Week 13's fantasy football rankings
Plus, the latest injury news and some streaming options to help you survive a very busy bye week.
Week 13 news you might be able to use…
The biggest news so far this week: Colts coach Shane Steichen confirmed today that Jonathan Taylor will have surgery on his right hand. The expected timetable for Taylor to return is 2-3 weeks. In the meantime, Zack Moss should take over the lead role in the Colts backfield.
As was expected, the Vikings waited until their bye week to activate Justin Jefferson from injured reserve, giving him an extra week of recovery before returning to the field. Who will be throwing to him next week? It is unclear.
Worth keeping an eye on: Tank Dell did not practice on Wednesday and underwent imaging on his calf. This will be a bigger situation to monitor if Dell remains sidelined in practice on Thursday.
Tee Higgins (hamstring) “has a chance to play next Monday night in Jacksonville,” according to a media report. Higgins has battled injury and subpar performances in one of the most frustrating seasons of his career, and the reduced quality of play from quarterback Jake Browning will further limit Higgins’ upside upon his return.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said De’Von Achane did not suffer any setbacks prior to the team’s Week 12 game against the Jets. Barring any setbacks, he is on track to return next Sunday against the Commanders.
View the latest FantasyPros player news on 5thDownFantasy.com.
Steamweaving Week 13
Survive a busy bye week with these streaming options, courtesy of 5th Down’s Martin Grisko…
Quarterbacks
Jordan Love (GB)
Love had his best performance of the year last week, throwing for 268 yards and 3 TDs. This was two weeks in a row with good performances for Love, who looks like the best option for a bye-week replacement on the waiver wire right now. The only issue for Love is he gets a Kansas City defense this week that has been shutting down opposing passing attacks, especially with CB Snead and Chris Jones playing at all pro levels. This matchup could make Love look more like he did early in the season, but in a week with six byes, you can do much worse than Love on Sunday Night.
Derek Carr (NO)
Carr has a very nice matchup against the Lions that made Jordan Love and Justin Fields look like all pros the last two weeks. The main issue for Carr is that most of his wide receivers are injured, so Taysom Hill should see more work at quarterback running it. I still think Carr can do enough in a good matchup to be a solid bye-week replacement, but check the injury report as hopefully Olave can return. If none of his wide receivers are healthy, you could look at Baker or Minshew instead.
Check to see if available – Baker Mayfield has a solid matchup this week, so it could be worth a look. Matthew Stafford showed out with a big week last week; it is hard to trust against a tough Browns defense, though. Gardner Minshew has a very nice matchup against the Titans this week, so a nice bye-week replacement if needed.
Defense/Special Teams
Jaguars D/ST
The Jaguars get an extra day to prepare for Jake Browning, which should see them feast on Monday night. Josh Allen (the defensive player, not the QB) is having an all-pro season and I see him being able to force some sacks and turnovers. Grab the Jaguars as a nice play in a week with lots of good defensive streaming options.
Buccaneers D/ST
Our stash from last week is still a great play this week, getting to matchup against the dumpster fire that is the Panthers. Firing a coach midseason can get the team motivated the next week, but this team has been so rough all year that I’m not even scared of that narrative. The Bucs should shut down the Carolina run game, forcing Bryce Young to throw a lot in this one; that should lead to some nice turnovers for Tampa and your fantasy team.
Who else should you add to your roster this week? Check out Week 13 waiver wire picks from 5th Down’s Martin Grisko.