As if signing up for the Fantasy Alarm Assistant GM wasn't a good enough decision already, we present to you even more assistance in setting your lineups this week.
Every Friday throughout the NFL regular season I will be sending you this lineup helper that I like to call: "Tough Decisions." In this article I will breakdown players with similar value, ranking and projection heading into this coming week.
Let's take a look at the TOUGH DECISIONS for Week 13:
Quarterbacks
Brock Osweiler (@Chargers) or Alex Smith (@Raiders)
The Case for Osweiler: In his last two games, Osweiler is averaging 15 fantasy points, which isn’t terrible by any means. A troubling thing with Osweiler is that he tends to go three-and-out quite a few times. He has turned the ball over just once, while tossing three touchdown passes. Over the last five weeks, the Chargers have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points per game to opposing signal callers. During that same span, here is the average line for opposing quarterbacks: 25.5-of-37.75 for 311.5 yards with 1.25 touchdowns per game. You could do much worse than Osweiler, but given the Chargers’ run-stopping woes, Denver could construct a game plan involving lots of C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman. Don’t expect the 300-plus yards the Chargers have been allowing lately, but multiple touchdowns aren’t out of the picture.
The Case for Smith: At this point, we all know what Smith does well: He does a good job of not turning the football over, but his fantasy floor is relatively high. He’s averaging 16 fantasy points per game, sitting just outside the top-10 at his position. Oakland has been fairly generous to opposing signal callers this season, especially in recent weeks. The Raiders defense has allowed eight touchdowns over its last five games. In their defense, they have picked off four passes during that span. Smith is also a capable scrambler, and the Raiders are one of just four teams to allow 100 or more rushing yards to opposing quarterbacks over the last five weeks. In a plus-matchup for the Kansas City quarterback, roll him out there in Week 13.
The Verdict: Smith. The Kansas City offense, even without Jamaal Charles, has significant fantasy appeal. Smith could find the end zone on the ground in this one, en route to a solid fantasy day.
Running Backs
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David Johnson (@Rams) or Javorius Allen (@Dolphins)
The Case for Johnson: With starter Chris Johnson on the shelf for quite some time, David Johnson expects to see a larger workload out of the Arizona backfield. He’s carried the ball just 35 times this season, but with nearly four yards per rush, there’s a lot to like. Johnson has also showed to be a quality receiver, racking up 241 yards on 19 receptions. Over the last three weeks, the Rams have allowed the fifth most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. Despite allowing just one rushing touchdown during that span, the Rams have been torched by pass-catching backs. Johnson is a capable dual-threat guy who could easily go for more than 100 total yards in this contest.
The Case for Allen: Allen is a RB2 and he’s shown it in recent weeks. Baltimore loves to utilize their running backs and he is a two-dimensional threat. Over the last two weeks, he’s rushed the ball 34 times and caught nine passes. If you play in a PPR league, you can make the case that Allen is a low-end RB1. Over the last five weeks, the Dolphins have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. Only the Saints and Eagles have allowed more fantasy points per game to running backs during that span than the Miami Dolphins. The Miami defense is struggling, and owners of Allen should exploit this matchup in Week 13.
The Verdict: Johnson. The Rams defense has been soft to opposing running backs of late and between these two guys, I’m going with Johnson.
T.J. Yeldon (@Titans) or Jeremy Hill (@Browns)
The Case for Yeldon: Yeldon had a great matchup last week against the Chargers, but the Jaguars didn’t feel the need to get him close to 20 touches. It was the first time as a professional he saw single-digit carries, but I don’t see that happening again this week. Yeldon faced the Titans two weeks ago, where he carried the ball 14 times for 54 yards and caught three passes for 28 yards. The rookie running back is a big part of the Jacksonville offense and he should see close to 20 carries in this one. Neither Tennessee nor Jacksonville will blow this game out, so we should see four full quarters of Yeldon on Sunday. Yeldon is a RB2 for this AFC South matchup.
