Fantasy Football Week 13 Rankings, Grades & Start/Sit Advice (2024)

Welcome to Week 13, friends. As always, we’re here to provide you with some fantasy football Quick Grades (or Start/Sit Grades, if you prefer) for the week.

We tapped into our consensus projections and rankings and Derek Brown’s weekly Primer to generate this week’s Quick Grades. See below for the results and accompanying notes.

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Week 13 Quarterback Start/Sit Grades

Aidan O’Connell (QB)

O’Connell will start for Las Vegas this week. This season, he hasn’t finished higher than QB24 in any game. Among 42 qualifying quarterbacks, O’Connell has the fourth-lowest yards per attempt, the seventh-lowest passer rating, and the second-lowest CPOE. Even in Superflex, I wouldn’t be starting O’Connell. He hasn’t had more than 12.1 fantasy points in any game this season. You can get better production from a skill player in your Superflex spot.

Joe Burrow (QB)

Burrow is the QB3 in fantasy points per game and has been dealing this season. Burrow ranks second in passing yards per game, first in passing touchdowns, third in passer rating, and 11th in CPOE. Pittsburgh has been a tough pass defense to face all season, but Burrow still has the talent and weapons to produce a nice stat line this week. Since Week 7, Pittsburgh has allowed the ninth-lowest yards per attempt, the fewest passing touchdowns, the second-lowest passer rating, and the third-lowest CPOE. The Steelers have the highest single high rate in the NFL. Burrow ranks third in fantasy points per dropback against single high.

Russell Wilson (QB)

After starting out hot, Wilson has come back to earth over the last two games with QB27 and QB19 weekly finishes. Overall, he is the QB19 in fantasy points per game. Among 40 qualifying quarterbacks, he ranks seventh in yards per attempt and tenth in passer rating, which is great, but he is also 34th in catchable target rate and 25th in highly accurate throw rate. Wilson has been threading the needle all season, and it has finally caught up with him. Yes, the elements played a role against the Browns, and they left some big plays on the field with some miscommunications, but it was still a rollercoaster performance by Wilson. This week’s matchup with Cincy offers a possible bounce-back spot for the veteran signal-caller. Since Week 7, Cincy has allowed the 13th-highest yards per attempt, the sixth-highest passing yards per game, the 12th-highest passer rating, and the eighth-most passing touchdowns.

Kirk Cousins (QB)

Cousins is the QB21 in fantasy points per game with three QB1 outings this season. Two of those games came against the Buccaneers, though. Among 40 qualifying quarterbacks, Cousins ranks tenth in yards per attempt, 14th in passer rating, 16th in CPOE, and second in highly accurate throw rate. Since Week 7, the Chargers have given up the fifth-fewest yards per attempt, the seventh-lowest passer rating, the fifth-lowest CPOE, and the seventh-best pressure rate. Atlanta should lean on the ground game this week.

C.J. Stroud (QB)

Stroud is the QB26 in fantasy points per game, and he finished last week with only his third QB1 game of the season. His best showing of the season came against this pass defense in Week 4 (QB7). Among 40 qualifying quarterbacks, he ranks 22nd in yards per attempt, 32nd in CPOE, 18th in highly accurate throw rate, and 31st in fantasy points per dropback. Geez, typing that made me incredibly sad, but this is a pass defense that Stroud can exploit. Since Week 7, Jacksonville has allowed the second-highest yards per attempt, the tenth-highest CPOE, the second-most passing yards per game, and the third-highest success rate per dropback. Jacksonville also had the tenth-lowest pressure rate during this stretch, which will help Stroud immensely.

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Week 13 Wide Receiver Start/Sit Grades

Tank Dell (WR)

Since Nico Collins‘ return to the lineup, Dell has had a 17.9% target share, a 37.6% air-yard share, 2.14 YPRR, and a 20% first-read share. Those are solid market share and efficiency numbers, but they haven’t translated to big fantasy days as Dell has finished as the WR41 and WR33 in weekly fantasy scoring. He hasn’t seen a red zone target over the last two weeks after seeing six in his previous five games. Dell hasn’t smashed, but that’s not because he has been playing bad. Over the last two weeks, among 86 qualifying receivers, Dell ranks first in separation and 12th in route win rate. C.J. Stroud hasn’t been playing good football and the offensive line has been a big concern. Assuming Stroud can look closer to his 2023 self this week, Dell should crush. Since Week 7, Jacksonville has allowed the seventh-most receiving yards per game and the 12th-highest PPR points per target to perimeter wide receivers.

