Week 13 Visionary Plays: Bold Fantasy and DFS Predictions

Dr. Roto's Week 13 visionary picks will help DFS and season-long players alike.

Quarterbacks

Nick Foles, Jacksonville Jaguars 

In Week 13, Foles gets the Bucs defense, which surprisingly played well against the Falcons, but who have been known to give up tons of yards in the passing game. The Bucs also have a way of disappointing when you expect them to play well. Foles will take advantage of another Buccaneer letdown. Look for Foles to throw for 280-plus passing yards and for at least 2 touchdowns this week.

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

After last week’s horrific performance against the 49ers, I am sure some people are doubting Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. I am not. I am happy to go right back to them in what should be a “get well” game, where Green Bay explodes offensively against the pathetic Giants' defense. I can see Rodgers getting about 250-plus yards and 3 TDs in this contest.

Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams

Nothing says “rebound game” more than going on the road to play one of the most porous defenses in the league in the Arizona Cardinals. The Rams desperately need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive and Goff should be able to take advantage of the numerous offensive matchups that favor the Rams. The Cardinals run a ton of offensive plays, so look for the Rams to play up in pace and for Goff to flirt with 300 passing yards.

Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders

Keeping with the recency bias concept, Carr was recently horrible against the Jets (he was taken out of the game in the second half), but I fully expect him to have a big rebound in Week 13. The Raiders' offense is based around their running game. Last week, the Jets neutralized Josh Jacobs, which frustrated the entire offense. That won’t happen this week, Jacobs should have a huge game, which should in turn help Carr score big.

Running Backs

Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

It seems crazy that I need to list Barkley here, as it should be a no-brainer decision to play him. However, that hasn’t been the case for most of the season, as Barkley (and the entire Giant offense) has been a major disappointment. This week should be a better one for Barkley, as the Packers love to put pressure on the QB, which makes them susceptible to screen passes out of the backfield. The Packers are also the fifth-worst team against opposing running backs, so if there ever was a week to get back on the Barkley train, this would be it.

Le’Veon Bell, New York Jets

After last week’s great game, you would think that I would have listed Sam Darnold as a visionary play for Week 13. And while I like Darnold, I think this is more of a Le’Veon Bell game. Bell has not had a 100-yard rushing game all season, and I think this might be his first. The Bengals have been bad against the run all year, and the Jets are going to want to control this game with their defense and running attack.

Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers

As we saw last week against the Bills, the way to defeat the Broncos is to run the ball down their throats. The Chargers will do that this week with Melvin Gordon. To his credit, Gordon has played much better in recent weeks when it looked like his holdout had sapped him of his speed and quickness. He has looked like the old Gordon for the past month and should have 100-plus rushing yards in this game.

Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles

Although I really like Jay Ajayi to score a TD in a revenge narrative play, the smart play of the week is to invest in Sanders. The rookie seems to have improved with each passing game and now in Week 13, he should finally get the chance to have his breakout performance of the season. Also helping him is the fact that the Dolphins are the fourth-worst team in the league against opposing running backs, and QB Carson Wentz is still dealing with an injured finger that he suffered in last week’s game.

Wide Receivers

Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

Adams might be my favorite start of Week 13, and I can see him scoring multiple touchdowns against a Giants defense that seems like it has given up. The Packers are looking to rebound after a bad road loss last week to the 49ers, so Adams and the rest of the team will be inspired to have a great game.

Dede Westbrook, Jacksonville Jaguars

Prior to the beginning of the season, most NFL and fantasy experts thought that the Jaguars' breakout receiver was going to be Dede Westbook and not D.J. Chark. Westbrook has struggled to find his groove thus far, but in the last two games with Foles back as the starter, Westbrook has produced 12 receptions on 15 targets. The Bucs defense will be spending a lot of time covering Chark, which should leave Westbrook open to make some big plays.

DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins

Nothing inspires players more than when they are playing for a free agent contract. Parker will most likely leave Miami in the offseason, and he has been putting up gaudy numbers as of late, which should help him get paid. The Eagles have improved their pass defense significantly, but I still envision Parker scoring lots of garbage points and perhaps a late-game touchdown.

Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals

Kirk is what I like to call a contrarian play. Most fantasy owners will be scared off from playing him because he might see a lot of attention from Rams CB Jalen Ramsey. But that would assume that Ramsey will shadow Kirk for the entire game, which I don’t see happening. The Cardinals move Kirk around a lot and Ramsey might end up covering Larry Fitzgerald a good part of the time. Look for Kirk to go lower-owned in DFS due to the bad matchup.

Tight Ends

Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers

It has become clear that Henry, and not Mike Williams, has become Philip Rivers’ second-favorite target. Henry has 49 targets in his last six games and has gone over 69 yards receiving in four of those games. The Broncos are a very stingy team in pass defense, but they have rarely encountered a tight end as athletic as Henry.

Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts

Eric Ebron was placed on season-ending IR earlier this week which should give Doyle a greater share of the snaps than ever before. Doyle is one of Jacoby Brissett’s favorite targets and with T.Y. Hilton still not 100% healthy, Brissett might need to rely on Doyle more than ever. In the past, Doyle did most of his dirty work between the 20-yard lines. Now, with Ebron out, he could become the red-zone threat that his fantasy owners desperately need.

Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans

With Delanie Walker out for the season, look for Ryan Tannehill to find ways to get Smith the ball. Smith is an athletic tight end, who has surprisingly good hands. The Colts' linebackers will be playing up close to the line of scrimmage to ensure that Derrick Henry doesn’t beat them, which should give Smith a little room over the middle to make some plays.

Gerald Everett/Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams

The Cardinals are the worst-rated team in the NFL against opposing tight ends. Everett has been quiet for the past two weeks (only three receptions for 43 yards), but recency bias should work in our favor as most fantasy owners will sit him when they should be starting him. As of Thursday, Everett was still dealing with a knee injury that he suffered in Monday night’s game. I am assuming that he will be active, healthy, and playing. If he is out for any reason, Tyler Higbee will start in his place and has an excellent chance to score a TD.

More Advice From SI Fantasy:

—Our early rankings give the Top 10 at every position for Week 13

—Jaime Eisner’s waiver wire pickups: Ryan Tannehill, Rashaad Penny and more

—Frankie Taddeo’s droppables, with some big-name players you shouldn’t feel bad about cutting

—Bill Enright’s injury report takes a look at who is out how long

—Frankie Taddeo’s Week 12 Superlatives dish out awards for last week