Start as a quarterback in Week 13 of Fantasy Football

Dear friends, it’s already week 13! Time to set up those fantastic lineups! Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is a best and worst look at the week’s best and worst matchups in fantasy football leagues. Each week I will be examining quarterbacks who could exceed or fall short of expectations based on their weekly opponent… like Patrick Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa in Week 12!

To make your final lineup decision, check out my fantasy football player rankings. I update them every day! Make sure too subscribe to the Fantasy Dirt Podcast with Lindsay Rhodes and me as we cover all things fantasy football five days a week!

All positions: QB | RB | WR | TE | K and summer time

Hi: Thread

1. Josh Allen vs. 49ers
2. Jalen hurts the Ravens
3. Lamar Jackson vs. Eagles
4. Patrick Mahomes vs. Raiders (Friday)
5. Justin Herbert for the Falcons
6. Joe Burrow vs. Steelers
7. Bo Nix vs. Browns (Monday)
8. Baker Mayfield for the Panthers
9. Jayden Daniels vs. Titans
10. Jared Goff vs. Bears (Thursday)

Full Week 13 quarterback rankings (coming soon)

The beginning of the week

Patrick Mahomes vs. Raiders (Friday, 3 p.m. ET, Prime Video): Mahomes, named last week as a starter, had his best game of the season, scoring three touchdowns and 28.8 points. I would like to see him active on Black Friday as he faces a Raiders defense that has been struggling with quarterbacks lately. In fact, they have allowed 10 passing touchdowns and nearly 23 fantasy points per game to this position since Week 9. Mahomes will be a top-five pick.

Run them

Justin Herbert on Falcons (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Herbert was in excellent form, scoring over 17 points in five straight games, including two in which he scored over 24 points. He should remain hot against the Falcons, who have allowed opposing quarterbacks over 17 fantasy points six times, including five points per 20. Their defense has also allowed the second-most fantasy points per game over the past four weeks.

Baker Mayfield on Panthers (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Mayfield bounced back against the Giants last week, recording a rushing touchdown and scoring 18.7 fantasy points in the win. I also like him this week as the veteran faces a Panthers defense that has allowed 21 passing touchdowns and the sixth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Carolina also gave up a completion percentage of 69.2, which is fifth best in the NFL.

CJ Stroud on Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Stroud hasn’t been at his best this season, but he’s a viable starter when the matchup is favorable. That will be the case this weekend as they face a terrible Jaguars offense that has allowed eight different quarterbacks to beat them for at least 18.6 points. Moreover, four of these field generals scored over 28 points. Stroud also outscored the Jaguars, scoring 23.5 points, in week four, so he’s obviously an asset to start with.

Anthony Richardson on Patriots (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Richardson wasn’t great last week, as he completed 39.3 percent of his passes and scored just 12.9 points in the loss to the Lions. Still, I love his matchup this week against the Patriots. Over the past two weeks, their defense has allowed 27.8 points to Matthew Stafford and 28.5 points to Tua Tagovailoa. Each quarterback threw four touchdown passes! This is good news for AR.

QB with good matchups

Sit of the week

Tua Tagovailoa on Packers (Thursday 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): The summer in Tagovailoa was hotter than the pavement in Miami, and he scored a combined 52 fantasy points in his last two games. So why would he sit in them? Well, Tagovailoa doesn’t do well in cold weather, and it doesn’t get much colder than Green Bay in late November. AccuWeather is forecasting a high of four degrees on Thursday evening, so Tagovailoa is a risk.

Sit down

Sam Darnold vs. Cardinals (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Last week I was completely wrong about Darnold, who scored 21.1 points despite a poor matchup in Chicago. Well, I guess I didn’t learn my lesson because I don’t like Darnold this week either. You may not know this, but since Week 9, the Cardinal defense has allowed quarterbacks to score just 8.5 fantasy points per game. This match may end unfairly and turn into a shootout, but the statistics say that Sam is sitting.

Kirk Cousins ​​vs. Chargers (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Cousins ​​has seen his stats decline in each of the last four games, culminating in a 4.9-point loss against the Broncos. I’d give him a break this week as well, as he faces a tough Chargers defense that has given up just 14 touchdown passes and 16.2 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks in 2024. Without a bye this weekend, Cousins ​​is easy to beat in one thing… the quarterback league.

Caleb Williams on Lions (Thursday, 12:30 p.m. ET, CBS): Williams looked great last week as he completed 68.1 percent of his passes, threw for 340 yards with two touchdowns and scored 26.9 fantasy points. This is good news. The bad news is that he has to face the Lions defense next on the schedule. Over the last four weeks in Detroit, signal-callers Jordan Love, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson were all under 13 fantasy points.

Jameis Winston at Broncos (Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN): Winston has proven to be a good option when the matchup is favorable, but that wasn’t the case this week in Denver. Their defense has allowed only one opposing point guard to beat them this season by scoring more than 17.8 points per game, and their overall scoring against them is just 13.4 points per game. Well, unless you’re in the superflex league. Winston needs to be sidelined.

QB with bad matchups