As Week Twelve has come to an end, we can recap the stars and duds over this week. Below are the best and worst performances from each position and a few suggestions for Week Thirteen.

Stars:

Deshaun Watson (QB):

The Texans are on a 8 game win streak relying on an  explosive offense and defense, but the thing which is holding them back from a top two playoff seed is their quarterback, Deshaun Watson. Watson has had many up and down games. Fortunately for the Texans, the “good” Watson showed up to play against their divisional rivals, Tennessee Titans this week. Watson had 210 passing yards with two passing touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also had nine carries for 70 yards and a rushing touchdown. He completed 19 out of 24 passes, and thus scored 29.4 PPR Fantasy points. Watson was able to defeat a very strong Titans defense by running and also throwing the football, confusing the defense many times. He is set to go up against the Browns who have given up the seventh most fantasy points to quarterbacks. Even though Watson is shaky, he is going up against a weak defense who will have a tough time stopping him and his offensive weapons. Start or Sit in Week 13: Start

Christian McCaffrey (RB):

Even though the Panthers suffered a loss to the Seahawks, McCaffrey had one of his best games this season. He had 17 carries for 125 yards and a rushing touchdown. He also had 11 receptions for 112 yards and a receiving touchdown. This overall performance gave him a incredible score of 46.7 PPR Fantasy points. McCaffrey is dynamic running back and also a good flex option. He is extremely consistent in his scoring and also is a key player in the Panther’s offense. With a dynamic running back and a above average Panthers offensive line their running game is explosive. McCaffrey averages around 15+ carries per game. This type of numbers produce a good PPR fantasy score. He and the Panthers are set to go up against the Buccaneers who also have a weak defense and rush defense. Expect the Panthers to rely heavily upon McCaffrey to get them their win. Start or Sit in Week 13: Start

Amari Cooper (WR):

Amari Cooper helped the Cowboys get their win against the Redskins, putting them in the driver’s seat of the NFC East. Cooper actually broke a record on Thursday, with the most touchdowns and receiving yards on Thanksgiving day. He had eight receptions for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Cooper has had some great games while others were completely terrible. When the Cowboys want to throw the ball, Cooper scores a lot of fantasy points, but when they rely on their great running back, Ezekiel Elliott, Cooper hardly has any receptions or yards. The Cowboys are going up against the Saints and it is highly likely that Marshon Lattimore will be covering Cooper. Even with this solid coverage Amari Cooper is still likely to catch some balls if thrown to him due to his athletic ability. Also, the Saints tend to give up the most fantasy points to receivers. The major issue is that the Saints rush defense is not too good and the Cowboys can take advantage and run the pulp out of the ball. This may create the scenario where Cooper might not be targeted resulting a low PPR Fantasy score for him. Start or Sit in Week 13: Sit

Eric Ebron (TE):

Other than the Bears, the Colts have been the other team which has been improving tremendously. They have a talented quarterback, Andrew Luck, but right now they have a great set of tight ends helping them out on offense: Eric Ebron or Jack Doyle. As there are two of them, one will often be targeted more than the other in one week and vice versa the other week. But as Doyle received a season ending kidney injury Ebron can now enjoy all of the targets for himself. Ebron had five receptions for 45 yards and two touchdowns giving him 21.5 PPR Fantasy points. The Colts are set up to go against the Jaguars who have been struggling with their rush defense. They have great secondaries such as Jalen Ramsey, so this means that the Colts will have to use Ebron a lot to attempt to get a win. Start or Sit in Week 13: Start

Saints (D/ST):

The Saints have one of the best offenses in the league, but they definitely don’t have the best defense. Their defense has been struggling with stopping the run. Against the Falcons they had one interception, three forced fumbles, and six sacks. Although the Saints have been struggling they were able to step their game up and stop a very explosive Falcons offense and produce a win, 31-17. But asking this defense to do it again is tough as they just do not currently have great defensive-players which can create big plays. They are expected to go up against the Cowboys who have a star running back, Elliott, who will be able to exploit the Saint’s defensive line. Dak Prescott will also be able to come out of the pocket and run for some yards which will further frustrate this defense. Start or Sit in Week 13:Sit  

Duds:

Matthew Stafford (QB):

The Lions went up against the strong Bears defense who were able to apply significant pressure to Stafford. Even though the Bears had only two sacks they were able to apply enough tension to force incompletions and interceptions. Stafford threw 28 out of 38 for 236 yards and two interceptions. He had an overall score of 5.4 PPR Fantasy points. His bad performance could be pointed towards the fact that Marvin Jones Jr. was injured and Kerryon Johnson was out too limiting Stafford’s options. The Lions are going up against the Rams next week and, given the struggles of Stafford, it is best if he is on your bench as he will probably end up throwing a couple of interceptions even if he gets Jones back. Start or Sit in Week 13: Sit

Alvin Kamara (RB):

Alvin Kamara is one of the key players to the Saints offense. Some argue he should win the MVP award this year, but his performance this last game suggests otherwise. Even though he had 14 carries, he was only able to rush 89 yards with no touchdown giving him an overall score of 10.8 PPR Fantasy points. This is a rare performance for Kamara and fantasy team owners should expect him to do better as he is a very consistent scorer. The Saints are set to go against the Cowboys’ average defense, but the Saints have the best offense in the league. Expect the Saints to use every single option such as Kamara, Ingram, and Thomas as much as possible. Start or Sit in Week 13: Start

Michael Thomas (WR):

Thomas is considered as one of the best receivers playing in the NFL today, which is why his performance in the last game was a bit surprising. He had only four receptions for 38 yards giving him an overall score of 7.8 PPR Fantasy points. He averages around seven receptions for 71 yards. This week Thomas should be expected to make big plays as the Cowboys will force QB Drew Brees to use all his options in order for them to win. Start or Sit in Week 13: Start

Trey Burton (TE):

Trey Burton has really helped out the Bears offense by acting both as a receiver and as a blocker. On Thanksgiving Burton was used more as a blocker. He had only four receptions for 28 yards giving him an overall score of 4.8 PPR Fantasy points. The Bears are up against the Giants who have a weak pass defense. Expect the Bears to use all their options such as Burton, Gabriel, and Robinson to their advantage. The Giants also allow the fifth most fantasy points to tight ends. Start or Sit in Week 13: Start

Seahawks (D/ST):

The game against the Panthers was a high scoring game and both defenses were unable to stop each other from scoring. The Seahawks were able to squeeze by to get the win against the Panthers. The Seahawks defense had only one interception the whole game. They allowed 27 points giving them an overall score of -3 PPR Fantasy points. They are going up against the 49ers who have one of the worst offenses in the league. The Seahawks should be able to hold the 49ers from getting 10+ points making them a worthwhile start in Week 13. Start or Sit in Week 13: Start

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