Fantasy Football Week 13: Identifying Stars Who Will Struggle Most

There are many reasons why a player may struggle to produce in a given week.

Injuries, the nature of the game plan, a switch in personnel or just a bad matchup can keep even the studliest of fantasy starters held to low scoring totals.

With those factors in mind, here are four players who are likely to have a tough time contributing in a significant way to your fantasy team this week.

WR Andre Johnson, Houston Texans (vs. Atlanta Falcons)

Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson has faced some of the biggest adversity of any active player this season, first missing time due to a hamstring injury and then seeing his starting quarterback Matt Schaub lost for the season right before Johnson was scheduled to return.

Now Schaub's backup, Matt Leinart, is also done for the year, and third-string T.J. Yates has been given the green light to lead the AFC South's top team as they vie for a playoff spot.

What this all means for Johnson's fantasy future is unknown, but what is known is that he's going to be held down simply because Yates' inexperience doesn't bode well for his ability to complete long passes with any consistency.

In his first game back last week, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Johnson caught two passes for 22 yards. In five games, he has 27 catches for 374 yards and two scores.

While the Falcons defense is weaker against the pass compared to their success stopping the run, circumstances are such that Johnson isn't primed for a big outing this week.

Proceed with caution if you're considering starting him.

TE Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers (at New York Giants)

The trouble with the Green Bay Packers offense, from a fantasy standpoint, is that one never knows which receiver might be getting quarterback Aaron Rodgers' attention game to game.

Take tight end Jermichael Finley, for example.

In the first half of the season, Finley was clearly one of Rodgers' favorite targets, and his numbers reflected it.

But as the season wears on and other receivers have fallen into favor, Finley's role has become far more unpredictable.

Finley has been held under 50 yards in five of his last six games and had just two catches on five targets for 38 yards in last week's win over the Detroit Lions.

On the year, Finley has caught 36 passes for 513 yards and five scores.

While it's certainly possible Finley will have yet another big day before the season ends, it's not clear in which week that will happen.

He's worth starting, to be sure, but keep your expectations low. He may get a high number of targets—but he also might get shut out.

RB Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints (vs. Detroit Lions)

While the New Orleans Saints boast the most productive passing offense in the league, their running game has become kind of an afterthought.

Among the three running backs the team rotates in and out of the game, only Darren Sproles has proven to be the consistent fantasy starter.

The two remaining backs, Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram, seem to split 15 carries between them, and their numbers vary wildly.

In the Saints' last five games, Thomas' production has been up-and-down—57 rushing yards and no scores one week, 23 yards and a touchdown the next.

Most recently, he ran eight times for 63 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 47 yards.

If the pattern holds, then this should be a down week for Thomas. There are signs that point to him performing reasonably well, especially if the Saints manage to build a significant lead and focus more on holding onto it, controlling the clock with the run game.

While I don't suggest benching Thomas this week, do realize the inherent risk in starting him. As part of a committee of backs, a highly productive day is never a guarantee.

QB Vince Young, Philadelphia Eagles (at Seattle Seahawks)

With a number of late-season injuries striking down a number of starting fantasy quarterbacks, it's not inconceivable that either yourself or someone in your league has had to turn to the Philadelphia Eagles' Vince Young in recent weeks.

In his two starts since starter Michael Vick went down with an injury to his ribs, Young has completed 49 of his 85 passes for 658 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions and has rushed 12 times for 45 yards.

Considering Young's limitations as a passer, the Eagles curiously threw the ball 49 times in the team's loss to the New England Patriots last week, choosing to take to the air even when the game wasn't out of hand.

That only serves to hurt the Eagles' bottom line.

They should attempt a more ground-focused approach against the Seahawks this week that should help Young's touchdown-to-interception ratio somewhat, but I wouldn't have high hopes that Young will provide your fantasy team with 20 or more points.