With Week 13 upon us we are into the home straight of the 2021 fantasy football season. To help you with those tough lineup decisions, here is my start and sit list for this weekend’s slate.
Quarterback
Start ‘Em
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings – This is a really good matchup. The Vikings face a Lions defense that ranks 32nd in EPA allowed per dropback. They also look set to be without Dalvin Cook, meaning Cousins will shoulder a bigger load. He has also been a reliable fantasy producer in recent weeks, averaging 19.9 points per game since Week 9.
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints – Hill starts this weekend and has shown himself to be a reliable fantasy producer when given the chance. He averaged 21 points per game in his four game starting spell last season and Sean Payton loves to use him as a red zone runner. Alvin Kamara’s injury issues should also raise Hill’s floor.
Sit ‘Em
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals are leaning more and more on their running game and Burrow has just 62 dropbacks and 338 yards through their last two games. He has also failed to top 20 fantasy points since Week 8 and faces a solid Chargers pass defense this weekend.
Daniel Jones, New York Giants – Jones is no longer a high floor fantasy quarterback. He has scored in the single digits in four of his last seven games and has not hit 20+ points since Week 4. This weekend he faces a Dolphins defense who are very much on the rise and who limited Cam Newton to just 92 passing yards in Week 12.
Running back
Start ‘Em
Antonio Gibson, Washington Football Team – Gibson’s production took a real dip between Weeks 6-9, but it is showing signs of recovery. This is helped by his league-high 72 carries since Week 10. He is also getting plenty of work in the valuable areas of the field, ranking third in red zone carries since Week 8.
Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers – Mitchell is getting consistent volume and production in this offense. He has now gone over 80 scrimmage yards in each of his last five games and has surpassed 100 in three of them. He also has 54 carries in his last two outings. This bodes well against a poor Seattle run defense.
Sit ‘Em
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants – It might be time to cut your losses with Saquon. On the rare occasion he makes it onto the field, he looks nothing like the player he was as a rookie. He isn’t producing in fantasy terms either, with a combined 20.9 points in their two games since their bye. This matchup against Miami makes it all even worse.
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots – Stevenson has been productive despite sharing his workload with Damien Harris. That said, putting up numbers against this Bills defense is a tough ask. They lead the NFL in EPA allowed per run and their 20.5 points allowed to running back ranks fourth.
Wide receiver
Start ‘Em
Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders – Renfrow has reaped the rewards of Henry Ruggs’ departure. Since Week 8 he has more targets and receptions than all other Raiders receivers. With Darren Waller likely out this weekend, I can only see that volume increasing against a poor Washington defense.
Elijah Moore, New York Jets – Moore has been a revelation for the Jets in recent weeks. He has 382 yards since Week 8, more than double the next best receiver on the team. He has also scored four touchdowns in that period, which ranks third amongst all NFL receivers. That is enough for me to overlook a tough matchup.
Sit ‘Em
Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos – Jeudy has been fairly quiet since his return from injury, with just 72 yards in his two games. The bevy of talent at the position doesn’t help either, with him splitting targets with Sutton and Patrick. I just don’t see him getting the volume to warrant a start this weekend.
Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots – Bourne has been really good through the past three weeks, scoring three touchdowns and topping 20 fantasy points twice. That said, the matchup this weekend is a major concern. He is set to face a Bills defense allowing a league-best 24.7 points per game to wide receivers.
Tight end
Start ‘Em
Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team – Thomas has missed much of the season with injuries, but he is a key part of this passing offense when healthy. More importantly, he features as one of their key red zone targets. That should pay off against a Raiders defense who struggle against tight ends.
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers – Assuming he clears concussion protocol, Freiermuth is a definite starter this weekend. Since Week 8 he is tied for the second most targets at the position, behind only Mark Andrews. He has also scored double digit points in five of his last six outings.
Sit ‘Em
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles’ move towards a more run-heavy attack has unsurprisingly dented Goedert’s fantasy production. He has averaged just 6.1 points per game since Week 9 and scored double digit points once in that period.
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears – Kmet has been playing an increased role in this Bears offense, commanding 27 targets through his last four games. This includes 11 last week against Detroit. That isn’t enough for me to take him this weekend though. He faces a stout Cardinals defense allowing just 7.5 points to tight ends per game.
Defense
Start ‘Em
Miami Dolphins – It looks like the Dolphins defense are finally getting back to the form we all expected. They have scored 17+ points in three of their last four, with 16 sacks and seven turnovers in that period.
Sit ‘Em
Los Angeles Chargers – This Chargers run defense is dire. That is bad news ahead of a matchup with a Bengals team committed to the ground game. I can’t see them stopping a team that put up 41 points against Pittsburgh last week.