Brian Thomas Jr. (WR)

Thomas Jr. is the WR28 in fantasy, ranking 22nd in deep targets among wideouts. In Weeks 1-9, with Lawrence, he had seven red zone targets, an 18.4% target share, 2.52 YPRR, and a 21.9% first-read share. In the Jags Week 4 meeting with Houston, the Texans utilized single high on 68.6% of their defensive snaps. In Weeks 1-9, against single high, Thomas Jr. had a 20.5% target share, 2.84 YPRR, and a 23.3% first-read share. That’s a sizable bump for Thomas Jr., and he’ll need it against a Houston secondary that, since Week 7, has held perimeter wide receivers to the fourth-lowest PPR points per target while also ranking 19th in receiving yards per game allowed.

Adonai Mitchell (WR)

With Josh Downs out, Mitchell likely assumes the primary slot receiver role. In Weeks 1-1 with Downs out, Mitchell ran 54.8% of his routes from the slot. Since Week 8, New England has leaned more toward two-high heavy, utilizing the coverage with at least 47.2% or higher of their defensive snaps. In Week 10, they deployed single high with 82.9% of their snaps, but that looks like an anomaly. If we exclude Week 10 from the sample, since Week 8, New England has utilized two-high with 52.2% of their defensive snaps. Against two high, Mitchell has only had a 20% TPRR and 0.37 YPRR, but that doesn’t really speak to his effectiveness against the coverage. He has played a part-time field stretching role this season, which isn’t conducive to use against two-high. Mitchell leads the team in separation and route win rate against two high. Among 94 qualifying receivers, Mitchell ranks seventh in separation and fifth in route win rate against two high. If Christian Gonzalez is plastered to Micheal Pittman Jr., Mitchell should see strong usage in Week 13. New England has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points per game and the tenth-highest PPR points per target to slot receivers.

DeMario Douglas (WR)

In his five full games with Maye under center, Douglas has had an 18.8% target share, 2.08 YPRR, 59.6 receiving yards per game, and a 23.1% first-read share. Douglas had only one red zone target during that stretch and scored only one touchdown this season. This lack of high-leverage usage caps his ceiling weekly. Douglas is still a decent weekly flex in PPR leagues. Since Week 7, Indy has limited slot receivers to the 13th-lowest PPR points per target and the sixth-fewest receiving yards per game.

Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR)

Harrison Jr.’s rookie season has been a resounding disappointment. He is the WR39 in fantasy points per game, ranking tenth in deep targets among wide receivers. He has only two touchdowns and one red zone target since Week 5. This week’s matchup won’t help his season-long numbers either. Minnesota has the highest two high rate in the NFL (68.4%). Two high coverage has been Harrison Jr.’s kryptonite. Against two high, Harrison has a 17.9% target share, 1.46 YPRR, and a 25.7% first-read share. Since Week 7, Minnesota has allowed the tenth-highest receiving yards per game and PPR points per target to perimeter wide receivers. Still, I don’t know if Harrison will be able to take advantage of the soft secondary.

Jordan Addison (WR)

After last week’s surprisingly massive game, Addison is now the WR33 in fantasy points per game. He has ten deep targets and only four red zone targets in his ten games played. He has seen three of those red-zone looks in the last four games. Since Week 6, Arizona has had the ninth-highest two high rate in the NFL (53.3%). Against two high, Addison has a 16.6% target share, 2.07 YPRR, and an 18.9% first-read share. Addison’s efficiency is encouraging that he can possibly overcome this week’s tough matchup. Since Week 7, Arizona has allowed the second-lowest PPR points per target and the tenth-fewest receiving yards per game to perimeter wide receivers.

Calvin Ridley (WR)

In the three games with Levis back, Ridley has finished as the WR3, WR41, and WR20 in weekly fantasy scoring. He has seen a 26.6% target share, a 52.5% air-yard share, and a 33.9% first-read share, producing 78.3 receiving yards per game with 2.67 YPRR. He also has two red zone targets and two scores. Since Week 6, Washington has the third-highest single-high rate in the NFL (62.9%). Ridley has seen a boost against single high all year, and in the last three games, that has remained true. In this small sample, he has had a 29.4% target share, 3.03 YPRR, and a 36% first-read share against single-high. Since Week 6, Washington has held perimeter wide receivers to the 12th-lowest PPR points per target. The matchup is tough, but Ridley can likely overcome it.

Terry McLaurin (WR)

McLaurin is the WR17 in fantasy points per game, ranking fifth in deep targets among wideouts and drawing three red zone targets over his last four games. Since Week 10, Tennessee has utilized two high coverage at the fourth-highest rate (64%). Against two high, McLaurin has had a 19.6% target share, a 41.1% air-yard share, 1.72 YPRR, and a 25.5% first-read share. The efficiency has dipped some against two-high, but McLaurin should still get plenty of volume against a burnable secondary to pay off in Week 13. Since Week 7, Tennessee has allowed the ninth-most receiving yards per game and the 11th-highest PPR points per target to perimeter wide receivers.

