After our one-week reprieve from an abbreviated schedule, the bye weeks are back. Fortunately, just two teams are off (Panthers, Cardinals), but between injuries and varying degrees of favorable matchups, fantasy owners have plenty of tough start 'em, sit 'em questions. The experts at RotoBaller are here to help by allowing Sporting News Fantasy readers free access to their exclusive “Who to Start?” advice tool to aid in making your Week 13 fantasy lineup decisions.
How does the “Who to Start?” tool work? Simple: Choose up to four players to compare below, pick your league settings in the upper right corner (PPR, half-PPR, standard), and push “Who to Start?” It’s that easy. From there, you’ll get a lineup recommendation based on RotoBaller’s award-winning rankings and projections.
MORE: Click here to become a RotoBaller VIP subscriber and receive exclusive access to their premium lineup tools, DFS cheat sheets, and Team Sync platform! Use discount code SPORTING.
We really only lose five "must-starts" (Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown, James Conner, D'Onta Foreman) this week because of byes, and considering all have missed time at various points in the season, fantasy owners should have ample replacements on their rosters. That doesn't necessarily make your start-or-sit decisions any easier, but it certainly helps soften the blow of being without a key starter.
As always, RotoBaller factored in usage, matchups, and talent into its Week 13 rankings, and it’s reflected in its “Who to Start?” tool. Check out an example from each offensive position.
Advice below is based on full-point PPR leagues
Start or Sit?: Week 13 fantasy QB lineup advice from RotoBaller
Trevor Lawrence (@ Lions) vs. Deshaun Watson (@ Texans) vs. Tua Tagovailoa (@ 49ers) vs. Geno Smith (@ Rams)
Tagovailoa has turned himself into a must-start and Lawrence has a highly favorable matchup after his best game of the season, but it's Watson who's ranked the highest here. Fantasy owners might be leery of the troubled superstar considering he hasn't played since January of 2021, but RotoBaller trusts him and his "revenge game" matchup slightly more than Tagovailoa in San Francisco and the inconsistent Lawrence in Detroit. Smith comes in fourth despite a decent matchup of his own, but it's worth noting that all four of these signal-callers are in the top 12 in RotoBaller's QB rankings, so none are "bad" plays.
MORE: Click here to become a RotoBaller subscriber and receive exclusive access to their lineup tools, rankings, and analysis. Use discount code SPORTING.
Start or Sit?: Week 13 fantasy RB lineup advice from RotoBaller
JaMycal Hasty (@ Lions) vs. Kareem Hunt (@ Texans) vs. Tyler Allgeier (vs. Steelers) vs. Samaje Perine (vs. Chiefs)
In this battle of the backups, RotoBaller likes Perine the most even though they expect Joe Mixon (concussion) to play. If Travis Etienne (foot) is out, Hasty would undoubtedly jump to the top of this list, but if Etienne is active, then RotoBaller downgrades him behind the other three. Hunt has the best matchup, while Allgeier is the safest bet for touches, so your pick from this group really comes down to whether you need "safe" points (Allgeier) or you want to go for bigger points with a lower-floor option (Perine or Hunt).
SN's WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Start or Sit?: Week 13 fantasy WR lineup advice from RotoBaller
Josh Palmer (@ Raiders) vs. Treylon Burks (@ Eagles) vs. Christian Watson (@ Bears) vs. Drake London (vs. Steelers)
Watson is red hot but faces the toughest matchup of this group; Burks is emerging as his team's No. 1 wide receiver; Palmer is on the best offense; and London has the best matchup. There's a strong case for any of these four, but RotoBaller ranks Palmer two spots ahead of Watson, who's four spots ahead of Burks. London is bringing up the rear, but given his matchup, he makes for a solid flex option, too. All of these pass-catchers are fairly boom-or-bust, but as we've seen, both Palmer and Watson have major "boom" potential, so it's no surprise they're the top two.
SN's WEEK 13 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Start or Sit?: Week 13 fantasy TE lineup advice from RotoBaller
Foster Moreau (vs. Chargers) vs. Juwan Johnson (vs. Buccaneers) vs. Greg Dulcich (@ Ravens) vs. Evan Engram (@ Lions)
All of these TEs have favorable matchups this week, but RotoBaller suggests playing Moreau, who's scored in two of the past three games and gets the steadiest targets. Dulcich has the most big-play potential, and Johnson is the most likely to score overall, but Moreau is the highest-floor option of this talented group.
MORE: Click here to become a RotoBaller VIP subscriber and receive exclusive access to their premium lineup tools, DFS cheat sheets, and Team Sync platform! Use discount code SPORTING.
Try out any combination of players – including players at different positions for your flex spot – with the RotoBaller “Who to Draft?” tool above. It’s like having your own fantasy football expert on call just to help with your specific Week 13 lineup questions.