Fantasy football: Players to start, and others to sit, heading into Week 13 of NFL action
The Cowboys-Saints affair Thursday night wasn't without it's interesting moments, despite Dallas being nearly a touchdown favorite.
As far as fantasy goes, Tony Pollard looks like he's the better back in Dallas. He rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries, highlighted by a 58-yard score. Ezekiel Elliott had 13 carries for just 45 yards. We'll have to start ranking Pollard ahead of Zeke until he's all the way healthy.
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CeeDee Lamb also did well, catching seven passes for 89 yards, but Michael Gallup scored on one of his five catches for 36 yards.
For the Saints, Taysom Hill actually had a good fantasy game due to his 101 rushing yards. Despite his four interceptions, he may end up a QB1 this week. Hill also had two touchdown passes, including a 70-yard score to Deonte Harris, who finished with four receptions for 96 yards.
More: Fantasy football: Week 13 position rankings
Here's a look at some more players that should start, and others that should sit, heading into Week 13 of NFL action.
Quarterbacks
Start
Kirk Cousins, Vikings: The Lions, who are still winless, just allowed Andy Dalton to throw for 317 yards. Cousins, who has better weapons than the Bears, should feast on Detroit. Game script should allow him to cash in early before the Vikings rely on the running game.
Derek Carr, Raiders: Carr has been really good for the balance of the season and is coming off a QB1 performance against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. He's thrown for at least 320 yards in six of 11 games and gets to face the Washington Football Team, which is last in points allowed to the position.
Jalen Hurts, Eagles: Much like Hill on Thursday, Hurts can prove his worth by rushing for a good amount of yards. He faces the Jets, who are in the bottom 10 in points allowed to quarterbacks.
Sit
Matt Ryan, Falcons: He managed a touchdown pass last week against the Jaguars and that ended a two-game skid. One streak that remains alive is his inability to surpass 200 yards passing in three straight games. The Bucs won't make things easy on him.
Mac Jones, Patriots: The rookie has been good this season, but the Bills are the best team at limiting quarterbacks' fantasy points. If Jones puts up a solid number, then New England has really found something.
Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers: San Francisco won't have to score a lot to win over the Seahawks, and that means Garoppolo probably won't pass more than 25 times. He hasn't thrown for more than 230 yards in three straight.
Running backs
Start
Alexander Mattison, Vikings: With Dalvin Cook out, Mattison is a sure-fire starter who should get a good amount of touches. In Week 5 against Detroit he rushed 25 times for 113 yards and scored for an RB1 finish. He faces those same Lions this week.
James Conner, Cardinals: Credit to fantasy managers that targeted Conner in the offseason, given that his biggest competition for touches would be Chase Edmonds. With Edmonds out, Conner is thriving and most recently posted an RB1 performance against the Seahawks before the bye.
Myles Gaskin, Dolphins: Two straight RB1-level performances has me confident Gaskin can have a successful week against the Giants. New York is third worst in points allowed to the position.
Sit
Texans running backs: Whether it's David Johnson or Rex Burkhead, no Texan should have a good day against the Colts run defense. Indy is fifth best in points allowed to running backs. Even though both Johnson and Burkhead had double-digit carries last week, neither made a big fantasy impact.
Alex Collins, Seahawks: Almost nothing on the Seattle offense looks good. Collins hasn't had more than 10 carries since Week 7 and faces the 49ers this week. That's not an easy matchup for him.
Ronald Jones, Buccaneers: The fool's gold runs out this week. Leonard Fournette wrestled control of the backfield away from Jones early in the season, relegating Jones to single-digit rushes in all but one week. He's scored two weeks in a row, however, making it look like he's an RB2. The last time he played the Falcons he totaled just 36 yards.
Wide receivers
Start
Marquise Brown, Ravens: He hasn't been useful for fantasy squads since Week 9 against the Vikings. He's got 14 receptions for just 88 yards in two games since then. He takes on the Steelers this week and the amount of targets he attracts gives him a solid fantasy floor.
Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers: Aiyuk is working his way back into fantasy relevance, garnering at least seven targets in four of the last five games. With Deebo Samuel out this week, Aiyuk should produce.
Darnell Mooney, Bears: Make sure Allen Robinson is out, but even if he does play, Mooney has potential to put up a big game. He's on a two game streak with at least 121 yards.
Sit
Courtland Sutton, Broncos: In a game where he should be needed to keep up with the Chiefs, I can't trust him after his terrible downturn since Jerry Jeudy returned to the field. He hasn't had a useful game since Week 6.
Kendrick Bourne, Patriots: Bourne paid off last week against the Titans, but don't expect the same against the toughest team in points allowed to wide receivers.
Russell Gage, Falcons: The top wideout for Atlanta had a good game last week, catching six passes for 62 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars. It was just his second score of the season and I don't expect him to be so fortunate against the Bucs.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Fantasy football: Players to start, and others to sit, for NFL Week 13
