Week 13 Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Looking at Stars Who Should Ride the Pine

It's never easy to bench a star player even when they're either coming off an injury or still suffering from one. However, this late in the season changes must be made to ensure a better shot at making the postseason.

That said, here are four stars to bench in Week 13 regardless of their health situation.

Adrian Peterson: RB, Vikings

According to Stephania Bell of ESPN, Adrian Peterson may sit out in Week 13:

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Peterson never really tested the ankle last week and was not ready for action. He may not be ready this week, either. While he's reportedly improving, until he takes the practice field, there's no independent way to judge how close he is to game action.

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That said, put Peterson on your bench. Also, regardless of who starts at RB this week for Minnesota, the Denver Broncos have a much improved defense against the run, so success will be minimal.

With Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil leading the way, the Vikings offensive line will have trouble establishing a ground game on top of keeping Christian Ponder consistently protected.

Find a replacement for Peterson if you have yet to do so, and if you in fact have, well, then keep the backup starting in his place.

Ahmad Bradshaw: RB, Giants

Accord to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, it looks like the return of Ahmad Bradshaw is not this week:

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Both LB Michael Boley (hamstring) and RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) are scheduled to work out with team trainers today so their status could be evaluated. According to one source familiar with their situations, the Giants are not expecting either one of them to play against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

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So with that in mind, keep Bradshaw on the bench unless you want to drop him, which isn't the worst of ideas either.

Plus it wouldn't matter in Week 13 anyway because New York is playing the Packers. Green Bay's high-flying offense will burn the scoreboard against the Giants defense, so even if Bradshaw were to suit up he'd barely produce.

New York is going to have to constantly throw the ball to keep pace anyway, so even a healthy Bradshaw wouldn't get many carries. Don't expect too much from Brandon Jacobs either because although the Packers are vulnerable through the air, they at least know how to force turnovers and cause pressure—something New Orleans has struggled with.

DeSean Jackson: WR, Eagles

In the same article by Stephania Bell of ESPN from before, this time we see that Philadelphia appears to be preparing without Michael Vick: "Vince Young led the Tuesday practice for the quarterback position, indicating Michael Vick will almost assuredly miss another week because of his broken ribs."

That said, on top of Vick's injury, DeSean Jackson was benched mid-game versus New England, so we can't expect his production to be dominant in Week 13.

Seattle may rank No. 20 in pass defense, but with Vince Young under center you have to be concerned about starting Jackson this week.

Young has the ability to extend plays, but that's about it. Seattle has proven its defensive worth against potent offenses such as the Ravens and Giants, plus the game is in the Great Northwest.

All season long Jackson has had inconsistent production and narrowing it down to road games is no exception. Now, it's not a horrible decision to start him this week, but just be wary that the odds are against him.

So if you change your mind, keep some backups handy as the Eagles' season is basically over anyway.

Vincent Jackson: WR, Chargers

Here there's no injury news, but we are watching the worst season of Philip Rivers' career. And despite having caught 44 balls for 825 yards and having scored seven TDs, WR Vincent Jackson has been just as inconsistent.

It seems like Jackson has been the biggest hit-or-miss player this year, as he's had games of seven receptions for 100-plus yards only to be followed by a one- or two-catch performance with just over 20-plus yards.

In addition to those two seven-reception games, Jackson's only hit 10 catches once and five on another occasion. So in four games he's caught 29 passes, but in the other seven games he has just 15 receptions.

This week San Diego plays in Jacksonville, which is not an easy game as the Jaguars rank No. 4 in pass defense. So if you're paranoid about starting Vincent Jackson this week, well, with all the previously mentioned stats considered, benching him is a smart call.

Follow John Rozum on Twitter @ Sportswriter27.