Five Fantasy Football Takeaways From Week 13
After Week 13, we're going to do something a little different. Let's take a look at players from four different positions, and whether or not you can trust them the rest of the way based on their Week 13 performances.
QB: Matt Ryan
With the Falcons falling apart and turning the ball over a ton in the redzone, no one needed a big Week 13 more than Matt Ryan. Unfortunately, it didn't come. Despite a favorable matchup against Tampa Bay, Ryan threw for just 269 yards on 45 attempts with one TD and an INT. The Falcons also lost once again, which will do very little to stop the rumblings that Ryan should be benched.
At this point, Ryan isn't worth a roster spot heading into the fantasy postseason. With games against Carolina's defense in Week 14 and 16, things could get a lot worse before they get better. It's time to cut bait and look at someone else as your backup.
RB: DeMarco Murray
There's a decent chance your playoff hopes were burnt by Murray in Week 13. Murray was just on the field for 14-of-61 snaps, losing work to Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner.
Chip Kelly and the Eagles may put on a brave face and say this was all gameplan related, but Murray only had 14 carries for 30 yards and no receptions in Week 12 against Detroit. He's been mostly ineffective as a runner, and there's more bad news on the horizon: Ryan Mathews could return from a concussion soon, which would only further complicate Philadelphia's backfield.
Trusting Murray down the stretch in the fantasy postseason is going to be awfully difficult to do. While it's unlikely he'll receive just 14 snaps again, it's clear that Philadelphia wants to work with a rotation at tailback, which caps his ceiling. With a tough Week 15 matchup against Arizona, you might want to start looking elsewhere at running back for the next few weeks.
WR: Sammy Watkins
There aren't many bigger "boom or bust" plays out there, but with the way Watkins has been playing lately, it will be almost impossible to leave him on your bench in the postseason.
Watkins is coming off a 3-109-1 performance in Week 13 after torching the Chiefs last week. Is it possible he'll put up a 3-for-39 type clunker like he did against the Patriots in Week 11? Absolutely, but the big play upside makes him worth it.
Maybe most importantly, the schedule plays in Watkins' favor the rest of way. He'll get matchups against Philadelphia, Washington and Dallas in the next three weeks, which means he'll dodge any shutdown corners. All of those secondaries are plenty burnable. He can win or lose you a week, but Watkins should be started in all leagues for the postseason.
TE: Martellus Bennett
If you've survived to this point with Bennett as your starting tight end, congratulations. It hasn't been easy as of late, as Bennett has less than four catches and 35 receiving yards in four of his last five games. He just isn't a factor in the offense right now, and it seems possible that he's fallen out of favor with the coaching staff.
Bennett has loads of talent, but he's not getting the kind of targets to make him a reliable contributor. With only one score in the last seven games, he's not finding the end zone enough to be anything more than a desperation play at tight end during the postseason.
You should look to the waiver wire and roll with a lesser name at this point.
Waiver Wire
QB: Brock Osweiler, Andrew Luck, Sam Bradford
RB: James White, Theo Riddick, Bilal Powell
WR: Devante Parker, Tyler Lockett, Brian Hartline
TE: Will Tye, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Luke Willson
D/ST: DET D, KC D, CHI D, SF D