Week 13 Flex Rankings for Fantasy Football

Just two weeks remain in what has been a chaotic fantasy football campaign. Most teams are still fighting for a playoff berth, while others are trying to position themselves for better seeding come playoff time. The penultimate week of the fantasy football regular season figures to be a difficult week for many fantasy managers to navigate. There is a litany of injuries to deal with, as well as four teams on a bye. That is where my Week 13 Flex rankings come in. I have ranked the top-250 options this week to help you get a jump on your roster decisions. These are based on half-PPR scoring, so adjust as you see fit. May Week 13 be a lucky one for you and your fantasy football teams!

More fantasy football fun for Week 13: Waiver Wire | FAAB Guide | Start & Sit | Loves & Hates | Stock Watch | Sleepers & Streamers | D/ST Streamers

Running Back Notes

The biggest blow to fantasy managers last week with immediate ramifications for Week 13 was the shoulder injuries suffered by Dalvin Cook and D’Andre Swift. Cook suffered a separated shoulder and torn labrum. Swift suffered an injury to his AC joint. Both NFC North studs are expected to miss time, though the exact timeframe is not yet known. For bookkeeping purposes, I do have Swift listed in my Week 13 Flex rankings. However, fantasy managers should not rely on either Swift or Cook this week. Ideally, those with Cook and Swift on their rosters would have Alexander Mattison and Jamaal Williams at the ready. Mattison and Williams will walk into a ton of volume this week, and have a good chance of being top-12 fantasy running backs this week.

Of course, there was also the news that Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey will miss the remainder of the 2021 season. Carolina placed McCaffrey on season-ending injured reserve after he suffered an ankle injury in last week’s loss. When McCaffrey missed five weeks earlier in the year, Chuba Hubbard was a workhorse back. He averaged 21.4 opportunities per game while McCaffrey was out. However, it should be noted that Ameer Abdullah has carved out a solid role as a pass-catcher in recent weeks. Panthers’ quarterbacks have targeted Abdullah 20 times over the last five games. The Panthers are on a bye this week, but fantasy managers would be wise to add both backs where available. I would expect Hubbard to get the bulk of the work, with Abdullah being worked in on passing downs. However, the presence of Cam Newton as a goal-line threat may limit Hubbard’s upside a bit.

In brighter news, the New Orleans Saints 1-2 punch of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram appears poised to return to action after missing last week’s game. Kamara has practiced on a limited basis, while Ingram does not carry an injury designation heading into this week’s game. Their returns will be a welcomed sight for fantasy managers who suffered through the Tony Jones experience. New Orleans plays on Thursday night, which could be a blessing or a curse depending on your perspective. On one hand, we will know Kamara’s status before we need to make any lineup decisions for the week. That is a better situation to be in than having to scramble on Sunday if he suffered a setback late in the week. On the other hand, it sure would be nice to have a couple of extra days for him to heal up before heading back onto the field.

The other issue that could affect the Saints’ running backs is that Taysom Hill will be the team’s starting quarterback. Hill started four games last season and ran for four scores. Hill is recovering from a foot injury of his own, so perhaps he runs less than he did last season when he had 39 rushing attempts over his four starts. However, his presence combined with Kamara missing nearly a month has caused me to downgrade him a bit from where I would normally rank him. I would still start him, but I see him as more of a high-end RB2 rather than his typical top-five ranking. As for Ingram, he comes in as my overall 80th ranked Week 13 Flex option. That puts him right on the edge of the start/sit line depending on your other options.

A couple of other running backs to monitor throughout the week are Darrell Henderson and Miles Sanders. Henderson suffered a quad injury last week, while Sanders is dealing with an ankle issue. Both have favorable Week 13 draws, so fantasy managers will have to hope that both can go on Sunday. I have much more faith in Henderson than I do Sanders. That has more to do with their respective roles in their team’s offenses than their pain management thresholds. Henderson has had at least 15 opportunities in all but one of his appearances this season. Sanders has hit that number in just two of his last seven games. The Eagles have had no qualms featuring Jordan Howard or Boston Scott, though both missed practice on Wednesday. For now, Sanders is a low-end RB2, while Scott could work his way into Flex consideration given a clean bill of health.

Wide Receiver Notes

If I had told you a month ago that my top wide receiver note for Week 13 would be about a player who had rushed for 181 yards and four touchdowns in the last three weeks, you probably would have guessed I was talking about Cordarrelle Patterson. Silly rabbit… No, I am referring to Deebo Samuel. Samuel is the overall WR2 on the season in part due to his recent rushing exploits. Samuel has logged 19 rushing attempts in the last three games, compared to just 11 targets. Unfortunately, Samuel does not figure to do any rushing or receiving this week after suffering a groin injury. Brandon Aiyuk has turned his season around in recent weeks following a dreadful first two months. Aiyuk is the overall WR14 over the last four weeks and is a solid WR2 this week.

Dallas activated Amari Cooper off the reserve/Covid list before their Thursday night showdown with the Saints. Cooper has missed the last two games and was reportedly still dealing with symptoms of the virus earlier this week. The team is also expected to get CeeDee Lamb back after he missed last week’s game with a concussion. This is a similar situation to Kamara for me in the sense that I have both Cowboys receivers ranked a bit lower than I normally would. Through Week 10, Lamb was the overall WR6, with Cooper coming in as the overall WR20. I currently have Lamb as my WR13 and Cooper as my WR28 for Week 13. I would feel better about both if the game took place on Sunday rather than Thursday, but I would still start them in virtually all situations.

Antonio Brown has been out since mid-October and is reportedly at least two more weeks from a return to action. It has been a frustrating ailment for fantasy managers, particularly after a report in early November suggested that Brown could return following Tampa’s Week 9 bye. Fantasy managers have little recourse at this stage but to wait out the injury and hope for the best. Brown was the overall WR7 on a point per game basis through the first six weeks. That type of upside will not be found on the waiver wire barring some shady collusion between managers. Oh yeah, that reminds me. If you find yourself out of contention for your league’s playoffs (which is not likely if you have taken my flawless advice throughout the season), do not be the jerk who drops good players just to ruin someone else’s chance of winning.

Tight End Notes

Tampa tight end Rob Gronkowski has come back with a vengeance since missing nearly two months due to injury. I will admit that I was worried about Gronk after he returned for just six snaps in Week 8, then promptly missed Tampa’s Week 10 outing due to his balky back. But Gronkowski has turned back the clock in the last two weeks. He is second among all tight ends in fantasy scoring since Week 11, which is even more impressive considering he has not scored in that stretch. A Week 13 date with the Atlanta Falcons should give Gronkowski another chance to have a big fantasy day. Though the Falcons have matched up pretty well with opposing tight ends on the year, Gronkowski gashed them for two scores in their Week 2 matchup. I have Gronkowski as my TE3 this week.

Raiders tight end Darren Waller suffered a potentially serious knee injury on Thanksgiving, but luckily the situation seems to have improved. Waller underwent an MRI which revealed a strained IT band but no major structural damage. Coach Rich Bisaccia announced that Waller is week-to-week with the injury. Foster Moreau should fill in for Waller this week against the Washington Football Team. Moreau more than filled in when Waller missed Week 7 with an ankle injury. Moreau had six catches for 60 yards and a touchdown and was the overall TE4 on the week. That performance comes with the caveat that the Philadelphia Eagles are awful at covering tight ends. But Moreau could be heavily involved once again this week. I currently have him as my TE16 for Week 13, and he could be a solid streamer.

Week 13 Flex Rankings

More Week 13 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Kicker | D/ST | PPR | Flex

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