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Phinsider Week 13 Fantasy Football Rankings

It’s time for another run of Justin Hier’s weekly fantasy football rankings!

NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Miami Dolphins Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

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.