The Case for Hill: Hill hasn’t been quite the asset many hoped he would be. He needs the right game flow to be successful, but this matchup against the Browns seems to be in his favor. Sure, he only ran for 52 yards on 15 carries against them in Week 9, but things should be different this time around. The Browns are allowing just under four yards per carry the last five weeks, but Hill should exceed that average on Sunday. When the Bengals get a healthy lead in this one, expect a lot of Hill. He’s an RB2 this weekend in my eyes.
The Verdict: Yeldon. The Jacksonville running back will bounce back after receiving just nine carries last week against the Chargers. Both backs should have good games. Hopefully Jacksonville realizes that running the ball with Yeldon at the goal line is smart.
Wide Receivers
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Amari Cooper (vs. Chiefs) or Michael Crabtree (vs. Chiefs)
The Case for Cooper: Cooper went over 100 yards for the first time since going for 133 yards on five receptions against the Chargers in Week 7. He has been pretty reliable all season, except when he caught just one pass in Week 11 against the Detroit Lions. The rookie wideout has an excellent matchup this weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have allowed the second most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers this season, making Cooper a low-end WR1 in Week 13. Sammy Watkins torched the Kansas City defense last week, and Cooper has a good chance to become the seventh wide receiver to go for over 100 receiving yards against them.
The Case for Crabtree: Playing alongside Amari Cooper has helped Crabtree this season. Cooper receives most of the defense’s attention, opening up more targets for the veteran wideout. Since the team’s bye in Week 6, Crabtree has been a valuable asset, averaging 5.6-66.2-.83. He and Cooper are both great plays this week, given the Chiefs’ defensive woes. Both Cooper and Crabtree have a chance to find the end zone in this week, and Derek Carr shouldn’t have much problems getting the ball to either of his wideouts.
The Verdict: Cooper. Even though he will likely be covered by Marcus Peters for most of this one, Cooper should have the better game between these two wideouts.
Stevie Johnson (vs. Broncos) or Brandin Cooks (vs. Panthers)
The Case for Johnson: Johnson has settled into his Keenan Allen-esque role quite nicely. He has caught seven passes in each of the last three games, scoring his first touchdown last week since Week 2. With Allen being out for the season, Antonio Gates, Johnson and Dontrelle Inman have seen an uptick in usage rate. However, a Week 13 matchup with the Denver Broncos is a tough one for the Chargers’ receiving core. Over the last five weeks, only the Atlanta Falcons have allowed less fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts than the Broncos. The last receiver to catch a touchdown pass against the Broncos was Mike Wallace in Week 4, in fact, he is the only receiver to catch one against Denver all season. This is a rough matchup for Johnson, making him a WR3 this weekend.
The Case for Cooks: After Cooks went for 98 yards and two touchdowns in Week 10 against the Washington Redskins, he was shut down by the Houston Texans, to the tune of five receptions for 35 yards. Unfortunately enough for Cooks and his owners, he has another tough matchup in Week 13. Cooks and the Saints will face the undefeated Carolina Panthers, and he will be covered by Josh Norman. The Carolina corner has developed into one of the best in the game, so things are going to be tough to come by for New Orleans’ top receiver. Cooks’ value takes a hit this weekend and perhaps sitting him is the best move.
The Verdict: Cooks. The Denver pass rush is going to be too much for San Diego to handle and Johnson will have a hard time getting open. Cooks will do better than Johnson in Week 13.
