Fantasy Football Week 13 starts, sits, and sleepers
BOSTON -- This is not an easy week for those managing a fantasy football roster. With six teams on their bye, it leaves a lot of empty spots on rosters around the country.
Fantasy owners have either been scouring the waiver wire all week to find replacements or picking from a depleted pool to put together their weekly roster. And with the fantasy playoffs fast approaching, every point counts in Week 13.
If you're one of those owners sweating things out this week, fret no more. We've got some excellent Start & Sit advice -- plus some sleepers -- from CBS Sports' fantasy football expert Jamey Eisenberg to pass along.
Start & Sit: Quarterbacks
Start: Houston's C.J. Stroud vs. Denver
"Stroud had another big game in Week 12 against Jacksonville with 34.9 Fantasy points, and he now has at least 21 Fantasy points in three of his past four games. Denver has held seven quarterbacks in a row to fewer than 20 Fantasy points, including Patrick Mahomes twice and Josh Allen, but I still like Stroud as a top-10 Fantasy quarterback this week given his recent success. Stroud also has yet to score less than 18.2 Fantasy points in six home games this season, and he's averaging 29.3 Fantasy points per game in Houston."
Sit: Arizona's Kyler Murray @ Pittsburgh
"Murray has performed well in his comeback from last year's torn ACL with at least 22.4 Fantasy points in two of three games this season. He's rushed for a touchdown in each outing, and he has two contests with at least 33 rushing yards. He's more of a bust alert than a sit in Week 13, but I don't love this matchup for him at Pittsburgh. The Steelers have only allowed one quarterback to score more than 16.7 Fantasy points since Week 4, including matchups with Lamar Jackson and Trevor Lawrence, and Pittsburgh's pass rush should be a problem for Murray. I would only start him in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 13."
Sleeper: Denver's Russell Wilson @ Houston
"Wilson comes into Week 13 with two consecutive games under 19 Fantasy points, but that was in tough matchups against the Vikings and Browns. But he also has one game with more than 200 passing yards in his past seven outings. Still, Denver has won five games in a row, and Wilson has multiple touchdowns in three of his past four contests. The Texans have allowed four quarterbacks in a row to score at least 23 Fantasy points, and Wilson is worth trusting as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues in this matchup."
Check our Eisenberg's full start and sit advice for quarterbacks in Week 13
Start & Sit: Running Backs
Start: New England's Rhamondre Stevenson vs. L.A. Chargers
"After a sluggish start, Stevenson has turned his season around, and he comes into Week 13 having scored at least 13.2 PPR points in five of his past six games. He has over 100 total yards in three games in a row, with two touchdowns over that span, and he's back involved in the passing game with at least four catches in four of his past six outings. The Chargers are No. 8 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and nine running backs have scored at least 13 PPR points against Los Angeles this year. Stevenson is a borderline No. 1 running back in all leagues for Week 13."
Sit: Carolina's Chuba Hubbard @ Tampa Bay
"Hubbard just had his best game of the season in Week 12 at Tennessee with 20.2 PPR points. He scored just his second touchdown of the year, and he had five catches for 47 yards on five targets. We'll see what happens with Hubbard and Miles Sanders with Frank Reich now gone as the Panthers head coach, but I would only use Hubbard as a flex option at Tampa Bay in Week 13. The Buccaneers are No. 7 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and Tampa Bay has allowed just two rushing touchdowns to running backs this season. It will be especially tough for Hubbard if Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (groin) is able to play after missing Week 12 against the Colts."
Sleeper: Washington's Antonio Gibson vs. Miami
"I'm expecting the Commanders to be chasing points this week against the Dolphins, and that should mean more of Gibson and less of Brian Robinson Jr. That's what happened in Week 12 at Dallas when Gibson had more playing time than Robinson. While Gibson didn't have a big game against the Cowboys with six carries for 21 yards, along with three catches for 16 yards on four targets, he had at least five catches in three games in a row prior to missing Week 11 against the Giants with a toe injury. In PPR, Gibson can be a flex in Week 13, and Miami just allowed Breece Hall to catch seven passes for 24 yards on nine targets in Week 12."
Check out Eisenberg's full start and sit advice for running backs in Week 13
Start & Sit: Wide Receivers
Start: Houston's Niko Collins vs. Denver
Collins has been overshadowed by Tank Dell of late, but Collins still continues to produce at a high level. And both Texans receivers should be started in all leagues in Week 13 against Denver. Collins has scored at least 13.5 PPR points in three games in a row, and he has two touchdowns over that span. He also has 20 targets in his past two outings against Arizona and Jacksonville for 14 catches, and I'm expecting this Texans-Broncos game to be a shootout, which favors the passing game in Houston.
Sit: Atlanta's Drake London @ New York Jets
"London had a solid outing in Week 12 against New Orleans with five catches for 91 yards on seven targets, and his 14.1 PPR points was his best outing since Week 6. I'm not expecting a quality encore in Week 13 against the Jets, who are No. 1 in the fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. While Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle beat up the Jets in Week 12, London doesn't have the quarterback or system like the Dolphins receivers, and the Jets secondary should be able to keep London in check. He also hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 4. London is only worth starting in three-receiver leagues for Week 13."
Sleeper: Indianapolis' Josh Downs @ Tennessee
"Downs only had five catches for 35 yards in Week 12 against Tampa Bay, but he got a whopping 13 targets, which is fantastic. He should continue to be a go-to option for Gardner Minshew in Week 13 against the Titans, and the passing game for the Colts might get more of an emphasis moving forward with Jonathan Taylor (thumb) out. Downs already beat up the Tennessee defense in Week 5 with six catches for 97 yards on six targets, and the Titans are No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to receivers. Downs is a must-start option in three-receiver leagues and a borderline starter in all formats in Week 13."
Check out Eisenberg's full start and sit advice for wide receivers in Week 13
Start & Sit: Tight Ends
Start: Arizona's Trey McBride @ Pittsburgh
"In three games with Kyler Murray, McBride has 25 targets and two outings with at least 13 PPR points. He's the best option in the passing game for the Cardinals, and I'm still starting him even in a tough matchup with the Steelers in Week 13. Pittsburgh is No. 8 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, but David Njoku, Dalton Schultz, Mark Andrews and Evan Engram have all scored at least 12.5 PPR points against the Steelers. McBride should follow suit, and he has top-five upside in all leagues for Week 13."
Sit: Los Angeles' Gerald Everett @ New England
"One of my favorite stats this week is that the Chargers have had a tight end score at least 10.8 PPR points in five of the past seven games, with Everett hitting that mark three times over that span, including Week 12 against Baltimore when he caught four passes for 43 yards and a touchdown on four targets. That said, he doesn't have an easy matchup in Week 13 at New England since the Patriots are No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to tight ends. I don't mind Everett as a low-end starter in deeper leagues if you're desperate, but New England has only allowed one touchdown to a tight end and just three guys to top 7.6 PPR points this year."
Sleeper: Tampa Bay's Cade Otton vs. Carolina
"Otton faces the Panthers in Week 13, and six tight ends against Carolina have scored at least 8.1 PPR points this season. That bodes well for Otton, who has scored at least 8.5 PPR points in five of his past six games. He's only scored double digits in PPR three times this season, so keep that in mind, but anything over eight PPR points this week should put Otton in contention to be a top-10 Fantasy tight end."
Check out Eisenberg's complete start and sit advice for Week 13