Week 13 Fantasy Football Rankings: Projecting the Top Fantasy Performances

In fantasy football, there are players you can count on to produce in a big way, week after week. If you have the good fortune to have even just one of these players, it can mean the difference between fifth place in your league and making it to the championship game.

In the following four slides, I detail players who are generally never-fail fantasy starters who also have good matchups in Week 13, guaranteeing you a bushel of points as you try to reach the playoffs.

QB Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints (vs. Detroit Lions)

As the quarterback for the league's most productive offense, the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees is having an excellent season—both personally and for your fantasy team. That hot streak is likely to continue this week against the Detroit Lions in a game likely to develop into a shootout.

Brees has thrown 323 completions for 3,689 yards, 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and has run in an additional score so far this season. He's averaging 335 yards per game and has been held to a single touchdown just three times this year.

Though susceptible to pressure, Brees has caught a break this week with Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh slapped with a two-game suspension. He should easily have over 300 yards in the air, and with the number of high-caliber targets to catch his passes, he should also throw at least two touchdowns on Sunday.

WR Wes Welker, New England Patriots (vs. Indianapolis Colts)

The Indianapolis Colts defense is in a bad way. Ranked No. 31 and dead last against the pass, they fired defensive coordinator Larry Coyer just days before they have to face one of the team's most explosive passing offenses.

While the Colts needed a change, this move should play right into the New England Patriots' hands this Sunday, meaning that quarterback Tom Brady's top target, wide receiver Wes Welker, is about to have a high-scoring day for your fantasy team.

Welker has the most yardage of any wide receiver this season, with 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns coming on 82 receptions. There's little doubt that he will significantly add to those totals this week against the pitiful Colts and their troubled defense.

RB Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens (at Cleveland Browns)

Though the Baltimore Ravens' Ray Rice was held back in Week 12 when his team faced the San Francisco 49ers and their top-ranked run defense, he should bounce back in a big way this Sunday when the Ravens travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns, which field the 26th-ranked run defense in the league.

Rice had just 59 yards on 21 carries and three receptions for 24 yards in last week's win, but he has 179 carries for 722 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground and 54 catches for 537 yards and two more more scores in the air on the year.

He's easily the Ravens' most valuable offensive player, and he's a verified fantasy stud as well. The Browns don't stand a chance against Baltimore on Sunday and a major reason for that are Rice's many talents. Don't let last week's outing deter you—Rice is a must-start in what could be one of his biggest games of the season.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons (at Houston Texans)

The Houston Texans just lost both their starting quarterback and their backup in successive weeks, and that means their top-10 defense will have to do even more if the team wants to stay in the playoff hunt.

Despite that, Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez is still a great start for Week 13 and should have quite a good game for himself. Gonzalez is averaging 57.3 receiving yards per game, with 59 catches for 630 yards and seven scores on the year, including nine catches for 69 yards in Week 12 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Gonzalez is a matchup nightmare for any defense that he sees. He's an intelligent veteran who doesn't take risks of the sort that can harm his team and finds ways to get open and make big plays.

Much of Houston's focus will likely be on wide receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones and running back Michael Turner, meaning that Gonzalez's ability to come through in clutch situations will again pop up this Sunday. He should exceed his 57 yards-per-game average and add in a score or two.