NFL Week 13 Winners, Losers, and Takeaways

By Corbin Young | December 6, 2021

NFL Week 13 Winners, Losers, and Takeaways

Some fantasy managers remain on the fringe of a playoff berth, with Week 13 and possibly Week 14 playing a role. Taysom Hill, Tom Brady, David Montgomery, and Jonathan Taylor played crucial roles. On the flip side, Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott, Darrell Henderson, Boston Scott, and Tyreek Hill may have hurt fantasy managers. We’ll look at the injuries to monitor, plus the Week 13 highlights, wonders, and disappointments.

Injuries To Monitor:

  • Joe Burrow (finger) and Joe Mixon (neck) dealt with injuries during Sunday’s game. Burrow and Mixon finished the game and produced decently after trailing by 16 in the first quarter. We’ll need to monitor the injury reports for Burrow and Mixon but have a backup plan in case they can’t go in Week 14. 
  • Kenyan Drake (ankle) left Sunday’s game, and the Raiders ruled him out of the game shortly afterward. With Josh Jacobs healthy, Drake barely touches the ball with seven touches and 30 total yards over the past three contests. Per Ian Rapoport, Drake suffered a broken ankle that will end his season. Jalen Richard missed Week 13 due to COVID-19, so maybe Peyton Barber becomes relevant again. 

  • Early in Sunday’s game, Adam Thielen suffered an ankle injury. The Vikings ruled out Thielen after only one reception for zero yards. Mike Zimmer noted that Thielen has an ankle sprain. Adam Schefter reports that Thielen suffered a high ankle sprain and he’ll undergo further tests.

  • Unfortunately, Miles Sanders (ankle) re-injured his ankle on Sunday after a productive day against the Jets with 120 rushing yards. With no Jordan Howard and Boston Scott dealing with an illness, Sanders soaked up most of the production. Rookie Kenneth Gainwell scored a touchdown on Sunday. Since the Eagles have a bye in Week 14, there’s a chance Sanders heals up by Week 15 when they return. 
  • Like Miles Sanders, Corey Davis (groin) re-aggravated an injury. Davis seems droppable outside of deep leagues since rookie Elijah Moore looks like the lead Jets receiver with six receptions on 12 targets for 77 receiving yards and one touchdown. 
  • The Seahawks ruled Alex Collins inactive with an abdomen injury. Unfortunately, Collins hasn’t looked productive either in recent weeks. It’s probably a good idea to stay away from the Seahawks backfield for now. 
  • Kenny Golladay (ribs) left Sunday’s game against the Dolphins. It’s worth holding onto Golladay with the upside we’ve seen in the past from Golladay outside of 2021. However, it might be Saquon Barkley or bust until Sterling Shepard or Kadarius Toney returns. 
  • Logan Thomas (knee) injured his knee on Sunday. In a close 17-15 win against the Raiders, Thomas hauled in three receptions for 48 receiving yards and one touchdown. Hopefully, Thomas doesn’t miss more time after dealing with a hamstring injury that caused him to miss five weeks. It sounds like Thomas may have a torn ACL and MCL, but he’ll have tests to confirm. Ricky Seals-Jones missed Week 13, but he should re-emerge when healthy. 

  • Elijah Mitchell (head) appeared to suffer a head injury but then returned to the game against the Seahawks. Mitchell wasn’t efficient on the ground with 66 rushing yards on 22 attempts with one rushing touchdown. We like the three receptions on three targets for Mitchell too. Monitor Mitchell’s head injury. 

Week 13 Highlights

The Taysom Hill Experience

We witnessed the Taysom Hill experience with 101 rushing yards yet four interceptions. Hill threw for 264 passing yards with two passing touchdowns, with the final one coming on a 70-yard catch and run by Deonte Harris. Hill’s rushing production made up for the four turnovers, which we observed last season with four top-12 performances, including two top-8 weeks. Fire up Hill as a streamer moving forward with the rushing ability. 

Tony Pollard and CeeDee Lamb

On Thursday night, with Ezekiel Elliott banged up, Tony Pollard splashed and made his night on one 58-yard touchdown run. Pollard finished with 71 carries on seven rushing attempts plus two receptions and three receiving yards. In 2021, Pollard boasts uber-efficiency with 108.7 (No. 33) Weighted Opportunities, 2.64 (No. 3) Yards Per Route Run, 6.1 (No. 5) Yards Per Touch, and +19.2 (No. 4) Expected Points Added. Pollard remains worth an RB3 or flex spot with upside. 

