championship in the playoffs.

12. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers TE

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SAN FRANCISCO - NOVEMBER 21: Vernon Davis #85 of the San Francisco 49ers in action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Candlestick Park on November 21, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Against a Green Bay secondary that is still trying to come together after being decimated by injuries earlier in the season, Vernon Davis finally made up for his past four games of ineffectiveness due to a bothersome ankle injury. Davis was excellent against the Packers and turned in a huge 66-yard touchdown before halftime.

For the day, Davis caught four passes for 126 yards and a touchdown.

11. Benjamin Watson, Cleveland Browns TE

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MIAMI - DECEMBER 05: Tight end Benjamin Watson #82 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates a touchdown catch against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

So there is another fantasy threat in Cleveland besides Peyton Hillis. Watson erupted against the Miami Dolphins as he was Jake Delhomme’s main target all afternoon. Watson is a big, athletic target with good hands and should be the focal point of the Browns’ passing attack due to their limitations at the wide receiver position. Watson caught 10 balls for 100 yards and a touchdown.

10. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars RB

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - NOVEMBER 28: Maurice Jones Drew #32 of the Jacksonville Jaguars in action against the New York Giants on November 28, 2010 at The New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Unlike last season, Maurice Jones-Drew has gained momentum and picked up the slack late in the season. Jones-Drew faltered down the stretch last year but this year Jones-Drew is running with more focus and determination. The Titans rush defense is usually stout but MJD gutted Tennessee for 186 yards on 31 attempts.

One of the top fantasy picks entering the season, MJD is starting to get hot at the prime time.

9. Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants RB

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 05: Ahmad Bradshaw #44 of the New York Giants runs the ball against the Washington Redskins on December 5, 2010 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

As Brandon Jacobs brought the thunder, Bradshaw swooped in and struck the Redskins with lightning. Although Bradshaw hasn’t started the past two games, he has worked in extremely well with Jacobs, producing similar numbers to when he was the starter. The move was to keep Bradshaw fresh the rest of the season as the Giants eye the playoffs and it has proven to be a smart strategy thus far.

Bradshaw ran 25 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns while catching one pass for eight yards.

8. Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants RB

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 05: Brandon Jacobs #27 of the New York Giants carries the ball into the endzone for a first quarter touchdown against the Washington Redskins on December 5, 2010 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jerse

Jacobs brought the thunder and the pain to the Washington Redskins this week. Jacobs looked lively once again, running with a purpose, displaying good speed and elusiveness with his usual power. Jacobs carried the rock just eight times but certainly made the most of his limited touches. He ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Jacobs now has seven touchdowns on the season and looks to reach double-digit touchdowns this season so keep an eye on him for the fantasy playoffs.

7. Christopher Ivory, New Orleans Saints RB

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CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 05: Chris Ivory #29 of the New Orleans Saints runs with the ball during the NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Saints won 34-30. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Gett

The rookie has done his best all season to pick up the slack left by Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush. Bush still doesn’t look like his old self and Thomas sat out again with the ankle injury.

No problem.

Ivory only ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Ivory has displayed very good power throughout his rookie season but will take a backseat once Thomas returns healthy potentially as soon as next week.

6. Sidney Rice, Minnesota Vikings WR

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 05: Adrian Peterson #28 of the Minnesota Vikings hands the ball to a fan alongside teammate Sidney Rice #18 after he rushed for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills at the Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrod

“Spectacular Sid” is back and looking like his All-Pro self finally. He was rather non-existent the past two weeks after returning from hip surgery. He caught four passes for 76 yards in those two games. Against a beatable Buffalo Bills secondary, Sidney Rice was making big play after big play with Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback.

Rice caught a 31-yard touchdown in the first quarter by making a fantastic leaping grab at the pylon and staying in bounds while getting hit in the chest by the safety. This was easily one of the better touchdowns all season.

Rice caught five balls for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Rice looks poised to help his fantasy owners in the playoffs the next three weeks.

5. Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers WR

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GREEN BAY, WI - OCTOBER 24: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers congratulates Greg Jennings #85 after Jennings' touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field on October 24, 2010 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jim Prisching/Getty Im

Jennings was the main reason Aaron Rodgers was able to have the day he had. Jennings, despite coming into the game bothered by a foot injury, was in top form as he continues to produce as one of the top fantasy wide receivers in the game. Jennings has turned it on as of late and surely solidified a few fantasy owners’ spots in the fantasy playoffs.

Jennings caught six passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

4. Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks RB

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SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 05: Running back Marshawn Lynch #24 of the Seattle Seahawks rushes against Captain Munnerlyn #41 of the Carolina Panthers at Qwest Field on December 5, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks defeated the Panthers 31-14. (Photo b

Lynch was finally used the way he should be as the Seahawks’ workhorse running back. Head coach Pete Carroll gave Lynch the rock over and over again and he produced in a big way. Not only did the Seahawks win the game to stay atop the NFC West division, Lynch rushed for 83 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. He also added one catch for 17 yards.

3. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings RB

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 05: Adrian Peterson #28 of the Minnesota Vikings rushes against the Buffalo Bills at the Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on December 5, 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Imag

Wait…wasn’t Adrian Peterson supposed to be hobbled by an ankle injury? Guess not. All Day was in prime form against the Buffalo Bills at home. Peterson dominated the two-win Bills, gutting them for 107 yards and three touchdowns on just 16 carries.

Just in case people thought Peterson was only going to score from inside the three-yard line after scoring twice from two and three yards out in the first half, Peterson busted loose in the second half for a 43-yard touchdown. Peterson has lived up to the hype as a top fantasy pick this season.

2. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers QB

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GREEN BAY, WI - DECEMBER 05: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers throws a pass against the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field on December 5, 2010 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the 49ers 34-16. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Image

Rodgers turned in one of his best games of the season Week 13. At home against the San Francisco 49ers, Rodgers shredded a team that thought they built some momentum last Monday night. Rodgers put the 49ers in their place.

Rodgers completed 21 of 30 attempted passes (70.0 completion percentage) for 298 yards and three touchdowns.

1. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts WR

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INDIANAPOLIS - NOVEMBER 28: Reggie Wayne #87 of the Indianapolis Colts runs with the ball during the NFL game against the San Diego Chargers at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 28, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Reggie Wayne was in vintage, spectacular form against the Dallas Cowboys. Wayne caught passes all over the field as he ran his usual excellent routes. Wayne was a yard away from having a two-touchdown performance but was touched right before the goal line. Wayne saved his best day for when his owners needed him most, heading into the fantasy playoffs.

Wayne hauled in 14 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown.