Week 13 Start or Sit - Happy Thanksgiving

Start 'em Jaxson Dart (NYG, QB)
Jaxson Dart, who missed the last two games with a concussion, could clear protocol and suit up for Week 13 against the Patriots, a unit that's been sturdier against the run than the pass - allowing about 213.5 passing yards per game (17th) and 20 passing TDs, while ranking top-two vs. the rush. If cleared, Dart - coming off five straight outings of at least 21.4 fantasy points, with a rushing TD in each of the last five games and at least five rush attempts in all seven starts - projects as a low-end starter, though his mobility and approach may change after the injury and in his first game following Brian Daboll's firing. Given New England has allowed three of the past four opposing QBs to exceed roughly 21 fantasy points, Dart still looks poised to produce on Monday night.

Start 'em Justin Herbert (LAC, QB)
Justin Herbert enters Week 13 after being pulled in the Chargers' 35-6 Week 11 loss and getting a bye, with a patchwork offensive line - missing both starting tackles - contributing to a league-high 35 sacks (fourth-most). Since Joe Alt's season ended he's posted a 1:1 TD:INT ratio, 58.8% completion rate, 5.9 yards per attempt and has been dropped seven times, but the Raiders' middling pass defense (tied for 19th in fantasy points allowed to QBs and 27th in sacks) gives him a favorable bounce-back spot; Las Vegas has allowed several QBs to top 21 fantasy points recently and Herbert scored 22.8 there in Week 2, making him a reasonable top-10 fantasy option.

Start 'em Travis Etienne (JAC, RB)
Travis Etienne enters Week 13 as a clear RB1 option thanks to a heavy, steady workload and the matchup against a porous Titans run defense. He's totaled 381 scrimmage yards and four TDs over the past four games and has fallen below 15 touches just once all season. Even with concerns about Bhayshul Tuten seeing more snaps in Week 12 at Arizona, Etienne still logged 65% of the snaps (his highest since Week 2) with 15 carries for 86 yards plus three catches for 30 yards and a score. Tennessee has been unusually generous to opposing backs - allowing 15 total RB touchdowns and ranking among the league leaders in fantasy points and rushing TDs surrendered - so Etienne should be in starting lineups.

Start 'em Devin Neal (NO, RB)
With Alvin Kamara sidelined by a knee injury and expected to miss Week 13 at Miami, rookie Devin Neal is poised to take on the Saints' lead-back role. Neal tallied a season-high 12 touches after Kamara exited Week 12, finishing with seven carries for 18 yards and five catches for 43 yards on seven targets, part of a steady increase in his scrimmage output. He'll likely absorb the lion's share of carries while ceding some work to Taysom Hill (and possibly Audric Estime), but should remain a regular target out of the backfield given Tyler Shough's recent tendencies. Miami has been vulnerable to running backs this season, so Neal could offer flex-level production if he starts.

Start 'em Wan'Dale Robinson (NYG, WR)
Wan'Dale Robinson broke out in Week 12, hauling in nine catches for 156 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets, and he's firmly the Giants' top receiving option after seeing double-digit targets in three of the last four games (45 targets over that span). With rookie Jaxson Dart expected to return from a two-game concussion absence and take the helm in Week 13, Robinson should remain heavily involved - he had 15 catches for 108 yards on 22 targets in his two games with Dart. New England has been vulnerable to the pass this season (about 213.5 yards allowed per game, 17th in the NFL), so Robinson projects as a solid WR2 for fantasy this week.

Start 'em Stefon Diggs (NE, WR)
Despite a hot stretch earlier in the season - four straight games with either a touchdown or 100 yards - Diggs has been erratic lately, blanked in consecutive weeks and held to 46 yards or fewer in four of five outings (two catches for 20 yards on three targets in Week 12). He should be New England's top receiving option Monday night against a Giants defense that gives up about 8.3 yards per target and roughly 36.2 PPR points per game to wideouts, but the Patriots' run-first, target-sharing approach makes Diggs a boom-or-bust play best used as a high-upside flex or secondary fantasy starter.

Start 'em Mark Andrews (BAL, TE)
Mark Andrews has been largely touchdown-dependent - his three-game scoring streak ended in Week 12 - and since Lamar Jackson's return he's been limited to three or fewer catches in each of five games and under 35 receiving yards every week. He managed just one of three targets for nine yards (2.1 fantasy points) in Week 12, but draws a favorable Week 13 matchup: Cincinnati has allowed the most fantasy points and 13 touchdowns to opposing tight ends, with 10 different TEs posting double-digit weeks and four topping 20 since Week 5, making Andrews a sensible bounce-back option.

Start 'em Juwan Johnson (NO, TE)
Heading into Week 13 in Miami, Juwan Johnson remains a key target in the Saints' passing game. He caught six passes for 46 yards in Week 12 and has compiled 23 receptions for 301 yards and two touchdowns over his last five games, putting him on pace for career-best totals. Johnson has posted five straight double-digit fantasy weeks (about a 13-point average) and has had at least five catches or a score in each of the past four games. The matchup looks favorable, too: the Dolphins have been one of the most generous defenses to tight ends, allowing roughly 17.0 PPR to the position and handing out double-digit fantasy totals to seven different TEs this season.

Start 'em Seattle Seahawks (SEA, DEF)
Seattle's defense should pile up stats at home this week against Minnesota's sputtering offense. With J.J. McCarthy in concussion protocol, the Vikings might need to turn to undrafted New Hampshire rookie Max Brosmer, who has thrown just eight NFL passes. Either way, Seattle's unit is a must-start this week.

Start 'em Cam Little (JAC, K)
Cam Little has been perfect on his eight field-goal attempts over Jacksonville's last four games - capped by a league-record 68-yarder - and hasn't missed since the Week 8 bye. He has posted at least 13 fantasy points in three of those four outings (13 vs. Arizona), and his booming leg gives him top-five upside in Week 13 against Tennessee, which yields 27.5 points per game and allows the third-most points to visiting kickers.

Sit 'em Baker Mayfield (TB, QB)
Mayfield is questionable for Week 13 after spraining the AC joint in his left shoulder in Week 12, a game in which he managed just 41 passing yards, one TD and two interceptions. His availability will depend on pain management and practice participation, and if he plays he'll face a Cardinals secondary that has been middle‑of‑the‑pack recently and limits QB fantasy output compared with most teams. Although he's found the end zone in most games this year, Mayfield has produced 18.8 fantasy points or fewer in four of his last five, so don't start him in single‑QB leagues unless he's 100% - he's safer in Superflex or two‑QB formats.

Sit 'em Daniel Jones (IND, QB)
Daniel Jones has been productive overall - recording multiple TDs in eight of 11 starts and 22 total touchdowns this season - but he's cooled off recently, throwing a season-low 181 yards in Week 12 and coughing up seven turnovers across the two games before that. That regression, plus the Texans' stingy defense (just 264.3 yards and 16.5 points allowed per game and a dominant pass rush that sacked Josh Allen eight times), makes Week 13 a tough spot. After a surprisingly solid 20.8-fantasy-point outing at Kansas City, Jones has otherwise been held to 17.5 points or fewer in his prior two games, and he's more likely to finish in the top-20 than as a top-10 QB this week. He's a streaming option only in Superflex and two-QB formats.

Sit 'em Aaron Jones (MIN, RB)
Aaron Jones managed just nine rushes for 41 yards and caught three of four targets for 16 yards in Minnesota's 23–6 loss to Green Bay in Week 12, marking the first time he was held under 60 total yards since Week 8. His role has shrunk recently as Jordan Mason has taken on more touches, keeping Jones at 78 or fewer yards in every game this season and capping his upside while they split work. The Week 13 trip to Seattle doesn't help - Seattle is among the NFL's stingiest teams versus running backs, allowing very little yardage and fantasy production - while Minnesota could be shorthanded up front (Christian Darrisaw and Donovan Jackson left Week 12 with ankle injuries) and may face quarterback uncertainty. Given the workload split, limited touchdown production and matchup, Jones is only a viable flex option for Week 13.

