Welcome to the Industry Expert Consensus picks for Week 13 of the NFL season. As always, if you want to see how the experts performed last week check out my Week 12 Industry Expert Grading column and the Industry Expert Standings for all experts. So far this season the Consensus picks are sitting near the middle of the pack in the overall standings.
Week 13 is off to a crazy start with the Hail Mary ending to the Packers/Lions game on Thursday night. As I mentioned in my Offensive Tendencies article this week, there are a lot of divisional games this week with fairly low Vegas totals, which could make for another interesting and unpredictable week in the NFL.
This week it looks like the experts aren’t all on the same page with who the top plays should be. Every position has a grouping of about five or more players that come in with 7 to 12 selections then there is a gap before the next grouping of players at each position. Don’t be afraid to go “off the board” for a few selections this week with some of your favorite gut calls.
As a reminder, the number in the parenthesis is the number of experts that chose that player so you have more context regarding the gaps between players and the tiers.
Here are the consensus plays for Week 13…
Quarterbacks
Highly Touted
- Cam Newton (10) – One of the most consistent QBs against one of the worst defenses (Saints)
- Ryan Fitzpatrick (9) – Fitz “magic” coming off a 4 TD game and has a favorable matchup with the Giants this week
- Tom Brady (9) – Keeps losing receiving weapons, but still putting up 275+ yards and 2+ TD every week
Recommended
- Jay Cutler (8) – Bears are at home against a 49ers defense that has been much worse on the road this season
- Andy Dalton (7) – Threw for 3 TD passes the last time he faced the Browns
- Ryan Tannehill (5) – Has thrown 2 or more TD passes each of the last 3 weeks
Suggested
- Marcus Mariota (3) – Threw 3 TD passes last week and faces a Jaguars defense that gave up 4 TD passes last week
- Ben Roethlisberger (3) – Looks like he will play, has thrown for at least 330 yards in each of his last 3 games
Running Backs
Highly Touted
- DeAngelo Williams (12) – At least 15 touches in every game he has started this season
- Jonathan Stewart (10) – At least 20 carries in 7 straight games and will face a bad Saints defense
- Doug Martin (9) – Has not scored since Week 5 but faces a Falcons defense that has given up 12 rushing TDs this season
Recommended
- David Johnson (8) – Should get a full workload as only healthy Cardinals RB, cheap option
- LeSean McCoy (8) – Over 100 total yards in 5 straight games
- Shaun Draughn (5) – Has exactly 20 touches in each of the last 3 games, cheap option
Suggested
- Adrian Peterson (4) – Has scored in 4 straight games
- CJ Anderson (4) – Broke out against the Patriots last week and now faces the poor Chargers rush defense
- Thomas Rawls (3) – Has a tougher matchup than the last 2 weeks, but should still get a heavy workload
- Ronnie Hillman (3) – Still the starter in Denver getting about half the carries in a favorable matchup with Chargers
Wide Receivers
Highly Touted
- Alshon Jeffery (10) – Cutler’s main target in a favorable matchup with the 49ers
- Odell Beckham Jr. (10) – He is rolling again with 4 straight 100+ yard games
- Danny Amendola (8) – Be sure to watch the injury report to make sure is playing
Recommended
- Antonio Brown (7) – Coming off a down week, but always a threat for a big game with Roethlisberger at QB
- Brandon LaFell (7) – Could get some additional targets with Gronkowski out
- Julio Jones (7) – He let fantasy owners down last week, but should bounce back against the Bucs
- AJ Green (7) – Scored 2 TDs last week and could get more red zone targets if Tyler Eifert is out
- TY Hilton (7) – Had a strong connection with Matt Hasselbeck last week
- Eric Decker (5) – It is bigger news when he doesn’t score a TD
Suggested
- DeAndre Hopkins (4) – Only has 5 catches in each of his last 3 games
- Jarvis Landry (4) – Coming off a 13 catch game and gets a favorable matchup with Ravens this week
- DeVante Parker (4) – Scored 1st TD last week and should start this week with Rishard Matthews out, cheap option
- Brandon Marshall (4) – More expensive than Decker, but bigger upside as he showed last week
- Larry Fitzgerald (3) – Has 8+ catches in 4 straight games, but has not scored since Week 8
- Allen Robinson (3) – Could see an increase in targets with Allen Hurns out
Tight Ends
Highly Touted
- Greg Olsen (12) – Primary receiving option in matchup against Saints defense that is the worst in the league against the TE
Recommended
- Delanie Walker (8) – Averaging 7 catches for 100 yards over last 2 games
- Travis Kelce (8) – At least 4 catches in all but one game this season and faces the Raiders TE defense that the experts like to pick on
- Julius Thomas (8) – Big game last week and should continue to big part of the offense with Hurns out
Suggested
- Scott Chandler (5) – He is not Gronk, but he will be filling in for him in the high-powered Patriots offense, cheap option
- Jordan Reed (4) – Monday night option who has averaged 7 catches per game over last 2 weeks
- Jacob Tamme (3) – Will continue to see increased targets with Leonard Hankerson out
Hope you find the right combinations to cash in Week 13!
