NFL Sleeper Top Picks & Plays for Week 13 Monday Night Football Featuring the Jaguars & Bengals
We’ve almost made it through the second bye-pocalypse, but we’ve got one more game before we can call it a wrap. The Bengals travel to Duval County to take on the Jaguars tonight, and there should be plenty of action to go around. Will it be Calvin Ridley or Christian Kirk? Can Ja'Marr Chase get it done with Jake Browning at quarterback? Will either team get the run going? Well, let’s look at it.
As you may know, we’ve joined forces with our friends at Sleeper to introduce their Sleeper Picks feature. With Sleeper Picks, you can choose from a variety of players and stat lines, choose whether that player will have more or less than the given stat, and combine your picks for a chance to increase your payout. If you build enough, you can even multiply your entry up to 100x! So let’s get started and jump into some of my favorite Sleeper Picks for Week 13 Monday Night Football.
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Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars
Over the course of the season, we’ve learned that Christian Kirk is the go-to guy in man coverage, while Ridley is the go to guy in zone. The Bengals play the third-highest rate of man in the league, so Trevor Lawrence should be looking Kirk’s way plenty. He’s hit this stat in eight of the 11 games he’s played so far this season, and he’s seen at least six targets in all but two games this year. This should be one of the better games for him.
Pick: Christian Kirk more than 3.5 receptions (1.53x)
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Despite getting off to a slow start to the season, Trevor Lawrence has been on fire lately, hitting this mark in three of the last four games. The Bengals defense hasn’t been able to stop anyone, allowing the most pass yards per attempt and the seventh-most pass yards per game, and last week they allowed the Pittsburgh Steelers to finally go over 400 offensive yards. The Jaguars are a much better offense, and Lawrence is a much better quarterback, so I expect him to hit this stat easily.
Pick: Trevor Lawrence more than 242.5 pass yards (1.77x)
Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals
We’re back to interception stats, huh? You’re right, I just can’t get away, especially not here. Jacksonville has been very good at taking the ball away this year, averaging 1.0 interception per game, and Browning was very lucky some of the bobbled balls didn’t turn into interceptions last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. As long as he keeps making those errant throws, one of them is bound to find its way into the Jaguars secondary.
Pick: Jake Browning more than .5 interceptions (1.47x)
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Player News
Colts coach Shane Steichen said Anthony Richardson suffered a shoulder injury and will not participate in minicamp next week.
Richardson aggravated the AC joint in his throwing shoulder, which he had surgery on in 2023. Per Steichen, he won’t undergo surgery at this time. Steichen said he expects Richardson back “at some point” in training camp. It’s a nightmare scenario for the young passer. On top of the obvious risk that the injury becomes a long-term issue, Richardson missing crucial reps in the offseason will put him behind the eight ball to win the starting job. All signs have pointed to his competition with Daniel Jones being a legitimate one and now the latter will get more time to win over the coaches. Jones has to be considered the favorite to start Week 1 at this point, making Richardson undraftable in most fantasy formats.
FOX NFL’s Jordan Schultz reports it “remains to be seen” if Terry McLaurin will attend mandatory minicamp.
Per Schultz, McLaurin is “frustrated with the lack of progress on a long-term deal.” McLaurin originally showed up at voluntary OTAs but abruptly left, putting his discontent with the situation on full display. He is now entering a contract year and little progress has been made on getting him a new deal. Coming off a 13-touchdown season that saw him form an instant connection with rookie passer Jayden Daniels, McLaurin has more than earned an extension of some kind. Whether the Commanders can meet his demands is up in the air. Deebo Samuel will get more work with Daniels for as long as McLaurin remains away from the team, giving him a chance at usurping McLaurin as the team’s top receiving option. Likely facing some amount of touchdown regression already, McLaurin is becoming an increasingly risky fantasy pick.
Lions coach Dan Campbell named Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Jameson Williams as players who have stood out this spring.
Campbell giving props to his starters is nothing new. The Williams drumbeat has been marching onward all offseason and has no end in sight. Jahmyr Gibbs is one of the most electric backs in the NFL. It’s no suprise he’s standing out in padless practices. The most interesting name of the bunch, outside of a handful of defenders Campebll also shouted out, is LaPorta. The third-year tight end took a step back in 2024, going from 86 receptions for 889 yards as a rookie to 60 grabs for 726 yards and three fewer touchdowns. LaPorta got a slow start to the year and was then hampered by ankle and shoulder injuries. After making noise in early offseason practices, it’s safe to assume this is the healthiest he has been since his rookie season. Even if LaPorta’s target volume is capped by the surrounding talent in Detroit, his involvement as a red zone weapon alone keeps him in the middle of the TE1 mix.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said the team is in the “introductory stage” of extending Lamar Jackson.
Speaking on the BMore Baseball Podcast, DeCosta mentioned that he met with Jackson in person last week. DeCosta, however, didn’t make it sound like a deal was getting done anytime soon. Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million contract with the Ravens in 2023. He is under contract through 2027, so DeCosta doesn’t have to rush the extension. With the price of elite quarterback play skyrocketing, the two-time MVP is rightfully eying a raise. That may not come this offseason, but the Ravens aren’t going to let Jackson hit free agency when the time comes. They placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson last time his contract was set to expire and he publicly requested a trade. Even though an extension was eventually reached, DeCosta flew dangerously close to the sun while trying to get the most affordable deal. He described those negotiations as arduous and it’s hard to imagine him not getting ahead of the situation this time around.
Ravens signed WR Rashod Bateman to a three-year, $36.8 million contract extension.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal includes $20 million in guarantees. The former first-round pick hasn’t lived up to the hype of being the No. 27 overall selection, but he finally found his stride in 2024. Bateman caught 45 passes for 756 yards and nine touchdowns. His yardage and touchdown totals were easily career-highs. Bateman has settled in as a splash play specialist and a high-volume option in the red zone. His five red zone touchdowns tied Isaiah Likely for second on the team behind only Mark Andrews. Bateman is a frustrating fantasy option on a week-to-week basis, but the extension could signal more involvement for him in 2025, especially with Mark Andrews on the decline. Bateman will be a boom/bust WR5 for the upcoming fantasy season.
DJ Moore said he’s not sure he’ll get as many touches in 2025 as he has in recent seasons.
Asked about what role he’ll have in Ben Johnson’s offense, Moore said he wouldn’t know that until much later in the offseason. ‘‘Right now I don’t have goals because I’m still learning everything and I don’t even know if I’m going to touch the ball as much as I did some years or if I’m going to be used the same way,’’ said Moore, coming off his worst season as a pro during which he often displayed on-field frustration with Caleb Williams and a dysfunctional Chicago offense. Johnson has said the new Bears coaching staff has yet to determine roles for their various wideouts, including Moore. ‘‘We’re not necessarily putting guys and plugging them into certain spots and saying, ‘Stick and stay,’ ’’ Johnson said when asked about Moore’s slot usage. ‘‘We’re moving guys around. We’re getting a great feel this springtime of what guys can and can’t do.” Moore should be a viable top-24 fantasy wideout in 2025 if he remains the team’s top pass-catching option.