NFL DFS QB Coach Week 13: Deshaun Watson Has a Great Matchup Against His Former Houston Texans Team
Week 13 of the NFL season is here and all eyes will be on the QB position this week with the return of Deshaun Watson who will be under center for the Cleveland Browns this weekend against his former team the Houston Texans. With Watson likely, a popular play there are also some other QBs in great matchups to take advantage of this week as well as a couple of value plays worth building some lineups around.
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NFL DFS QB Top Tier Plays
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
We saw Hurts rush for 157 yards against the Packers on Monday night while throwing for 153 and two scores. He now has 17 passing touchdowns and eight rushing touchdowns on the season with just five turnovers. In Week 13 he faces a Titans defense that has actually held up well in recent weeks but the mobility of Hurts is something that the Titans will need to adjust to this week.
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
So, Fields did not play in Week 12 because of the injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Head coach Matt Eberflus stated that Fields is still day-to-day and could have a chance to play in Week 13. In Week 13 they play the Packers who just allowed 157 rushing yards to Jalen Hurts in Week 12. Fields set the NFL QB single-game rushing record this season when he had 178 rushing yards against the Dolphins. He followed that performance up by rushing for 147 yards against the Lions. Do you see where I’m going with this? If the shoulder is good enough for him to get out on the field this week we could be looking at yet another elite rushing performance from Fields.
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Any time we get a game where Mahomes could be in a shootout you have to love his upside. The price point is always the issue when it comes to Mahomes because stacking him with Travis Kelce will require you to find some value plays at other positions but we also know that with Mahomes the juice is usually worth the squeeze.
NFL DFS QB Mid-Tier Plays
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Opposite of Patrick Mahomes in this matchup and he is getting Ja’Marr Chase back in the lineup. This game figures to be among the highest-scoring matchups of the week and with the expected shootout between these two offenses it is a lot easier to stack it from the Bengals side given the price difference between Mahomes and Burrow.
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
The last time we saw Watson playing football in the NFL he was among the top fantasy QB’s in the league. He makes his return to Houston for the ultimate revenge game. There are obviously a few risks here given the extended layoff since Watson last took the football field and the fact that team’s have had just ridiculous success running the football against the Texans that Nick Chubb could very easily get all the glory in this one. That said, Watson is likely going to be popular as the public can’t resist a good story.
NFL DFS QB Value Tier
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Any matchup against the Detroit Lions tends to be one worth looking at. Lawrence has really looked great over the past few games, totaling five touchdowns with zero interceptions while completing over 75% of his pass attempts. The DFS community has been burned by trusting the Jacksonville offense a few times already this season but this feels like a spot that we go back to the well.
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
So, this is the cheapest price tag we’ve seen on Cousins all season long when playing on the main Sunday slate. I understand the Jets defense has been pretty good this season but there is so much talent in this Minnesota offense that he is just worth taking the shot on because at this price he doesn’t have to have the biggest performance to get us 20 fantasy points.
Mike White, New York Jets
Are you chasing the points? White stunned the world in Week 12 when he threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns during a torrential downpour in New York. We’ve always said the Jets have the offensive weapons at their skill positions to be a good offense but it was the play at QB that had been holding them back. In Week 13 White will get another shot as the Jets starting QB and he will do it against a defense that just let Mac Jones throw for 380 yards and two touchdowns.
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Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Beat reporter John Hendrix reports that free agent WR Donovan Peoples-Jones is among the 16 players that the Saints will host for their rookie minicamp.
Peoples-Jones last played regular season snaps with the Lions back in 2023, when he caught 13-of-24 targets for 155 yards. He is highly unlikely to return to fantasy relevance at this point but could perhaps sign on as a special teams contributor.
Titans signed fourth-round pick WR Elic Ayomanor to a four-year contract.
Ayomanor will now begin learning behind Calvin Ridley. Although Ayomanor is unlikely to find a meaningful role in year one, dynasty managers should note his status as training camp gets underway this summer. The former Stanford receiver flashed big-play ability in his two college seasons.
Buccaneers signed seventh-round pick WR Tez Johnson to a four-year contract.
Johnson will serve as a rotational deep-threat option for Baker Mayfield. His thin frame (5'10/154) simply does not lend itself to the repeated hits one incurs in a full-time role. Johnson did earn 100-plus targets in his two seasons at Oregon, though. His big-play style make him a better fit in best ball for now, pending any major on-field breakthroughs.
Giants waived DT Casey Rogers.
Rogers was a 2024 undrafted free agent and logged 33 defensive snaps for the Giants in his rookie season. He is credited with zero tackles and/or sacks. He may find his way onto another roster as a practice squad option.
Vikings signed third-round pick WR Tai Felton to a four-year contract.
Felton is quietly in play to challenge Vikings No. 3 WR Jalen Nailor in training camp. Nailor (5'11/190) caught 28-of-42 targets for 414 yards and six touchdowns in his first season as a starter last year, with the latter category buoying his fantasy productivity. Felton (6'1/183), meanwhile, caught 96-of-143 targets for 1,119 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 2.32 yards per route run in his final college season. Fantasy managers should monitor Felton’s training camp reports this summer, as he could have a matchup-based WR5 role if everything falls into place.