Phinsider Week 13 Fantasy Football Rankings

Wow! Did anyone see Julio Jones out there this week. The man was an absolute titan out there, making the Tampa Bay secondary look nonexistent. Jones finally supplied fantasy owners with the earth-shattering statistical performance we’ve come to expect from the league’s best wideout (alongside Antonio Brown of course). Will the high flying Falcon be able to repeat that same success against a stingy Vikings defense? Probably not, but I’m not necessarily expecting a bad showing from Jones. Where does he sit amongst his football catching peers in the fantasy football world? Find out below!

Each week of the NFL season, I’ll be giving an updated look at where the top players at each fantasy position stand, with matchups and injury concerns taken into account. For the sake of continuity, I’ll only be using standard scoring when constructing the rankings, so be sure to consider that when setting your lineups.

Quarterback

1. Tom Brady - @ Buf
2. Carson Wentz - @ Sea
3. Kirk Cousins - @ Dal
4. Russell Wilson - vs Phi
5. Drew Brees - vs Car
6. Philip Rivers - vs Cle
7. Matthew Stafford - @ Bal
8. Ben Roethlisberger - @ Cin
9. Cam Newton - @ NO
10. Jameis Winston - @ GB
11. Matt Ryan - vs Min
12. Derek Carr - vs NYG
13. Case Keenum - @ Atl
14. Josh McCown - vs KC
15. Jared Goff - @ Ari
16. Alex Smith - @ NYJ
17. Dak Prescott - vs Was
18. Blake Bortles - vs Ind
19. Marcus Mariota - vs Hou
20. Brett Hundley - vs TB

Jameis Winston is officially back in the starting lineup after a three week hiatus due to a shoulder injury. He immediately enters the top 10 fantasy play discussion going up against Green Bay’s horrid secondary, but owners should be wary of the workload the Bucs give him due to the nature of his injury. Shoulders are fickle when it comes to quarterbacks. Winston aside, Philip Rivers and Kirk Cousins are two of my favorite plays this week.

Running Back

1. Le’Veon Bell - @ Cin
2. Todd Gurley - @ Ari
3. Melvin Gordon - vs Cle
4. Leonard Fournette - vs Ind
5. LeSean McCoy - vs NE
6. Alvin Kamara - vs Car
7. Mark Ingram - vs Car
8. Jordan Howard - vs SF
9. Kareem Hunt - @ NYJ
10. Christian McCaffrey - @ NO
11. Carlos Hyde - @ Chi
12. Devonta Freeman - vs Min
13. Latavius Murray - @ Atl
14. Lamar Miller - @ Ten
15. Samaje Perine - @ Dal
16. Duke Johnson - @ LAC
17. Dion Lewis - @ Buf
18. Alex Collins - vs Det
19. Adrian Peterson - vs LAR
20. DeMarco Murray - vs Hou

Kareem Hunt can be downgraded to an RB2 (albeit maybe a high-end RB2) for the time being. Should Kansas City’s offense get back on track, Hunt could immediately shoot back to being the dynamo he was before Andy Reid’s unit become a shell of its former self. Until then, play Hunt with tempered expectations. Samaje Perine and Dion Lewis are two guys trending in the opposite direction, as both have taken control of their respective backfields and should continue to see heavy usage.

Wide Receiver

1. Antonio Brown - @ Cin
2. DeAndre Hopkins - @ Ten
3. Julio Jones - vs Min
4. Keenan Allen - vs Cle
5. Adam Thielen - @ Atl
6. Brandin Cooks - @ Buf
7. Mike Evans - @ GB
8. Michael Thomas - vs Car
9. A.J. Green - vs Pit
10. Davante Adams - vs TB
11. Alshon Jeffery - @ Sea
12. Larry Fitzgerald - vs LAR
13. Jarvis Landry - vs Den
14. Doug Baldwin - vs Phi
15. Jamison Crowder - @ Dal
16. Robby Anderson - vs KC
17. Devin Funchess - @ NO
18. Tyreek Hill - @ NYJ
19. Marvin Jones Jr. - @ Bal
20. Dez Bryant - vs Was

