2021 NFL Fantasy Football Start/Sit – Week 13

kyler murray dotted finalI had a rough week with my betting picks, but my fantasy picks were some of my best recommendations this season.

The Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers are all out on bye this week.

There aren’t a ton of top fantasy performers out this week, so you may not want to tinker with your lineup a ton. We suggest a few deeper league options this week to help those fantasy owners.

Will Patriots QB Mac Jones perform well against the Bills on Monday Night Football?

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 13 of the 2021 NFL season…and enjoy our awesome MS Paint masterpiece of QB Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals.

I want to explain what I mean by “sit” and “start.” Of course you are going to start some of the guys i say to bench this week, because you probably used high draft picks or a lot of money in an auction for them. My ‘sit’ players are guys I am just not completely sold that they will have good weeks. If you have a guy that you are on the fence about, maybe this will help you pick between the players.

START’EM

  • QB Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals) – Murray hasn’t played since Week 8 due to an ankle injury. Backup veteran QB Colt McCoy has done a better-than-expected job in relief, but it looks like Murray should suit up this week against the Bears. Arizona has been super cautious with him, so I expect him to be near-100% if they chose to start him.
  • WR Jaylen Waddle (Miami Dolphins) – Waddle is on a tear and is coming off a 137-yard performance against the Panthers. Miami targeted him ten times and he caught nine of those. He faces the Giants this week, so it’s another good match-up for the young wideout.
  • TE James O’Shaughnessy (Jacksonville Jaguars) – The Jaguars placed TE Dan Arnold (knee) on injured reserve, so O’Shaughnessy won’t have to split any snaps. Jacksonville has a tight end-friendly offense and their starting tight end will get 8-10 targets a game. O’Shaughnessy is talented and has good hands, so he’s the only receiving option I’d start for the Jaguars.
  • RB Antonio Gibson (Washington Football Team) – Gibson got a lot of work in their win over Seattle. He carried the ball 29 times for 111 yards and caught seven passes for an additional 35 yards. WFT backup RB J.D. McKissic has been a red zone option, but he injured his neck on Monday night and his status for this week’s game against the Raiders is up in the air.
  • QB Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals) – The Bengals put a beating on the Steelers on Sunday. Cincinnati had control of the game very early and Burrow didn’t have to do much through the air. The Bengals ran the ball for most of the second-half. They play the Chargers this week and I expect a shoot-out. Both quarterbacks have a lot of prove and are talented passers. The Chargers run defense has been rough this season, so Bengals RB Joe Mixon should get plenty of carries as well.
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense & Special Teams – The Bucs travel to Atlanta on Sunday to face the Falcons. Tampa Bay beat Atlanta 48-25 in Week 2, but that was when the Falcons had a more versatile offense. Atlanta’s offense is a one-man show at the moment with RB Cordarrelle Patterson racking up most of the yards. If the Bucs can stop him, their defense should be in for a nice fantasy output.
  • WR Darnell Mooney (Chicago Bears) – Mooney has been targeted 24 times over his last two games. It doesn’t matter who is starting at quarterback for the Bears, Mooney is the clear #1 target in the passing offense. Chicago will need to throw against the Cardinals, so Mooney will get plenty of opportunities.
  • RB Alexander Mattison (Minnesota Vikings) – Vikings RB Dalvin Cook injured his shoulder last week and will be out for a few weeks. Mattison will be the beneficiary as he has received almost all of the work in the backfield when Cook is injured. He’s a talented backup and should have been must-own handcuff if you had Cook (due to Cook’s past injured history). Mattison has a great match-up this week as they travel to Detroit to face the Lions.
  • TE Zach Ertz (Arizona Cardinals) – Ertz and backup QB Colt McCoy were grooving together on offense. He was targeted 20 times over his last three games and scored two touchdowns in the game against the Seahawks in Week 11. It looks like QB Kyler Murray is set to return this week, but I still love Ertz this week against the Bears. Chicago is dealing with some injuries at linebacker and could have trouble covering him.
  • WR Brandon Aiyuk (San Francisco 49ers) – It took nearly half the season for Aiyuk to regain a role in the Niners offense. He has ten receptions for 176 yards over his last two games. WR Deebo Samuel is getting more carries at running back recently, so it opened up some snaps for Aiyuk, who is taking advantage of them. 
  • RB Boston Scott (Philadelphia Eagles) – QB Jalen Hurts (ankle) and RB Miles Sanders (ankle/foot) are both walking wounded at the moment. It’s unknown if Sanders will play this week against the Jets. RB Jordan Howard also missed last week’s game due to a knee sprain. Scott should get a lot of action this week against the Jets.
  • Philadelphia Eagles Defense & Special Teams – I will most likely always recommend any defense facing Jets QB Zach Wilson. Opposing D/ST have been racking up points against him all season. The Eagles aren’t playing as good as I would like, but Wilson looked rusty in his first start coming back from injury.
  • QB Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams) – It was reported last week that Stafford is dealing with a few injuries. He played well against the Packers last week, but the Rams came up short in that contest. They’ve had a rough stretch of games against some of the league’s best teams. He will have an easier time this week against the Jaguars.

