Start ‘Em, Sit 'Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups based on a PPR scoring system in fantasy football. This column will not cover the elite players in the NFL like Josh Allen, Austin Ekeler or Tyreek HIll. Instead, I'll look at the players you have questions about who could exceed or fail to meet expectations at each position. For all of your final fantasy lineup decisions, be sure to check out my weekly player rankings which will be updated daily throughout the 2022 NFL season.
Fabs Top 10 quarterbacks
1. Patrick Mahomes at Bengals
2. Josh Allen at Patriots (Thur.)
3. Jalen Hurts vs. Titans
4. Joe Burrow vs. Chiefs
5. Justin Herbert at Raiders
6. Tua Tagovailoa at 49ers
7. Lamar Jackson vs. Broncos
8. Dak Prescott vs. Colts
9. Trevor Lawrence at Lions
10. Deshaun Watson at Texans
Byes: Cardinals, Panthers
Week 13 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | TIGHT ENDS | KICKERS & TEAM DEFENSES
Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
Week 13 Start ‘Em: Quarterbacks
Start of the Week
Trevor Lawrence at Lions (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Lawrence has been red hot in recent weeks, scoring 19-plus fantasy points in two straight games, including a “coming of age” performance against the Ravens last week. He has a great matchup against the Lions, who have allowed 24-plus points to opposing quarterbacks in three of their last four games. Overall, no defense has allowed more points to the position.
Start ‘Em
Deshaun Watson at Texans (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Watson returns after missing all of last season and then serving an 11-game suspension for sexual misconduct after more than two dozen women filed lawsuits against him (nearly all of which have been settled). Could he show rust? Yes. But can he still beat a Houston defense that’s allowed 18-plus points to two quarterbacks in its last three games? Yes.
Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Dolphins (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Garoppolo has thrown multiple touchdown passes in all but two of his last seven games, making him a nice streamer for fantasy managers in need. He’ll be in the mix to start this week, too, as he’ll face a Dolphins defense that’s allowed the third-most points to enemy quarterbacks. In all, five signal-callers have beaten them for 18-plus points.
Derek Carr at Chargers (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Carr is on a nice hot streak, scoring 17.9 or more points in four straight games including two straight with more than 20. I see him as a low-end No. 1 fantasy quarterback this week in what could be a real barnburner against the Chargers. Their defense has allowed more than 25 fantasy points to quarterbacks in their last two games, so Carr is in a good spot.
Mike White at Vikings (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Let’s all jump on the White bandwagon! He put up a solid stat line in his first start of the season, scoring 24.8 points with a bananas 149.3 passer rating against the Bears. Next up is a matchup in Minnesota against a Vikings defense that’s allowed the sixth-most points to quarterbacks. In fact, their defense has allowed 19-plus points to each QB in the last three weeks.
More Starts
• Geno Smith at Rams (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox)
• Jared Goff vs. Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
DFS Bargains
• Derek Carr vs. Chargers ($5,600)
• Mike White at Vikings ($5,400)
• Jared Goff vs. Jaguars ($5,300)
Week 13 Sit ‘Em: Quarterbacks
Sit of the Week
Russell Wilson at Ravens (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Wilson continued to look awful last week, scoring just 8.5 fantasy points in a loss to the Panthers. He has thrown just eight touchdown passes in his first 10 games, and he’s not even in the top 20 in points among quarterbacks. So while the Ravens did give up a big stat line to Trevor Lawrence last week, I still can’t trust Wilson in this difficult road matchup.
Sit ‘Em
Kirk Cousins vs. Jets (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Cousins is coming off a huge game in primetime, scoring nearly 22 fantasy points in a win over the Patriots. He had failed to score more than 16.4 points in his previous three games, however, and a game against a tough Jets defense makes him a fade. Their defense has allowed one quarterback (Josh Allen) to score more than 12.3 points since Week 4.
Daniel Jones vs. Commanders (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Jones has been tough to trust in recent weeks, scoring fewer than 15 fantasy points in two of his last four games and four of his last seven. I’d be wary of the Giants quarterback this week against a tough Commanders defense that’s allowed one player at the position to score more than 16.4 fantasy points against them since Week 7. Jones is a QB2 option.
Matt Ryan at Cowboys (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Ryan has posted a pair of stinkers in a row, scoring a combined 18.8 fantasy points with just one touchdown and two turnovers. He’ll be running for his life this week facing an aggressive Cowboys team that’s allowed just 12 touchdowns and the fifth-fewest fantasy points to enemy quarterbacks. Unless you’re in a superflex league, Ryan is a hard sit ‘em.
Ryan Tannehill at Eagles (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Tannehill, listed as a sit ‘em last week in this column, scored just 12.5 points in a loss to the Bengals. I’d keep him on the pine this week, too, as the Titans travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles. Their defense has been tough on quarterbacks, allowing just 10 fantasy points per game to the position. No defense in the league has allowed fewer points to the position.
More Sits
• Mac Jones vs. Bills (Thur. 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
• Taylor Heinicke at Giants (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
DFS Fades
• Lamar Jackson vs. Broncos ($7,800)
• Kirk Cousins vs. Jets ($5,700)
• Daniel Jones at Commanders ($5,500)
More fantasy & NFL coverage:
• Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups
• Top 10 Week 12 Fantasy Takeaways
• IDP Waiver Wire Report Week 13
• Fantasy Fallout: The Return of Deshaun Watson
• The Reeducation of Trevor Lawrence Is Paying Dividends
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business to help you win a fantasy championship!