Sit 'em Isiah Pacheco (KC, RB)
Isiah Pacheco, who missed the past three games with a knee injury, is expected back for the Chiefs' Week 13 Thanksgiving meeting with the Cowboys. He hadn't been producing much before the injury, and Kareem Hunt has stepped up in his absence - totaling 247 scrimmage yards and three rushing TDs while extending his scoring streak to four games - so Pacheco will likely return in a reduced role with Hunt as the primary goal-line option. Even with limited touches, though, Pacheco could still impact the game against a Dallas run defense that has improved recently but ranks 27th in points allowed to running backs.

Sit 'em D.J. Moore (CHI, WR)
DJ Moore caught five of seven targets for 64 yards and two touchdowns in the Bears' 31-28 Week 12 win over Pittsburgh, but don't expect that level of production to be routine. Rome Odunze is clearly Chicago's primary pass-catcher and favorite of QB Caleb Williams, and the Eagles have been stingy against wideouts - allowing just six WR receiving TDs all season - so regression is likely. This was only Moore's second receiving TD and just his second game with more than four catches, so he's a better fit as a flex/low-end WR3 this week; Odunze projects as a low-end WR2 but isn't without risk in this matchup.

Sit 'em DK Metcalf (PIT, WR)
Metcalf has been a steady target monster - he's seen at least seven looks in five of his last seven games - but hasn't produced much yardage, topping 50 receiving yards just twice and failing to record a receiving TD in his last four outings. In Week 12 he hauled in five of eight targets for 22 yards and added two rushes for 12 yards and a rushing TD. With Buffalo presenting an essentially average matchup for wideouts and uncertainty at QB (Aaron Rodgers' wrist or Mason Rudolph), Metcalf's upside is limited; treat him as a FLEX or a No. 3 receiver in most leagues.

Sit 'em T.J. Hockenson (MIN, TE)
T.J. Hockenson caught all four targets for 19 yards in Week 12 - his most catches since Week 7 - but Minnesota's ongoing quarterback struggles make him a shaky fantasy play. With J.J. McCarthy in concussion protocol and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer potentially making a hostile debut in Seattle, Hockenson's upside is limited even against a Seahawks defense that has been susceptible to tight ends (9.9 fantasy points allowed per game, sixth-worst). He's been under double digits in seven of his last eight games and averages only about four targets when McCarthy starts, so this matchup doesn't inspire confidence.

Sit 'em Pat Freiermuth (PIT, TE)
Freiermuth plays roughly half of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps but has been productive lately - at least three catches in five of six games and four touchdowns in that stretch - making him the Steelers' top fantasy tight end. He's still inconsistent, however, with single-digit fantasy totals three times in his last four games and eight times this season, and Week 13 poses a brutal matchup against the Bills (only Travis Kelce has topped 7.5 points vs. them, and he managed just 12.6 in Week 9). There are likely better tight end options this week, but Freiermuth is a reasonable, non–chaseable play after his one-touchdown, 10.9-point outing last week.

Sit 'em Minnesota Vikings (MIN, DEF)
Minnesota's offense has been so ineffective that it leaves the defense on the field far too often - a recipe for trouble, made worse by facing Sam Darnold in a revenge spot. By contrast, Seattle has been dominant at Lumen Field, averaging roughly 32.6 points per home game and surrendering just four sacks in five home outings.

Sit 'em Younghoe Koo (NYG, K)
Younghoe Koo was perfect on five kicks in the Giants' overtime loss and has missed just one extra point since becoming the starter, but Week 13 brings a tough matchup with New England. The Patriots allow only 18.8 points per game and rank among the league's best at suppressing kicker production - giving up the fewest points to visiting kickers and only one road kicker has topped five fantasy points at Foxborough - so despite his solid outing, Koo should be treated as a low-tier option and left on the fantasy bench.