SIT’EM

  • RB Jamaal Williams (Detroit Lions) – D’Andre Swift (ankle) is unlikely to play this week against the Vikings. Williams is the running back that will get the most carries in his place. The Lions offense is rough and I don’t see anyone being startable in fantasy this week, and Williams is not exception.
  • QB Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars) – I know most of you won’t start Lawrence this week, but there are some deeper leagues with fewer options. He’s not expected to have a very good game against the Rams. I would rather start Texans QB Tyrod Taylor or WFT QB Taylor Heinicke if you’re in a pinch with limited options in a deeper league.
  • WR Jamison Crowder (New York Jets) – It’s clear that Jamison’s fantasy stock will take a hit when QB Zach Wilson is in the game. He looks worse than before he was injured, and it was rough then. I would bench Crowder and start Bears WR Darnell Mooney.
  • RB Mike Davis (Atlanta Falcons) – Davis hasn’t been startable since RB Cordarrelle Patterson took over the entire offense. He wasn’t even good when Patterson was out with injury. He hasn’t had double-digit carries since Week 5. It’s time to move on from Davis in deep leagues. I would grab Jets RB Ty Johnson or Eagles RB Boston Scott and drop Davis.
  • QB Mac Jones (New England Patriots) – Jones is another player that isn’t owned in a ton of leagues, but after he threw 300+ yards against the Titans, some may make a move to add him. He faces the Bills this week, and even though they haven’t been dominate of late, they still have a very good defense. Jones also has a bye next week, so you’ll probably dump him then anyways.
  • WR Marquez Callaway (New Orleans Saints) – Callaway’s ownership percentage has been up and down all season. I haven’t been a fan all season, but he has scored three touchdowns over his last four games. He doesn’t get many targets or receptions, but does get some red zone targets. I view him as a flex in deep leagues and is a TD or Bust player.
  • TE Evan Engram (New York Giants) – Engram does get a handful of targets per game, but he has only caught five of his eleven targets over the last two games. The Giants offense is a wreck and I wouldn’t trust them to get many red zone opportunities. I would rather start Colts TE Jack Doyle or Bears TE Cole Kmet.
  • Seattle Seahawks Defense & Special Teams – It doesn’t matter how good or bad the Seahawks or Niners are every season, they tend to have at least one high-scoring meeting a year. Seattle’s offense hasn’t looked good since QB Russell Wilson’s finger injury. Wilson could hang his defense out to dry a few times and hand them bad field position.
  • TE Jonnu Smith (New England Patriots) – Smith is another possible deeper league option at tight end, but I don’t see him getting many targets against the Bills. Smith doesn’t get the red zone targets as TE Hunter Henry is their guy (seven touchdowns this season).
  • Los Angeles Chargers Defense & Special Teams – The Bengals looked great against the Steelers last week and the Chargers have allowed some big scoring games this season. Chargers D/ST haven’t scored double-digit points all season.

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sweetbob-author-picAbout the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.