It’s nice to have CeeDee Lamb after missing the Thanksgiving game with a concussion. Lamb notched a 33-yard rushing attempt plus a team-high 13 targets (32.5%) with seven receptions and 89 receiving yards. He made several tough contested catches where Dak Prescott threw a pinpoint pass. In a high-volume passing offense with the 7th-most Team Pass Plays Per Game (38.4), Lamb remains efficient with 9.6 (No. 20) Yards Per Target, 2.47 (No. 12) YPRR, and a +7.5 (No. 18) Production Premium heading into Week 13. 

Gardner Minshew Unlocking the Eagles Offense

Was it the matchup against the Jets, or did Gardner Minshew unlock the Eagles’ offense? It’s probably a combination of both since the Eagles totaled 418 yards – the third-highest total of the season. Before leaving with an ankle injury, Miles Sanders rushed for 120 yards on 24 attempts with three receptions for 22 receiving yards. Although most of Dallas Goedert’s production came in the first half, Minshew connected with him on six targets for 105 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Even Kenneth Gainwell garnered 54 rushing yards and one touchdown on 12 attempts. 

The Jets allowed the third-most rushing yards heading into Week 13, so that aligns with the Eagles rushing production. Minshew also played efficiently with 242 passing yards, 9.7 yards per attempt, and two touchdowns on 25 passing attempts. With their bye coming up in Week 14, that should give Sanders and Jalen Hurts enough time to heal up. 

The Lions Won a Game

The Lions beat the Vikings 29-27 and won their first game. Jared Goff’s game-winning score came on a pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown for 11 yards. Amon-Ra St. Brown led all Lions receivers with ten catches on 12 targets for 86 receiving yards. In the first game without D’Andre Swift, Jamaal Williams led the backfield with 71 rushing yards on 17 attempts.

On the flip side, Justin Jefferson smashed against the Lions. Jefferson hauled in 11 receptions on 14 targets for 182 receiving yards and one touchdown. In his second season, Jefferson set career-highs in receiving yards and receptions. Adam Thielen left the game early with an injury, and thus, Kirk Cousins fed Jefferson. 

Optimism for Tyler Lockett & D.K. Metcalf

Although Russell Wilson’s final line doesn’t look great with 231 passing yards, 6.2 YPA, and two touchdowns, we have optimism for their top-2 receivers. Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf both received eight targets for a 21.6% target share. Lockett got banged up earlier but finished with seven receptions, 68 receiving yards, and one touchdown.

Wilson missed Metcalf on a couple of endzone throws, so No. 14 finished with five receptions for 60 receiving yards. It’s nice to see Metcalf produce since he totaled 70 receiving yards over the past three games. Value the duo as WR2s with upside. Hopefully, both receivers smash against the Texans in Week 14. 

Week 13 Wonders

Russell Gage and Chris Godwin Eat On Sunday

Tom Brady fed Chris Godwin the ball 17 times as Godwin finished with 15 receptions and 143 receiving yards. Godwin set a career-high in receptions on Sunday to continue the WR1 campaign. That’s the ceiling we expect for Godwin after a couple of down games with 145 combined receiving yards over the past three. 

On the flip side, we have Russell Gage, who led the Falcons since he hauled in 11 receptions on 12 targets for 130 receiving yards. Outside of Cordarrelle Patterson, Gage looks like the lone bright spot on the Falcons offense lately. Gage set a season-high in receptions and receiving yards after two straight games with 5.5 receptions and 55.5 receiving yards. He also set a career-high in the receiving categories on Sunday. Value Gage as a WR3 with a safe floor moving forward. 

Jonathan Taylor RB1 SZN Continues

Against a soft matchup like the Texans, Jonathan Taylor smashed with 143 rushing yards on 32 attempts with two rushing touchdowns. The Colts hardly needed to throw as Carson Wentz totaled 22 passing attempts, and Taylor didn’t garner a single target. Heading into Week 13, Taylor had nine straight RB1 finishes with ten total in 12 games played. He’s making a case to end up as one of the top running backs drafted in 2022 redraft leagues with 6.3 (No. 3) yards per touch, 51.4% (No. 1) Juke Rate, and +35.6 (No. 1) Expected Points Added (EPA). 

Sony Michel Totals 27 Touches & Rams Receivers Feast

Against the Jaguars, with Darrell Henderson active, Sony Michel garnered 27 total touches. Michel rushed for 121 yards on 24 attempts with one touchdown. The only other Rams back to touch the ball – Mekhi Sargent with two carries for five yards to close out the game. Michel remains one of the handfuls of high-end backups.

