Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Mike Moraitis

Fantasy start or sit Week 13: DeAndre Hopkins, Derrick Henry, Will Levis

After a few down weeks, fantasy football owners finally got a big game out of Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry, who found the end zone twice and tallied 76 yards on the ground.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and quarterback Will Levis, both of whom struggled to get much going.

Hopkins reeled in three of his five targets for 49 yards but didn’t find the end zone. Meanwhile, Levis had yet another disappointing game after exploding onto the scene in Week 8, with the rookie signal-caller throwing for just 185 yards and zero touchdowns in a game that saw him start hot but struggle mightily in the second half.

The answer for whether or not to start Henry this week is easy, but it’s a totally different story when it comes to Levis and Hopkins.

Here’s our start or sit advice for all three in a Week 13 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.

Derrick Henry: Start

Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Things were getting a bit shaky for awhile with Henry after he did nothing in the two weeks before his big showing in Week 12. That, along with a juicy matchup against the Colts, makes him an easy start this week.

Indy is ceding 129.3 rushing yards per contest, the seventh-worst mark in the NFL. Further, the Colts are surrendering the fifth-most fantasy points per game to the position.

Henry has become more touchdown-dependent this season, as yards have been tougher to come by. However, he should be able to stack yards and find pay dirt this week.

QB Will Levis: Sit

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Since his massive Week 8 showing, Levis ranks as QB22 over the past four games. Most of that has to do with putrid pass protection, but the rookie has gone through some growing pains, as well.

There’s simply not enough of a track record of success to start Levis, even with some really good quarterbacks on a bye.

Adding to that, the Colts are ceding the 11th-fewest fantasy points per game to the position and sport a middle-of-the-road pass defense in terms of yards allowed per contest.

WR DeAndre Hopkins: Start

Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Admittedly, Hopkins is a shaky start this week, as the veteran wideout has only had two really good games this season. However, there are six teams on bye and you may have no choice but to start him. In that instance, you could do a lot worse.

Thankfully, there’s a history of Hopkins having success against his Week 13 opponent after the veteran went off for 140 yards on eight receptions against Indy in Week 5.

Consider Hopkins a flex play with upside.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.