The path to the fantasy playoffs is nearly at the end of the road, and fantasy managers have just TWO WEEKS left to work their way into a spot and position themselves for that epic postseason run! When we’re this close to starting the fantasy playoffs every lineup decision that is made can be the difference in getting that huge W or suffering a setback that you can’t come back from. Even on a holiday week, I’m here to walk through a handful of matchups at each position to help you refine that Week 13 lineup to its absolute best!

As always, make sure to make use of Andy, Mike, and Jason’s full rankings!

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford (LAR) at New Orleans

The offseason dreams of Kirk Cousins heading to Atlanta to ignite the Falcons offense into an elite fantasy production team haven’t been fully realized this season. While Cousins has been good, he hasn’t been consistently great, especially for fantasy. Cousins has finished as a top-12 QB just three different times this season, and two of those came against the Buccaneers. The tough part about relying on Cousins for fantasy managers has been the “hot-and-cold” nature of his fantasy production. On the season, Cousins has either scored more than 28 fantasy points or less than 13 fantasy points in nine of his 11 games played.

With any luck, the Falcons can come out of their bye week and produce in a good matchup for Cousins against the Chargers. Los Angeles’ defense has been solid this season against the pass, allowing the seventh-fewest passing yards on the season and recording the sixth-most sacks. Whenever the Chargers come up against a strong fantasy QB though, they’re allowing strong fantasy production. In their last three games, L.A. has given up a top-10 QB finish each week, and one of those was against Will Levis. For fantasy managers looking for a high-ceiling type of streaming option this week, Cousins fits the mold and might be worth the risk.

Kurt would play Cousins over: Sam Darnold (MIN) vs. Arizona

Running Backs

Tyrone Tracy Jr. (NYG) at Dallas

The breakout rookie campaign for Tyrone Tracy Jr. has hit some road bumps over the last few weeks. Since taking over the majority of the rushing work for the Giants in Week 6, Tracy has averaged nearly 18 opportunities per game and logged four top-10 RB finishes. However, the staff in New York may find cause to get Devin Singletary worked back into the rotation for the Giants after Tracy has fumbled three times in their last two games, one of which ended up completely costing the Giants a win in Week 10. There’s a chance that Tracy saw less work last week due to the Giants being completely out of the game, but it should be concerning that Singletary got the goal-line carry that turned into the team’s lone TD on the day.

Week 13 gives Tracy a great matchup to get back in the good graces of the coaching staff against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. Dallas’ defense has allowed the fifth-most rushing yards on the season and has allowed the most rushing TDs on the year. For fantasy, that’s translated into a top-24 finish in three of their last four games and the Cowboys allowing 1.9 fantasy points above expectation on the season. While the Giants’ offense as a whole has struggled, Tracy remains one of the few bright spots and should be able to provide a solid flex option for fantasy managers—from the RB spot of course since he’s playing on Thursday.

Kurt would play Tracy over: Rico Dowdle (DAL) vs. N.Y. Giants

Gus Edwards (LAC) at Atlanta

The switch from the Ravens to Ravens-West has not been as successful for Gus Edwards as it has the majority of the pieces that moved in with the younger Harbaugh in L.A. Edwards was the clear number two RB for the Chargers to start the season and then missed four games with an injury. The return to the field may have come at a great time for the Gus Bus though with J.K. Dobbins’ efficiency sputtering in recent weeks, and now a knee injury could create an opportunity for Edwards to take over the main role in the offense. Edwards was the clear option in the Chargers’ offense once Dobbins left Monday night’s game, with the only other active RB, Hassan Haskins, only receiving one carry on the night. The biggest concern about Edwards being the lead back in L.A. could be his lack of involvement in the passing game, where he’s only seen two targets all season.

From a rushing perspective though, if Edwards is the main RB for the Chargers in Week 13, a matchup against the Falcons may not be the one fantasy managers want him involved in. Atlanta’s defense has been solid against the run this season, only allowing six rushing TDs so far, the fifth-fewest in the league. That’s mainly due to the Falcons allowing the fourth-most passing TDs in the league. For fantasy though, Atlanta has allowed a top-24 RB in each of their last six games, though those six RBs averaged four receptions for 31 yards in those games. The opportunity ahead of Edwards if Dobbins is out should be enough for fantasy managers in need of a spot start this week off the waiver wire to fit him into their flex spot, but going forward might need monitoring.

Kurt would prefer to play: Jeremy McNichols (WASH) vs. Tennessee

Ameer Abdullah (LV) at Kansas City

Maybe the “out of nowhere” fantasy option the fantasy world needed was back-to-back weeks of Ameer Abdullah being a top-24 RB for the Raiders. Abdullah wasn’t very productive on the ground for Las Vegas, but his work in the passing game is where he made his mark for fantasy managers with five receptions for 37 yards and a TD. With questions around the status of both Zamir White and Alexander Mattison, Abdullah could be in line to be the main RB option for the Raiders again this week. The biggest concern for Abdullah’s fantasy relevance will be who will be under center for the Raiders with QB Gardner Minshew set to miss the rest of the season after breaking his collarbone Sunday against the Broncos. That leaves either Desmond Ridder or Aidan O’Connell as the starter, depending on whether or not O’Connell returns from his own stint on IR with a broken thumb.

Regardless of who starts at QB on Black Friday for Las Vegas, the matchup doesn’t bode well for Abdullah against the Chiefs. The Kansas City defense has been the toughest matchup this season for fantasy RBs, allowing 8.2 fantasy points below expectation per week to the position. Over their 11 games played this year, the Chiefs have only allowed three top-24 RB finishes, though two have come in their last two games. The only hope for Abdullah bringing another solid fantasy performance this week would be if he gets back into the end zone, but it’s not a bet fantasy managers should be making.

