Week 13 Fantasy Football-Breakout or Fake Out
As we continue to inch closer to the fantasy playoffs, each week is progressively more important than the previous one. Week 13 consists of three “prime time” games and four teams on bye. The four teams on bye are 1) Panthers; 2) Browns; 3) Packers; 4) Titans. The prime-time games are 1) Thursday Night – Cowboys @ Saints; 2) Sunday Night – Broncos @ Chiefs; and 3) Monday Night – Patriots@ Bills.
As a PSA, Week 13 is the last week of the regular season in many leagues (including Scott Fish Bowl). Identifying another potential breakout can prove to be the key to building much-needed roster depth.
Week 12 Review:
Besides incorrectly identifying Ben Roethlisberger (24 of 41 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown) as a “ breakout” candidate, Week 12 turned out to be another successful week of selections. My best pick was identifying Dontrell Hilliard as a breakout candidate. In dire straits, I picked him up in my Scott Fish Bowl division. He proceeded to amass 133 combined yards and a touchdown on only 13 touches.
My fake-out suggestions permed as expected. Marquez Valdes-Scantling (4 catches for 50 yards) and Ronald Jones (7 rushes for 37 yards and a touchdown) both performed fairly well, but neither had a true breakout performance.
Breakouts:
The 10 Best Rookies for Fantasy in Week 13
Mac Jones (Patriots QB): In all fairness, I have been one of the slowest to come around on Jones. In Week 12, he completed 23 of 32 pass attempts for 310 yards and two touchdowns. Over the last three weeks, he has now amassed six touchdown passes.
Although the Patriots continue to run a balanced attack (55 percent of the plays passing compared to 45 percent rushing), Jones has shown improvement on a weekly basis. As a PSA, this breakout suggestion is more of a rest-of-season outlook, as the Patriots travel to Orchard Park to take on the Bills this week.
Cole Kmet (TE-Bears): As fantasy owners continue to search for reliable tight-end options, Kmet is beginning to emerge as a potential candidate. In Week 12 at the Lions, Kmet had eight catches (on 11 targets) for 65 yards. Although he has yet to score a TD on the season, Kmet has now had at least five or more targets in five of the last six games.
Despite a tough matchup vs the Cardinals in Week 13, Kmet should be viewed as one of the better streaming options this week. Assuming the target level continues, Kmet should continue to be a viable option for the rest of the season.
Fake Outs:
https://flurrysports.org/fantasy-football-week-13-rb-streamers/
Tevin Coleman (RB-Jets): Coleman was able to take advantage of the opportunity for more playing time due to the high ankle injury suffered by Michael Carter. In Week 12, Coleman rushed 16 times for 67 yards, while adding two catches for three yards. Meanwhile, fellow running back Ty Johnson only had 7 carries for 42 yards and zero catches.
Coleman had this type of discrepancy in workload due to a positive game script, as the Jets wound up beating the Texans 21-14. In Week 13, the Jets are 7 point underdogs at home to the Eagles. As fantasy managers should expect more of a balanced workload. I would only use Coleman and Johnson as potential flexes.
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DeSean Jackson(WR Raiders): As a frame of reference, I would personally not be against picking up Jackson as a flex option in 12-team or larger leagues. He showed explosiveness in the Raiders 36-33 Thanksgiving defeat of the Cowboys. That being said, he didn’t receive the volume (4 targets) that it typically requires to maintain consistent production.
Jackson should be commended for turning those four targets into three catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. In Week 13, the Raiders host the Washington Football Team. Unless his targets increase, it will be hard to trust Jackson as anything more than a WR4/low-end flex.
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