In a blowout win against the Jaguars, the Rams receivers in Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson feasted with Matthew Stafford tossing 295 passing yards and three touchdowns. Kupp ended with another efficient day of 8-129-1 on ten targets. Meanwhile, Jefferson finished second on the team with eight targets and hauled in six for 41 with one touchdown. Continue rolling out Jefferson as a WR3 with upside. 

George Kittle Destroyed the Seahawks

Jimmy Garoppolo relied on efficiency with 299 passing yards, 10 YPA, and two touchdowns with two picks. George Kittle destroyed the Seahawks with nine receptions, 181 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. With no Deebo Samuel, Kittle feasted with the next best receiver in Brandon Aiyuk, who reeled in three receptions for 55 receiving yards. Kittle set a season-high across the board but nearly bested a 2020 performance of 15-183-1 against the Eagles. The 49ers use their best players and have a narrow usage tree for fantasy purposes. 

Javonte Williams Breakout Game

With no Melvin Gordon, we witnessed the Javonte Williams breakout game with 178 total yards and one touchdown. Williams rushed for 102 yards on 23 attempts with six receptions on nine targets for 76 receiving yards. The rookie led all Broncos pass-catchers with nine targets, but Jerry Jeudy just edged him with 77 receiving yards. Williams finished with 111 total yards twice this season but never reached more than 17 carries in a single game.

However, it’s the second time Williams rushed for over 100 yards. Given the high workload without Gordon, especially in the passing game, treat Williams as an RB1 moving forward if Gordon remains sidelined. The advanced metrics pointed towards the breakout happening evidenced by the 31.9% (No. 19) Juke Rate, 530 (No. 9) Yards Created, and 3.68 (No. 8) Yards Created Per Touch all with a 23.4 (No. 45) Run-Blocking Efficiency. Williams creates yards and shakes tackles with some of the best. He also ranked first in yards after contact (3.5), broken tackle rate (17.1%), and evasion rate (23%) amongst backs with 100 attempts heading into Week 13. 

Week 13 Disappointments 

Saquon Barkley Disappoints

Injuries aside, Saquon Barkley hasn’t produced as fantasy managers hoped. On Sunday against the Dolphins, Barkley totaled 55 rushing yards on 11 attempts with six catches for 19 receiving yards. Although the Giants had Mike Glennon at quarterback, they didn’t get blown out by the Dolphins. The Giants matched the Dolphins in possession time with just over 29 minutes. Currently, Barkley lacks any touchdown upside and needs to compile total yardage and receptions to provide value. 

Barkley reached RB1 status twice in seven games played before Week 13. If we toss out the game against the Cowboys with a 9.5% snap share, Barkley averaged 9.2 fantasy points per game. When healthy, Barkley garners the 12th-highest Opportunity Share at 69.3%. However, Barkley lacks efficiency with 4.5 (No. 42) yards per touch and -8.1 (No. 106) EPA. We have reasons for optimism with Barkley given the 34% (No. 14) Juke Rate and 3.79 (No. 5) yards created per touch. He’ll need to create yards on his own with the -12.0 (No. 69) Run-Blocking Efficiency, meaning the Giants offensive line isn’t doing him any favors. 

Foster Moreau Doesn’t Produce Without Darren Waller

Without Darren Waller, Foster Moreau expected to take on more opportunities for the Raiders. Unfortunately, Moreau caught one reception for 34 receiving yards on three targets in a low-scoring game. The Washington Football Team ranked middle of the pack in fantasy points allowed to the position. However, Derek Carr targeted Hunter Renfrow (10) and Josh Jacobs (9) in the passing game. Moreau should still hold value as a TE2 in the Raiders offense with Waller sidelined. 

Kansas City Studs Kept In Check

In a 22-9 win against the Broncos, Patrick Mahomes struggled with 184 passing yards on 29 attempts with 6.3 YPA and one interception. Although Mahomes rushed for a touchdown, none of the Kansas City receivers reached more than 60 receiving yards. Travis Kelce hauled in three receptions for 27 receiving yards on eight targets. For Kelce, that’s his third game of the season with fewer than 30 receiving yards. 

Meanwhile, Tyreek Hill couldn’t reel in a couple of targets and finished with two receptions for 22 receiving yards. Mahomes typically fed Hill targets, but that didn’t happen, and Hill reached his second-lowest receiving total of the season. The Broncos have an underrated defense and love to control the clock with 33 and a half minutes of possession on Sunday night. Look for the Kansas City studs to bounce back in Week 14 against the Raiders. 

Corbin Young
Corbin is passionate about fantasy baseball and football. He loves diving into and learning about advanced metrics. Corbin is a Mariners and Seahawks fan living in the Pacific Northwest. Corbin's other hobbies are lifting weights, cooking, and listening to fantasy sports podcasts.
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