Michael F. Florio Fantasy Week 13 Football Sleepers

Jonathan Taylor was forced to miss week 12 after being placed on the reserve / COVID-19 list but, before that, he had a potential breakout match. He had 26 touches in that game, the longest since Week 2. He finished with 114 yards, his second-most in a game this season. What I like most is that he had four targets and captured them all. It might not sound like a lot, but this is only the fourth game of the season where he has more than two targets. The increase in use both on the pitch and in the passing game is encouraging. But if you’re still not sold, he’s also played 56% of Week 11’s snaps, the most of any Colts full-back and the most Taylor has played in weeks. Remember all of this just because he was away last week.

This week he has a fantastic game against the Texans who give up the most rushing yards per game to the RB (142.2). They are also tied for the fastest touchdowns allowed at running backs at 14. No offense for Nyheim Hines, but he won’t be able to do all the groundwork on his own. There is an opportunity here for Taylor to go back, get a similar job in Week 11 and have a great day in this great game. It’s a flexible option with a lot of benefits this week.

Here are more week 13 sleepers!

Kirk Cousins ​​probably played better than you think right now. Since week 9, he’s been QB8 in fantasy. He’s scored over 20 fantastic points in three of his last four games and won multiple touchdowns in all four of those games. But it’s not just his hot streak that makes him a sleeper. He faces the Jaguars who gave the QBs the third most fantastic PPG this season (21.99). Oh, and this game is in Minnesota, which is important to Cousins. At home this year, he’s averaging 22.48 fancy PPG, compared to just 11.11 on the road. He’s a QB1 for me this week and can probably be pulled from the waiver thread.

You have to keep an eye out for this one as Tua Tagovailoa could return this week, but otherwise Fitzy is a good QB sleeper in a good game. Ryan Fitzpatrick was scheduled to start last week and scored almost 20 fantasy points. He’s scored over 19 fantasy points in five of his last six starts, with multiple touchdowns in all but one of those games. Fitzpatrick played very well as the Dolphins’ QB and was not benched because of his game. This week he’s up against a Bengals defense that shouldn’t scare you. They’ve allowed a fantastic top-seven QB in three of their last six games. He has the advantage of QB1 if he is the starter this week. Plus, DeVante Parker is a much better fantastic option if Fitzy gets the start!

With Chris Carson coming back last week, many, including me, expected him to come back on top. But it was Carlos Hyde who led the backfield with 61% of the shots, compared to 37% for Carson. Hyde also had more litters (15 to eight) and more targets (three to two). It could have been a case to get Carson back into things since it was his first game back from injury, but Hyde played well in his absence and could have played a part in that attack. This week against the Giants, who could be without Daniel Jones, the Seahawks will likely play with a lead, which means we could miss a lot. Hyde is a flexible option with a few perks this week.

Cam Akers had his best game of the season last week with 14.4 fantasy points on nine touches. It was his third game in the last four with nine or more touches. He also scored a TD for a second straight game, the first receiving, last week was a breakaway. With Akers playing better lately and the Rams looking for consistent running back production, there’s reason to believe they’ll give their second-round pick more work. Sure, Sean McVay could keep rolling with a three-headed attack in the backfield, but Akers has looked like the better runner, at least lately. I recommend looking for it everywhere. The start, however, should be left to deeper leagues or those that need to dive deep.

Sterling Shepard leads the WR Giants in per game targets this season (7.1) and he led in Colt McCoy’s targets last week (four). That’s a small sample size, but there’s no reason to believe he’ll suddenly stop seeing those targets, regardless of which player is playing QB for the Giants. This is important because the game could not be better against the Seahawks who allow the most fantastic points (51.23) and yards (240.3) to the WRs in NFL history! Shepard is at the limit of the WR3 or flex option with an advantage.

Don’t look now, but Breshad Perriman has been the WR15 in fantasy since week 9. He’s scored double-digit fantasy points in each of his last three games and has totaled three touchdowns in that span. Last week he had eight targets, which evened his season, but he also had four targets over 20 yards from the air and caught two, both also season highs. Perriman showed us at the end of last season that he can do hard races like this. Now I wouldn’t expect something like he gave us with the Bucs last season, but can he be a WR3 against the Raiders this week? For sure. During the season, Vegas ranks in the middle of the pack against wide receivers, but they’ve allowed five Top-20 fantasy WRs in their last five combined games. Perriman has a boom or bust in him, but given the way he plays and the game, he’s a flexible option on the upside this week.

This one hurts. Nothing against Keke Coutee, but he’s only included in this article because Will Fuller is suspended for the remainder of the season. This leaves 21% of the team’s targets and 30% of the aerial work sites up for grabs. It’s a huge amount of time and Brandin Cooks can’t take it all, so someone else will have to step in. Coutee has been active for the past two weeks, occupying the slot machine with Randall Cobb, running around 20 routes per game and even scoring a TD two weeks ago. Isaiah Coulter is the other WR who could step in here, as the Texans just need healthy bodies as receiver right now. But again, there is a lot of volume to be gained now, for anyone who can step in and take it!

Jonnu Smith didn’t score a fantasy point or even a target last week! It does anything but express confidence in him as a sleeper. But still, this game looks like an outlier. He’s seen six targets in two straight games previously, including multiple red zone targets in each. He scored a TD in all three games leading up to last week and scored seven points this season, tied for most among tight ends. This week, he faces the Browns who allow the second most fantastic PPG of the season (15.69), including eight touchdowns cleared for the position – tied for second in the league. At this point all you need from your TE is a TD and they will likely finish a week as a TE1. I like Smith’s chances of finding the end zone this week.

If you read this article every week, now you know about exercise! Air against the Eagles every week. Over the season, the Eagles allow the most sacks per game (4.2) and the third highest number of giveaways per game (1.9). They’ve also allowed a fantastic Top 12 defense every week except two this season. The Packers’ defense has been playing well lately as well. You can confidently start them this week.

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