RealTime DFS Strategy: Week 13

Wed Nov 27 11:08pm ET
By MIKE BARNER
Contributing Writer

There are no teams on a bye during Week 13, but that doesn’t mean we have a full complement of players to select from for the Sunday-Monday DFS slate. There are three games Thursday and one Friday, taking eight teams out of the equation. Let’s highlight some of the top remaining players to consider at each position, as well as a few to possibly avoid.

Quarterbacks

C.J. Stroud, HOU at JAX ($6,400): Entering Week 12, Stroud had gone five straight games without throwing multiple touchdown passes. He finally snapped that streak against the Titans, throwing for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Currently, he has a streak of seven straight games with fewer than 300 passing yards. He’ll look to end that against the Jaguars, who have allowed the most passing yards per game in the league. When Stroud faced them in Week 4, he threw for 345 yards and two touchdowns.

Russell Wilson, PIT at CIN ($5,700): Despite snow impacting the game, Wilson threw for 270 yards and a touchdown against the Browns last week. He has thrown for at least 264 yards in three of his five starts. Another hefty yardage total could be in the cards for him against the Bengals, who have given up the 10th-most passing yards per game in the league.

Player to Avoid

Jameis Winston, CLE at DEN ($5,700): Winston and Wilson have the same salaries. Wilson has a favorable matchup, while Winston will face a Broncos team that has given up just 16.8 points per game. They have allowed only 13 touchdown passes this season, while also recording nine interceptions. There’s no reason to take a chance on Winston this week.

Running Backs

Joe Mixon, HOU at JAX ($8,000): Mixon was injured the first time these two teams met this season. Since returning from that injury, Mixon has rushed for at least 100 yards in five of seven games. He also had 10 touchdowns during that span. In addition to their struggles defending the pass, the Jaguars have given up the seventh-most rushing yards per game in the league. Don’t expect them to be able to slow Mixon down.

Bucky Irving, TB at CAR ($5,800): The Buccaneers ran all over the Giants last week. Irving was right in the thick of the action, turning 12 carries into 87 yards and a touchdown. He also caught all six of his targets for an additional 64 yards. He has now recorded at least one touchdown in four of his last six games. That’s a noteworthy stat for his matchup with the Panthers, who have given up the second-most rushing touchdowns in the league.

Player to Avoid

James Conner, ARI at MIN ($6,600): Conner had just eight yards on seven carries last week. The only thing that saved him from a completely disastrous stat line is that he caught all five of his targets for 41 yards. He has rushed for 53 yards or fewer in three of his last four games. Things won’t get any easier against the Vikings, who have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing running backs.

Wide Receivers

Nico Collins, HOU at JAX ($7,900): Collins is the top option to stack with Stroud this week. In his second game back from injury, Collins posted five receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown in Week 12 against the Titans. When he took on the Jaguars in Week 4, he torched them for 12 receptions, 151 yards and one touchdown on 15 targets.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, NO vs. LAR ($4,500): With all of the injuries that the Saints have suffered at wide receiver, Valdes-Scantling has become an important member of their offense. He’s not racking up a ton of targets, but he has provided some explosive plays. Over the last two games, he has five total receptions for 196 yards and three touchdowns. That big-play upside could be on full display against the Rams, who have allowed the fifth-most receptions of at least 20 yards in the league.

Player to Avoid

Terry McLaurin, WAS vs. TEN ($7,100): McLaurin reeled off an 86-yard touchdown in the final minute against the Cowboys last week, which accounted for most of his production for the day. Over his last five games, he has finished with at least 100 receiving yards three times. The problem is he finished with fewer than 20 receiving yards in the other two. A muted stat line could be the end result for him against the Titans, who have allowed the fewest passing yards per game in the league.

Tight Ends

Cade Otton, TB at CAR ($4,500): Otton was only targeted three times during the return of Mike Evans last week. While some of that could be attributed to Evans, it should also be noted that the Buccaneers built up such a big lead by halftime that they didn’t need to throw much in the second half. Otton is worth considering for his matchup with the Panthers, who have given up the most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends.

Hunter Henry, NE vs. IND ($4,200): Henry has been targeted at least six times and finished with at least five receptions in five of his last six games. While he doesn’t have a touchdown to show for it, he was targeted seven times inside the red zone. The Colts are tied for the second-most receptions allowed to tight ends in the league, so Henry comes into this matchup with upside.

Player to Avoid

Mark Andrews, BAL vs. PHI ($3,900): Andrews has become a touchdown-dependent player with regards to his fantasy value. He has six touchdown receptions over his last seven games. However, he finished with fewer than 50 receiving yards in five of those games. The Eagles have given up one touchdown to a tight end this season, making Andrews a risky option.

Mike Barner has been covering fantasy sports since 2007. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, SportsLine and RotoWire. Mike was also a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.

RealTime DFS Strategy: Week 13

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