Not only is Week 13 a crucially important week for NFL franchises, but it's also vital for fantasy football owners as most are preparing for the final go-round of the 2020 regular season. Even though some fantasy football owners may have one more week to go after Week 13 before the regular season formally concludes, many will be fighting for position in the standings nonetheless this weekend.
Whether you are near the top of the standings and vying for position for a possible regular-season title or jockeying for position just to sneak into the playoff picture, one thing will remain the same—strong performances from wide receivers could make or break both this week and the entire season for some. With a slew of wide receivers serving as legitimate options for Week 13, it will be very important to have the right players in your fantasy football lineup this week. One misstep can prove quite costly at this point in the year…
WRs to Start in Week 13
A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are red-hot at the moment, and while running back Derrick Henry is a huge reason for such success, so is second-year wide receiver A.J. Brown.
With Brown fresh off of a massive performance in Week 12 against the rival Indianapolis Colts, one can expect the up-and-coming pass-catcher to excel once again in Week 13 against a banged up Cleveland Browns secondary. Because the Browns will be so focused on the presence of the aforementioned Henry, in addition to the fact that Cleveland will be without multiple starters in the defensive secondary, Brown—alongside Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill—could wreak havoc as a result of the pivotal AFC clash. Brown notably scored a long receiving touchdown and another touchdown via the kick return game in Week 12 against the Colts while the former Ole Miss standout has picked up right where he left off as a rookie last season. Week 13 against the Browns should be no different.
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft alongside a slew of talented pass-catchers, Minnesota Vikings rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson has lived up to the hype and then some in his first go-round atop the highest level. Racking up yards, catching touchdowns and hauling in passes from quarterback Kirk Cousins all over the field, Jefferson has seemingly done it all as a rookie while there should be no end in sight for the NFL newcomer.
With the Vikings fighting for position in the NFC playoff picture and already very much in must-win mode, Minnesota should continue to lean heavily on Jefferson, who has seamless replaced current Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Serving as the perfect complement to fellow Vikings wideout Adam Thielen, Jefferson could very well have yet another big game in Week 13 considering that Minnesota is playing the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars—perfect for racking up fantasy football points.
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs
Unless you were living under a rock for the past few days, you already know that Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill absolutely tore it up in Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Hill and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes connecting time and time again en route to putting on quite the show, expect Kansas City to light it up against the rival Denver Broncos in Week 13 as well.
Will Hill go over 200 receiving yards in the first quarter again? Probably not, but that doesn't mean that the prolific pass-catcher won't put up more gaudy numbers that will lead to a slew of fantasy football points. Due to the fact that the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers keep winning, the one-loss Chiefs will continue to fight for position atop the AFC standings as Kansas City can still claim the No. 1 overall seed in the conference before all is said and done.
With that in mind, each game is still vitally important for the Chiefs despite the fact that the surging AFC West franchise continues to win with ease. If the Chiefs are going to run through the Broncos in Week 13, Hill will more than likely play a big part of the looming rout.
WRs to Sit in Week 13
Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team
The Pittsburgh Steelers are fresh off of an ugly win over the rival Baltimore Ravens and will now be forced to take on the Washington Football Team on a short week. With everyone and their mother that is associated with the Steelers clearly upset with the way the team played on Wednesday afternoon, Pittsburgh could take out all of this aggression on Washington in Week 13. Even though Washington remains very much in the mix in the NFC East title race, this franchise is still not a very good football team.
Because of Washington's limited options on offense, the Steelers and the team's stout defense should be able to take their opponent's key players out of the fold this time around. Outside of running back Antonio Gibson, who has yet to prove himself against the best of the best like the Steelers defense, Pittsburgh will more than likely make a point to shut down wide receiver Terry McLaurin. If McLaurin cannot make plays against the Steelers, Washington will have absolutely not shot at being the first team to take down Pittsburgh in 2020. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin does not miss often with his game plans while Week 13 shouldn't be an exception.
DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals
Two words: Jalen Ramsey.
Luckily for head coach Sean McVay, the Los Angeles Rams employ arguably the best defensive back in all of football in veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey. With Ramsey shutting down big-play wideouts and murdering fantasy football point opportunities, the former Jaguars standout is already making a pretty strong case for himself for this year's NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. However, in order to solidify his place atop the mountain, Ramsey will need to overcome his toughest test of the season in Week 13 as the Arizona Cardinals will be looking to bounce back in a big way against the Rams. With the Rams also off a loss in Week 12, Los Angeles will be attempting to do some rebounding of their own, which will no doubt start with Ramsey lining up against All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
It is always hard to best against Hopkins regardless of the opponent but right now, it is even harder to bet against Ramsey—especially with Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offense as a whole impressing less and less as of late.
The Houston Texans were trending in the right direction despite a slow start to the season—until they weren't. Over the weekend, it was revealed that the Texans had not one but two key players suspended for the remainder of the 2020 campaign due to performance-enhancing drug suspensions, which included the loss of wide receiver Will Fuller V.
With fellow Texans wide receiver Randall Cobb on the mend and former Houston wideout Kenny Stills now a free agent, it will be up to the duo of Brandin Cooks and Keke Coutee out wide against the rival Colts in Week 13. Although the Colts, who still possess one of the league's best defenses, are coming off of a forgettable performance against the Titans, Indianapolis will certainly be looking to rebound in a big way against a short-handed Texans team. In the absence of both Cobb and Fuller, there is just no way for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson to put up big numbers in Week 13 against a hungry Colts squad looking to get back on track.
It will be hard to bet on Cooks in such a situation as the veteran wideout hasn't been all that impressive in what has been his first season as a member of the Texans. Don't expect a huge fantasy football output.
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