Mike Evans has his quarterback under center once again, which means good things are coming for the talented pass catcher. Davante Adams has proven to be backup quarterback proof as he’s still producing with Brett Hundley in the lineup, though we can’t say the same thing for Jordy Nelson. Keep an eye out for Jamison Crowder this week against a swiss cheese Dallas secondary. Kirk Cousins heavily relied on Crowder last week with Chris Thompson out of the lineup.

Tight End

1. Rob Gronkowski - @ Buf
2. Travis Kelce - @ NYJ
3. Zach Ertz - @ Sea
4. Jimmy Graham - vs Phi
5. Delanie Walker - vs Hou
6. Evan Engram - @ Oak
7. Cameron Brate - @ GB
8. Kyle Rudolph - @ Atl
9. Vernon Davis - @ Dal
10. Jared Cook - vs NYG
11. Jack Doyle - @ Jax
12. Jason Witten - vs Was
13. O.J. Howard - @ GB
14. Hunter Henry - vs Cle
15. Austin Hooper - vs Min
16. Julius Thomas - vs Den
17. Charles Clay - vs NE
18. Eric Ebron - @ Bal
19. Tyler Kroft - vs Pit
20. Austin Seferian-Jenkins - vs KC

Cameron Brate should be back on fantasy radars this week. There was a clear drop off for the early season star when Ryan Fitzpatrick was slinging the rock, but Brate’s rapport with Winston earlier in the year was very strong. Vernon Davis is a good bounce-back candidate this week. After recording zero receptions in a good spot last Thursday, Davis has another positive matchup against the Cowboys, and Jordan Reed will once again be on the sideline.

Defense/Special Teams

1. Jacksonville - vs Ind
2. Los Angeles (Chargers) - vs Cle
3. Los Angeles (Rams) - @ Ari
4. Pittsburgh - @ Cin
5. Chicago - vs SF
6. Philadelphia - @ Sea
7. Minnesota - @ Atl
8. Detroit - @ Bal
9. Baltimore - vs Det
10. New England - @ Buf
11. Washington - @ Dal
12. New Orleans - vs Car
13. Carolina - @ NO
14. Seattle - @ Phi
15. Denver - @ Mia
16. Miami - vs Den
17. Cincinnati - vs Pit
18. Houston - @ Ten
19. Kansas City - @ NYJ
20. Tennessee - vs Hou

The Chargers are my favorite DST pickup of the week. Anthony Lynn’s defense is owned in just about 60% of Yahoo leagues and has an impeccable matchup with the Browns. Lynn’s crew has also been on a steep upward trend since their four-game losing streak earlier in the season. Pick them up now if they are still available.

Kicker

1. Greg Zuerlein - @ Ari
2. Stephen Gostkowski - @ Buf
3. Will Lutz - vs Car
4. Ryan Succop - vs Hou
5. Matt Prater - @ Bal
6. Jake Elliot - @ Sea
7. Matt Bryant - vs Min
8. Justin Tucker - vs Det
9. Chris Boswell - @ Cin
10. Graham Gano - @ NO
11. Kai Forbath - @ Atl
12. Stephen Hauschka - vs NE
13. Harrison Butker - @ NYJ
14. Robbie Gould - @ Chi
15. Adam Vinatieri - @ Jax
16. Phil Dawson - @ LAR
17. Giorgio Tavecchio - @ NYG
18. Chandler Catanzaro - vs KC
19. Blair Walsh - @ Phi
20. Brandon McManus - @ Mia

Play Ryan Succop and Stephen Gostkowski with confidence this week, while avoiding Blair Walsh and Phil Dawson. Picking a fantasy football kicker is all about the scoring potential of the offense while taking into consideration the strength of the opposing defense.