Week 13 Fantasy Football Start Em Sit Em: Dwayne Bowe and WRs Sure to Falter

With the fantasy playoffs looming, few owners can afford to start a wide receiver who doesn’t produce. Look for this trio to underperform compared to their usual totals on Sunday:

Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City

As dangerous a receiver as Bowe is, he’s got a number of factors stacked against him on Sunday. The first, obviously, is the still-unstable QB situation for the Chiefs, with a game split between Tyler Palko and newcomer Kyle Orton a distinct possibility.

In addition, the Chiefs travel to windy Soldier Field tomorrow, putting yet another hurdle in front of the K.C. passing game. Even if the Bears’ dangerous pass rush doesn’t short-circuit Palko and Orton, Bowe is unlikely to post anything like his usual gaudy stats in this matchup.

Torrey Smith, Baltimore

Smith has been a feast-or-famine option all season, and he’ll leave his owners hungry again this week. Against the Browns’ No. 1-ranked pass defense, Smith isn’t likely to get open for the kind of game-breaking plays that have made him a valuable fantasy pick in previous weeks.

In addition, Cleveland has one of the league’s worst run defenses, meaning that a steady diet of Ray Rice is likely in order on Sunday. With Joe Flacco passing even less than usual, Smith will have even fewer chances to make anything happen.

Julio Jones, Atlanta

Jones isn’t even a sure thing to play against Houston, as he’s continuing to battle a hamstring injury. If he does start, though, he’s in for a tough matchup against the Texans.

After years of being shredded by opposing passers, the Texans have football’s second-best pass defense in 2011. Even if Roddy White can find enough openings to make a few plays, there won’t be many touches left for Jones by the end of the game.