Week 13 of the NFL and Fantasy Football season is already here and fantasy managers are prepping for an exciting slate of Thanksgiving Day action, starting with this rivalry tilt in the NFC North. The Green Bay Packers (7-3-1) will take on the Detroit Lions (7-4) for the second meeting of the season between favorites to win the division. Find out which players we're starting and sitting ahead of the matchup.
The Green Bay Packers are second in the NFC North following their Week 12 win over the Minnesota Vikings. After dropping back-to-back games, the Packers have now avenged the losses and will look for an important season sweep of the Detroit Lions.
The Detroit Lions are third in the NFC North at the moment, most recently taking down the New York Giants in a 34-27 OT thriller. The Lions have alternated wins and losses over their last seven games for a 4-3 record, but they've had this game circled since their Week 1 loss in Green Bay.
Packers-Lions Thanksgiving Day – Start ‘Em
Packers-Lions Week 13 Must-Start Players: Packers' RB Josh Jacobs / Lions' RB Jahmyr Gibbs / Lions' WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
Green Bay Packers' QB Jordan Love
Jordan Love has been doing just enough this season to lead his team to a 7-3-1 record, but his play hasn't translated well to a fantasy standpoint with just two games over 20.0 fantasy points. He's been mistake-free for the most part with just three interceptions on the season, but he hasn't surpassed 200 yards passing in any of the Packers' last three games.
While the Packers' don't need Jordan Love to throw the ball 30 times thanks to their balanced running game, he's been great for them in this specific Thanksgiving spot against Detroit. In 2023, Love notably threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns on Thanksgiving against the Lions, so giving him the fantasy start in this game wouldn't be a terrible idea given the matchup and importance of notching a win.
Detroit Lions RB David Montgomery
While Lions' starting back Jahmyr Gibbs is arguably having his best pro season on the field and in the fantasy world, David Montgomery, or “Knuckles,” has certainly seen a decrease in his usage over the last few weeks. He's only scored one touchdown since Week 5 and hasn't surpassed 50 rushing yards in a game since then.
Montgomery has been able to find the end zone in two of his last four meetings against the Packers. Furthermore, the Lions are much more successful against this Green Bay team when both their running backs are playing well, so expect Detroit to make a concerted effort to get Montgomery touches near the goal line.
Detroit Lions K Jake Bates
Jake Bates had a massive Week 12 as he hit from 59 yards to force overtime against the New York Giants. The kick was crucial as Detroit went on to win the game and we could see Bates attempting some long field goal tries from the comfort inside of Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day.
With how great this Packers' defense has been all year, don't be surprised if the Lions stall on some of their drives. Instead of being aggressive and going for fourth downs, I can see the Lions' trusting Bates more during this game and cashing-in on his chances to not leave points on the board. Roll with Bates as a solid kicking option for this week.
Packers-Lions Thanksgiving Day – Sit ‘Em
Green Bay Packers WR Matthew Golden
The rookie season for Matthew Golden has been somewhat of a disappointment, but the expectations bestowed upon him after the Packers' uncharacteristically used a first-round selection on a wide receiver have been unfair when evaluating the young pass-catcher. However, there's no hiding the fact that with 24 receptions on the season, Golden has yet to find the end zone for his first NFL touchdown.
He also hasn't caught more than five passes in a single game and while he adds depth to this Green Bay receiving corps, he's still a ways away from finding his rhythm and becoming a reliable fantasy football starter.
Detroit Lions D/ST
This Detroit defense certainly hasn't been the unit we've seen in past years as they've allowed 20 or more points in eight of their 11 games this season. Their offense has been able to be the differentiating factor, but we've seen their secondary struggle through all the injuries, allowing 366 passing yards to Giants' backup Jameis Winston. These matchups have had no lack of offense in the past and at this point, it would be a risk starting this defense given Green Bay's ability to explode on offense.
