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Week 13 brought the scoring back to the NFL, with seven teams cresting 30 total points, including three teams reaching 40 or more points.
In the NFC, San Francisco established itself as the conference favorite, with a 42-19 destruction of the Eagles at home. Green Bay nabbed the upset of the week with a 27-19 victory over Kansas City, while Dallas fought back a pesky Seattle team to remain unbeaten (6-0) at home.
Each week, I will provide my five instant fantasy football reactions from the slate of games. What were the key performances, surprises and disappointments from across the NFL?
Let’s get into Week 13!
Reaction No. 1: Timing is Everything
Building a quality fantasy football roster is a skill, but timing is critical to reach the playoffs. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert posted the overall QB2 and QB3 performances in Weeks 12 and 13 but has disappointed fantasy players at the most critical time of the year. After last week’s QB15 line, he followed that up with a brutal 212-yard, no touchdown performance at New England. The Patriots defense also stifled Chargers wideout Keenan Allen, who posted a moderate 5/58 line despite nine targets.
Atlanta skill players also had the misfortune of playing a rain-filled game at the Meadowlands, leading to a mundane 13-8 victory over the offensively-challenged Jets. Falcons running back Bijan Robinson provided just 2.9 yards per carry on 18 attempts, while wideout Drake London had one of the most brutal (1 reception, 8 yards) fantasy lines of the weekend. At this point in the season, fantasy players need to trust their top players, but unfavorable matchups can really hurt playoffs chances.
Reaction No. 2: The Miami Machine Doesn’t Stop
The most consistent offense this season has come from the Miami Dolphins. They rank second in total points scored (behind Dallas) and have elite scoring weapons at every offensive position. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa ranks second in passing touchdowns (24), running back Raheem Mostert ranks first in rushing touchdowns (14) and wide receiver Tyreek Hill ranks first in receiving touchdowns while being on pace to break the all-time single-season receiving yardage record (1,964, Calvin Johnson).
Regardless of their opponent, Miami has been a scoring gold mine for fantasy players throughout the season.
Reaction No. 3: Dead Zone RB Treasures
The big challenge entering every season was identifying the right “dead zone” RB. The high-floor upside that comes with selecting wide receivers early is tethered to correctly identifying the Round 4-6 running backs who can provide consistent low-end RB1 production. While players such as D’Andre Swift, Isiah Pacheco and David Montgomery have been solid, the most consistent producer has been Tampa Bay’s Rachaad White.
Using our FTN Fantasy Finishes Tool, White has finished inside the top-20 fantasy running backs in 0.5 PPR formats in eight of the past nine weeks. That includes the overall RB1 stat line in Week 9, and the current RB9 performance in Week 13. White ranks eighth in RB fantasy points per game since Week 7 and sixth since Week 8. Those who selected White in Round 6 or 7 of their fantasy drafts are reaping the benefits.
Reaction No. 4: Pittsburgh’s Disappointing Offense
One of the most disappointing offenses this season belongs to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who showed incredible promise during the preseason. Quarterback Kenny Pickett (now injured), has just six passing touchdowns in 12 games, while wide receiver George Pickens entered Week 13 with a mind-blowing five straight WR45 or worse performances.
The Steelers have finally started to see production from their anemic running game, averaging 151.3 rushing yards per game over the past three contests. But as their home loss to Arizona showed, the Steelers are still battling through issues on both sides of the ball. An offense that looked so promising has been a massive fantasy disappointment.
Reaction No. 5: The Rams Are Playoff Contenders?
Despite entering the season with minimal expectations, and trading away their starting running back two months ago, the Rams won their third straight game to climb back to 6-6 on the season. Los Angeles has now won three straight games after an impressive 36-19 drubbing of Cleveland.
Los Angeles continues to provide quality fantasy performances, with quarterback Matthew Stafford (QB6), running back Kyren Williams (RB8) and wide receiver Puka Nacua (WR8) all providing top-10 fantasy production against the NFL’s No. 1 ranked defense.
The Rams are legitimate playoff contenders in the NFC, and after a challenging matchup at Baltimore, play three easy opponents in the Commanders, Saints and Giants.