Week 13 Running Back Start/Sit Grades

Chuba Hubbard (RB)

Last week, Hubbard played a season-high 89% of snaps with 17 touches and 60 total yards. He has averaged 18.9 touches and 91.1 total yards this season. Hubbard is the RB14 in fantasy points per game, ranking eighth in snap share, ninth in opportunity share, seventh in weighted opportunities, and ninth in red zone touches. Among 54 qualifying backs, Hubbard ranks tenth in explosive run rate and yards after contact per attempt. Hubbard should have another strong week. Since Week 7, Tampa Bay has allowed the 12th-most rushing yards per game, the tenth-highest explosive run rate, the seventh-highest yards after contact per attempt, and the fifth-highest yards per carry to zone runs (Hubbard 66.1% zone).

Rachaad White (RB)

Since Week 7, White has been the RB8 in fantasy points per game, averaging 54% of the snaps with 12.4 touches and 66 total yards. This season, among 54 qualifying backs, he ranks 36th in missed tackles forced per attempt and 18th in yards after contact per attempt. White should have another nice day in Week 13. Since Week 7, Carolina has allowed the second-highest rushing yards per game, the 11th-highest yards after contact per attempt, the fifth-highest yards before contact per attempt, and the highest rushing success rate in the NFL.

Bucky Irving (RB)

Since Week 7, Irving has been the RB12 in fantasy points per game, averaging 42% of the snaps, 14.4 touches, and 86.6 total yards. He has been an efficiency darling all season, ranking fourth in explosive run rate, third in missed tackles forced per attempt, and third in yards after contact per attempt. Irving should run wild again in Week 13. Since Week 7, Carolina has allowed the second-highest rushing yards per game, the 11th-highest yards after contact per attempt, the fifth-highest yards before contact per attempt, and the highest rushing success rate in the NFL.

Nick Chubb (RB)

It hasn’t been pretty for Chubb since returning. Last week, he played a season-high 66% of the snaps with 21 touches and 60 total yards. The two scores saved his day. Over the last two weeks, he still hasn’t looked like his former self, with only a 6% missed tackle rate and 2.16 yards after contact per attempt. This week’s matchup with Denver won’t help evoke good memories of Chubb, either. Since Week 7, Denver has allowed the fewest rushing yards per game, the eighth-lowest rushing success rate and they have the third-highest stuff rate.

Javonte Williams (RB)

No. Nope. No Denver Broncos running back should grace your starting lineup. There’s no way I can trust a Denver running back in fantasy right now. After Williams led the way against the Falcons with 13 touches and 87 total yards in Week 11, he face-planted in Week 12. Yes, he played 56% of the snaps, but he only had ten touches and turned them into four total yards. Keep Williams on your rosters with the hope that this becomes a backfield we can trust again, but there’s no way anyone can start him with a shred of confidence right now.

Ameer Abdullah (RB)

Last week, Abdullah operated as Las Vegas’s bell cow with 90% of the snaps, 13 touches, and 65 total yards. He will be the team’s lead back again this week. He generated only 1.88 yards after contact per attempt and 0.79 YPRR, which isn’t great, but if he’s going to see this type of workload weekly, it puts him in the RB2/3 and flex conversation. Volume is king in fantasy, and Abdullah is seeing it. That was true last week, as he finished as the RB9 for the week. Since Week 7, Kansas City has allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game, the third-lowest explosive run rate, and the 14th-lowest missed tackle rate.

Isiah Pacheco (RB)

Pacheco will be active this week, but we shouldn’t expect more than a handful of snaps and carries this week. Against what has been an improved Raiders run defense, Pacheco isn’t flex-worthy this week. Since Week 7, Las Vegas has allowed the eighth-fewest rushing yards per game, the eighth-lowest explosive run rate, and the tenth-lowest yards after contact per attempt.

Kareem Hunt (RB)

Hunt is the RB16 in fantasy points per game, ranking 21st in snap share, seventh in opportunity share, and sixth in red zone touches. He has averaged 21.5 touches and 89 total yards this season. Hunt should retain the lion’s share of the workload this week, even with Isiah Pacheco returning. I expect we’ll see Pacheco get a handful of touches and snaps this week, as the team will likely ease him back in. This hurts Hunt’s ceiling, but his floor for Week 13 is still high. Among 54 qualifying backs, he ranks 50th in missed tackles forced per attempt and 46th in yards after contact per attempt. The volume has been integral to Hunt’s fantasy value, so I can’t pretend that his value doesn’t take somewhat of a hit this week and moving forward, especially with the Raiders’ run defense improving. Since Week 7, Las Vegas has allowed the eighth-fewest rushing yards per game, the eighth-lowest explosive run rate, and the tenth-lowest yards after contact per attempt.

