Start 'em, Sit 'em Week 13: Tom Brady and Other QB/TE/DST Fantasy Advice
Fantasy managers need to take a serious look at their teams as the playoffs are literally right around the corner. It may be tough as the waiver wire is picked over by this point. Injuries are piling up and we are back to having teams on a bye (Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers for this week). Try to put forward your best team, as hard as it may be at this point.
Week 13 Positional Rankings: QB I RB I WR I TE I DST I K I Flex
Teams on bye: Arizona, Carolina
START This QB
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers vs. Miami Dolphins
Coming off a four-touchdown performance in Week 11, Garoppolo only threw for one touchdown this past Sunday. It is hard to trust him each week, but Garoppolo has the potential to put up QB1 numbers, even though he is ranked as a QB2. Christian McCaffrey is banged up and will be questionable to play this week, which may cause Garoppolo to throw the ball a bit more. The 49ers face the Dolphins in Week 13, and they are allowing the third-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Expect lots of throwing in this game – from both sides.
SIT This QB
Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints (MNF)
Brady is not the Brady of the Patriots years. The Bucs face the Saints, who Brady already faced in Week 2. In that week, he threw for 190 yards and a touchdown. That was his fewest throwing yards all season. Brady just hasn’t looked very good, and it is going to be hard to trust him in Week 13. The Bucs have all of their receiving weapons, but Brady just isn’t able to get them the ball.
Related: Week 13 Start/Sit Fantasy Advice for RB/WR
START This TE
Forster Moreau, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Los Angeles Chargers
It is clear that Moreau is no Darren Waller, but he has been racking up targets while Waller has been out. He had seven targets in Week 12 and caught three of them for 33 yards and a touchdown. The Raiders face the Chargers in Week 13. The Chargers did allow Travis Kelce to score three touchdowns against them in Week 11. Moreau has two touchdowns in the past three games, and while that streak may not continue, he is still a viable TE2 with TE1 upside.
SIT This TE
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars at Detroit Lions
The matchup against the Lions is a great one, as they allow the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. However, Engram hasn’t quite been the tight end that fantasy managers drafted him as. Aside from scoring a touchdown in Week 8, he hasn’t found the end zone this season. He has three games with more than 50 receiving yards and three games with five or more receptions. However, none of those games have been since Week 6. Engram did deal with a back injury for a few weeks, and whether that has altered his performance and role in the offense or not, it’s not clear, but it’s hard to trust him based on the past few weeks.
START This Defense/Special Teams (DST)
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans
The Browns face the Texans in Week 13, which is a great matchup for opposing DSTs. The Browns have recorded at least one sack in every game so far this season, and odds are that streak will continue in Week 13. The Texans have struggled on offense, to put it mildly, so fire up any opposing DST.
SIT This Defense/Special Teams (DST)
San Francisco 49ers vs. Miami Dolphins
The 49ers are a popular DST (rostered in 96 percent of fantasy leagues), but they face the Dolphins this week. The Dolphins, especially with Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, are going to score plenty of points. Tagovailoa is hard to get to, and the team isn’t prone to turnovers. The 49ers DST has double-digit fantasy points in all but three games this season. However, this game may be one of those single-digit outings.
— Written by Sarah Lewis, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network and lives, eats, and breathes fantasy football. Have a fantasy football question? Send it to her on Twitter @Sarah_Lewis32.