Tight Ends
Scott Chandler (vs. Eagles) or Gary Barnidge (vs. Bengals)
The Case for Chandler: Rob Gronkowski is expected to miss this weekend’s contest, therefore, Chandler is a TE1 for this matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Sure, the Eagles have been stingy to opposing tight ends, but Chandler gets a fair amount of red-zone work. The Philadelphia defense has been horrendous of late, which means Tom Brady should have a field day against the porous defense. Chandler should see a good amount of targets in this one, especially if other New England playmakers are unable to go in this matchup. Chandler is a TE1 in a high scoring game (for the Pats at least) against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Case for Barnidge: Barnidge, currently the No. 2 tight end in fantasy football, has performed very well when Josh McCown is under center. He hasn’t done well with Johnny football, and the sample size isn’t large enough to determine his status with Austin Davis under center. Regardless, he’s a big part of the offense and Davis will view him as a security blanket at the very least. He may not put up the numbers he became accustomed to with McCown under center, but a large enough workload has made him virtually matchup proof this season. He will look to catch eighth touchdown of the year on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Verdict: Barnidge. This matchup will be extremely close, but I’m going with the higher ranked guy here. Despite having Austin Davis under center, Barnidge should see enough targets to maintain TE1 status.
Player News
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team does not “have any feelings on competition” when asked about the quarterback room.
O’Connell was asked about a potential quarterback competition on the Rich Eisen Show Wednesday and was unclear on whether J.J. McCarthy would have to compete to start. He said, “we’ve got an obligation as coaches to put our players in position to attack that competition phase.” O’Connell discussed first putting Brett Rypien and the newly acquired Sam Howell in a position to play before any competition would occur. He continued that McCarthy is “owning it” this offseason and is taking snaps from starting center Ryan Kelly. After missing last season with a torn meniscus, McCarthy has been ramping up workouts in the offseason and is the front-runner to start for the Vikings in 2025. As of now, Howell looks to be reinforcement at the backup spot in case it turns out McCarthy is not ready to start.
Texans re-signed DT Foley Fatukasi.
Fatukasi initially joined the Texans last offseason on a one-year contract. The 30-year-old was a rotational defensive lineman, tallying four tackles for loss and one sack. He returns to Houston for 2025, where he will be a part of a deep Texans front seven.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Tyreek Hill’s second wrist surgery was part of the original plan and his timeline remains unchanged.
Hill announced the second surgery on social media and Pelissero quickly added some context to the situation. The speedy receiver suffered the wrist injury just before the start of the season and it lingered throughout the year, though he never missed a game because of it. If the second surgery truly is a non-story, an offseason to recover might be what Hill needs to return to form after a down 2024 season. On the other hand, Hill is 31 years old, played his worst football last year, and his offense prioritized targets for Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane. As it stands, Hill might have the highest risk-reward split in fantasy drafts.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports there are “multiple people in the league who believe the new regime is not so high on Travis Etienne.”
Fowler also noted Tank Bigsby’s fumbling issue but didn’t directly relate that to the feelings of the new brain trust in Jacksonville. The Jags clearly felt they were lacking at running back this offseason and addressed that opening via the draft with Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round and LeQuint Allen in the seventh. The pair of additions complicate an already-messy backfield by committee. Etienne is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is a long-shot to be brought back in 2026. The Jags could opt to move on early by trading him, clearing $6.1 million in cap space in the process. If the team does trade Etienne, Tuten would likely be the team’s top back in the long run, making him a high-upside bet in early fantasy drafts.
Broncos signed third-round pick WR Pat Bryant to a four-year contract.
The deal includes $1.4 million guaranteed and is worth $6.6 million in total. Sean Payton compared aspects of Bryant’s game to those of Michael Thomas in his post-draft press conference and there are at least a few similarities in their profiles. Bryant stands at 6'2/204 and ran a 4.61-second Forty at the combine. Thomas measured in at 6'3/212 and clocked a 4.57-second Forty. Though the two have similar physical characteristics, Thomas was known for his proficiency from the slot while Bryant primarily played on the outside as a field-stretcher at Illinois. Bryant’s transition to slot duties may take some time, but third-round draft capital makes him worth a shot in dynasty leagues.
Colts EDGE Samson Ebukam (Achilles) said he is expected to be cleared for training camp.
Ebukam suffered a torn Achilles in training camp last year and did not play in the 2024 season. He broke out in 2023 with a career-high 9.5 sacks in his first season with the Colts. He now has one year left on his deal and will be looking for a rebound season as he stares down free agency in 2026