Najee Harris (RB)

Harris is the RB27 in fantasy points per game, ranking 26th in snap share, 12th in weighted opportunities, and ninth in red zone touches. He has averaged 19.5 touches and 85.8 total yards. Among 54 qualifying backs, Harris ranks fifth in missed tackles forced per attempt and 24th in yards after contact per attempt. Cincy remains a plus matchup for backs. Since Week 7, they have allowed the 13th-highest explosive run rate, the 13th-lowest stuff rate, and the eighth-highest yards after contact per attempt. I do have some concerns about Harris this week after last week’s game. Warren played a season-high 57% of the snaps and 67% of the red zone snaps. It’s a one-game sample, but it’s worth noting.

Jaylen Warren (RB)

Is the worm turning in the Pittsburgh backfield with Warren healthy? It’s a question worth asking after last week’s game. Warren played a season-high 57% of the snaps while also handling 67% of the red zone snaps. He finished with 14 touches and 64 total yards. Since Week 8, Warren has looked like himself with a 7% explosive run rate, a 28% missed tackle rate, and 2.60 yards after contact per attempt. This week’s usage for Warren will be telling. The matchup sets up well for him to ball out this week. Since Week 7, Cincy has allowed the 13th-highest explosive run rate, the 13th-lowest stuff rate, and the eighth-highest yards after contact per attempt.

Week 13 Tight End Start/Sit Grades

Kyle Pitts (TE)

Pitts will likely struggle this week. The Bolts have been electric at defending tight ends and Pitts has disappeared against two high coverage. Los Angeles has allowed the sixth-lowest yards per reception and the eighth-lowest fantasy points per game to tight ends. The Chargers have the second-highest rate of two high in the NFL (60.8%). Against two high, Pitts has had a 13.8% target share, 1.07 YPRR, and an 11.5% first-read share. Sit Pitts this week and stream a tight end.

Will Dissly (TE)

Dissly is the TE19 in fantasy points per game with two TE1 weeks across his last six games. Since Week 6, Atlanta has had the fifth-highest rate of two high (55.6%). Against two high, he leads the team with a 29% TPRR and 2.29 YPRR while also ranking second in first-read share (20.7%). Atlanta has allowed the tenth-most fantasy points per game and ranked 17th in yards per reception allowed to tight ends. 

Pat Freiermuth (TE)

Freiermuth has had a rough season as the TE20 in fantasy points per game. He has surpassed 50 receiving yards only twice in his last seven games. His red zone usage has ticked up recently, with three red zone targets in his last three games. This week’s matchup against Cincy does offer some hope for Freiermuth as he reenters the streaming list. Since Week 10, Cincy has moved more to two high coverage with the 12th-highest rate (55.1%). Against two high, Freiermuth is second on the team with a 12.3% target share while producing 1.47 YPRR and seeing a 14.7% first-read share (third on the team). Cincy has allowed the fifth-most receiving yards per game and the second-most fantasy points per game to tight ends.

Evan Engram (TE)

In Weeks 1-9 with Lawrence under center, Engram was the TE8 in fantasy points per game and saw three red zone targets in his five games played. He had a 24.3% target share, 1.89 YPRR, and a 25.9% first-read share. In the Jags Week 4 meeting with Houston, the Texans utilized single high on 68.6% of their defensive snaps. In Weeks 1-9, against single high, Engram had a 26% target share, 2.39 YPRR, and a 27.4% first-read share. Engram should have a nice day if Lawrence is back. Houston has allowed the tenth-highest yards per reception and the ninth-most receiving touchdowns per game to tight ends.

Dalton Schultz (TE)

Schultz is the TE25 in fantasy points per game with only one TE1 game this season. He has a 13.6% target share, 1.11 YPRR, and a 13.4% first-read share. He has seen his red zone usage creep up in the last two games with two red zone targets. If you need a streamer this week, Schultz could fit the bill. Jacksonville has allowed the 11th-most receiving yards per game and the fifth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends.

Hunter Henry (TE)

In his six full games with Maye, Henry has finished as a TE1 four times and seen eight red zone targets. He has a 17.8% target share, 1.63 YPRR, and a 22% first-read share while averaging 51.7 receiving yards per game. Henry should flirt with TE1 production again this week against a pass defense that has allowed the 14th-most receiving yards per game and the ninth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends.

Week 13 Defense / Special Teams Start/Sit Grades

Week 13 Kicker Start/Sit Grades