Kurt would prefer to play: Justice Hill (BAL) vs. Philadelphia

Wide Receivers

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (SEA) at N.Y. Jets

It feels like the breakout may be happening in Seattle for Jaxon Smith-Njigba. After sporadic usage throughout his rookie season, JSN seems to have taken over the WR2 role for the Seahawks and usurped Tyler Lockett’s spot in the WR pecking order. Over his last three games, Smith-Njigba has finished as a top-12 WR in each game and is on a 17-game pace for 130 receptions and 2,079 receiving yards. While that type of pace isn’t likely to continue, it’s nice to know that JSN has the high-end fantasy value the fantasy community thought he could have coming in as a first-round pick in the NFL draft.

If JSN is going to continue his hot streak for fantasy, he’ll have a tough matchup against the Jets to do so. Despite all of the trouble in New York, their passing defense has stayed one of their best assets this season, allowing the second-fewest passing TDs and completion percentage in the league. For fantasy though, the Jets have allowed a top-15 WR in each of their last three games so there’s still room for fantasy production even with a lower chance of getting into the end zone. For JSN, it’s likely that Sauce Gardner will have his attention focused on D.K. Metcalf so there should be some room for him to make an impact for fantasy again this week.

Kurt would play Smith-Njigba over: Calvin Ridley (TEN) at Washington

DeAndre Hopkins (KC) vs. Las Vegas

The transition into the Kansas City offense for DeAndre Hopkins has been a mixed bag of results so far. In the five games he’s played for the Chiefs, Hopkins has only been a top-24 WR twice and has finished outside the top-60 WRs the same amount of times. The trouble with Hopkins producing consistently for the Kansas City offense is that he may be dependent on getting into the end zone to make him worth starting. In the games where Hopkins hasn’t scored a TD since the trade, he’s averaging just 5.3 fantasy points.

While it may seem like a prime time for Hopkins to get going this week against the Raiders, this secondary has been tougher than their record would suggest. Las Vegas’ defense has allowed the 10th-fewest passing yards this season and is one of the best in the league at not giving up big plays. For fantasy, the Raiders have allowed three top-24 WR finishes in their last two games, but that comes after a six-game stretch where they didn’t allow a single one. A lot of what could determine how effective Hopkins can be this week might come down to whether two of the Raiders’ top CBs—Nate Hobbs and Jakorian Bennett—are back on the field after missing last week with injuries.

Kurt would prefer to play: Jordan Addison (MIN) vs. Arizona

Keenan Allen (CHI) at Detroit

Just when we thought we could move on, Keenan Allen reels the fantasy community back in with a vintage performance in Week 12. Allen was the target monster that fantasy managers have loved for years against the Vikings, catching nine of his 15 targets en route to a WR9 finish. Since the Bears’ bye in Week 7, Allen has been on the field more and been much more involved in Chicago’s offense, averaging nine targets per game—three more than before their break. If Allen is going to remain a staple in the Bears’ offense, he could be a player who helps fantasy managers through the playoffs as he’s done for many years.

Having Allen put in a repeat performance this week is a bigger ask, with a tough matchup against the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. Detroit’s defense has been great in most facets of the game, but the one place they have given up fantasy production has been to opposing WRs. On the season, the Lions are allowing 27.9 fantasy points to opposing teams’ WRs, but they have allowed a league-low seven TDs to be caught against them. The name of the game for Allen will be the same as it has always been—get peppered with targets and become a safety blanket for his QB. It’s a risky play, but fantasy managers in need of a win might need to stick Allen in their lineups hoping for a high-end return this week.

Kurt would play Allen over: Jerry Jeudy (CLE) at Denver

Tight Ends

David Njoku (CLE) at Denver

The turn to Jameis Winston hasn’t fully paid off for David Njoku like fantasy managers may have wanted it to, but it’s still been a productive stretch. In the four games Njoku has played with Winston under center, he’s had the same number of top-10 TE weeks (two) and almost the exact same amount of targets per week as the four with Deshaun Watson. The difference between this season and the league-winning back stretch of 2023 is that there are more emerging options in the Cleveland passing game with Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman both becoming a bigger part of the offense alongside Njoku.

If Njoku is going to continue being a consistent threat as a difference-maker from the TE spot, he’ll have a tough task this week against the Broncos. Denver’s defense is allowing 2.1 fantasy points under expectation to opposing TEs and even held Brock Bowers to his second-lowest receiving total of the season just last week. Only once in their last seven games have the Broncos allowed opposing teams’ TEs to score more than nine fantasy points, so putting Njoku back in starting lineups this week might not have the best results.

Kurt would prefer to play: Dallas Goedert (PHI) at Baltimore

Evan Engram (JAX) vs. Houston

Fantasy managers got very excited seeing Evan Engram return from injury to a 10 reception and 102 receiving yard game, but haven’t found that feeling since. Over his last five games, Engram has only finished as a top-12 TE once and hasn’t surpassed 50 receiving yards at all during that stretch. The shift to Mac Jones at QB with Trevor Lawrence nursing a shoulder injury has only really resulted in five fewer passing attempts per game, so it’s tough to blame Engram’s lack of production on that. In reality, any hopes that Engram could follow up the back-to-back top-six TE seasons on a team that has struggled as much as Jacksonville were probably misplaced.

There’s still time for Engram to provide some fantasy relevance this season, and there could be an opportunity against the Texans this week. Houston’s defense allowed an average of 5.1 fantasy points to opposing teams’ TEs in their first nine games this season, but have softened over the last three weeks, allowing an average of 14.7 points per game. As long as Engram remains involved as one of the main options in the Jacksonville passing attack, he could get back in fantasy managers’ good graces this week with a bounce-back performance.

Kurt would play Engram over: T.J. Hockenson (MIN) vs. Arizona