All 32 teams line up to play in Week 13 of the NFL regular season, although thankfully with the Thanksgiving Day / Black Friday run of four games, we only have 10 games to worry about on Monday morning. We kick things off in the early window with seven games, with plenty to get excited about. The Vikings and Cardinals game should be a corker, whilst we have Divisional matchups between the Texans and Jags, and Steelers and Bengals to look forward to. In the late window, the Eagles vs Ravens matchup is the game of the day, between two teams who aspire of Super Bowl glory. Let’s dig in.
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NFL 2024-25 Daily Fantasy Tips: Week 13
Quarterbacks
Jayden Daniels - $15,500
Daniels finally seemed to be back last week, after some lower output games since his injury against the Panthers in week 7. Last week, Daniels threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns, whilst crucially rushing for 74 yards and a score, something his game has been missing since the injury. This week, Daniels gets another good chance at a big score, as the Titans struggle against the two main components of the rookies’ game, as their defence has been a pass-funnel all season, whilst they also struggle to contain mobile quarterbacks. Daniels should be in for another big score this week.
Anthony Richardson - $13,670
Richardson has looked much better since coming back into the starting side, in something that could turn into a tactic for struggling young quarterbacks, as we’ve seen both Richardson and Bryce Young look far better after being benched. Richardson has looked far more accomplished throwing the football, but making this play even better is the upside Richardson has on the ground, as he has rushed for close to 100 yards and two touchdowns in the past two games. This week, the Colts get a Patriots defence that is close to the worst in the league, as since week 7 they have allowed the third-highest passer rating, the second-most passing touchdowns, the ninth-highest yards per attempt, and the 12th highest CPOE.
Running Backs
Joe Mixon - $17,620
Mixon finally had a down week last week, but I fully expect him to bounce back this week with a strong showing. The Texans take on the Jaguars, who rank last in DVOA defensively, and have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. With the Texans north of a field goal favourite on the road, it is anticipated that they will be playing with the lead. If that’s the case, Mixon should get plenty of volume, and with 11 total touchdowns this season, he's always a strong shout at a score.
Bucky Irving - $12,800
We went with Rachaad White last week, and got the wrong Bucs running back, as Bucky Irving had the biggest game of his young career, with 151 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Irving has shown all year he is the running back with the most juice in this offense, so let’s hope Todd Bowles continues to feed the rookie this week against a Panthers defence that allows the second-most rush yards per game, the highest rushing success rate, the fifth-highest yards before contact per attempt, and 11th-highest yards after contact per attempt. Could be another huge week for Irving.
Jaylen Warren - $10,190
Not sure it’s going to last, but if it can, Warren is heavily underpriced here. What I’m referring to is Warren taking over as the number 1 running back option last week in Pittsburgh. Najee Harris has had that role all season, but last week Warren played a season high 57% of snaps, whilst also handling 67% of the redzone plays. If that type of usage continues this week, Warren is a great option as your second running back, with the Bengals allowing the 13th-highest explosive rush rate, the 13th-lowest stuff rate, and the eighth-highest yards after contact per attempt. With a touchdown, Warren can be a solid contributor this week.
Wide Receivers
Nico Collins - $15,870
Collins has been an absolute beast this season when fit, and he appears back to 100% after recovering from a hamstring injury. This week, Collins and the Texans’ offense should eat against this Jags defence, which ranks dead last in the NFL in DVOA and EPA versus the pass this year. Collins’ production increases against man coverage, of which the Jags deploy at one of the highest rates in the league. This is an absolute smash week for Collins against a divisional rival.
Tee Higgins - $13,720
Higgins is the best WR2 in the league and should get paid handsomely by a team in need of a bona-fide WR1 next season. Whilst he doesn’t have the absolutely monumental ceiling that Ja’Marr Chase has, he has been so consistent in games this season where he has been fully healthy. In games this year where both Higgins and Chase have been available, Chase has only been targeted more on one occasion. There’s a chance Higgins is shadowed by Joey Porter Jr. this week, and if he is it will be tough to dominate, however if Porter shadows Chase like I suspect he will, Higgins becomes even more valuable.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling - $8,110
MVS could very well be a two-week anomaly, but at the price, and with not many other options for Derek Carr to go to, I’ll trust MVS to get the targets to score well for a third game in a row. MVS is about as boom or bust as you can get in the wide receiver room, and he will not get you a score through volume. But with a 26.4 yard average depth of target, 5.03 yards per route run, and 57.1% of his target volume having been through deep balls, I do like his chances at a couple big plays against a Rams defence that has allowed the fourth-highest deep-adjusted completion rate, and 12th-most deep passing yards.
Tight Ends
Taysom Hill - $10,220
It’s a rough slate for tight ends, but if you’re looking for a high upside play, I believe Hill is your man. Hill has always had a ridiculous ceiling in fantasy, given his do-it-all game, however his floor is not particularly high, so you need to weight the risk with the reward. Since week 10, when Derek Carr had returned and the Saints lacked any wide receivers, Hill has led the team in target share (22.2%), first read share (23.7%), whilst also punching out 2.61 yards per route run. He’s also been getting the job done on the ground, averaging 47.8 rushing yards per game since week 8. Hill will get it done in multiple ways and will be close to the TE1 in this slate.
Pat Freiermuth - $5,200
MUUUUUUUTHHHHH has struggled this season in fantasy, averaging just 7.9 points per game, with just the three touchdowns. However, his redzone usage has increased recently, with three redzone targets over the past three weeks. It’s no guarantee, but Freiermuth could produce a solid score for our teams this week at a very cheap price, as the Bengals allow the fifth-most receiving yards per game, and the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. A touchdown would be great.
D/ST
Seattle Seahawks - $5,940
The Seahawks defence has looked much better since their bye, and I like them to keep Aaron Rodgers and the Jets under siege throughout. Last week, the defence managed 5 sacks and a pick 6, whilst also limiting the Cardinals offense to just 6 points. With a low total set for this game (42), and a Jets offense that has struggled to get anything going this season, the Seahawks should look good again on that side of the ball. The Seahawks are about middle of the pack at takeaways, as are the Jets at committing turnovers.
Minnesota Vikings - $5,290
The Vikings D/ST units have been about as consistent as you could hope for this season, with eight scores of 10+, and only one score under 7 all season. The Cardinals don’t give up the ball too often, however the Vikings have been masters at creating turnovers this season, ranking second in the league. The Vikings also rank fourth in the league at sacks, and whilst the Cardinals offensive line has been terrific, and Kyler Murray is tough to sack, with the heavy blitz packages the Vikings will send, expect to see Murray under pressure all game, particularly if the Cards are chasing.
Suggested Draftstars Team
