The Perfect Lineup: Week 13's Fantasy Score Team
Out of playoff contention in your season long fantasy league? Well, at FantasyScore.com you can continue to play for the rest of the season without worrying about whether or not you will make the playoffs, all while playing weekly fantasy football for cash prizes.
If you've never played before and aren't sure who to pick, our fancy algorithms have you covered for Week 13. Take a look at this week's FantasyScore Perfect Lineup.
Quarterback
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
After years of questions about whether or not Dalton was worthy of being a starting quarterback in the NFL, he has answered his critics with a breakout campaign in 2015. The Bengals' quarterback has already thrown for 2,971 yards with 23 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions through the Bengals' first 11 games. He currently ranks third in our Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) metric (124.77) and is tied with Carson Palmer for the league lead in NEP per pass attempt (0.33). In fact, Dalton, Palmer and Tom Brady are in a class of their own, as the only three quarterbacks to eclipse a Pass NEP of 95.00 on the season, with Dalton 30 points ahead of Philip Rivers who ranks fourth. The Red Rifle gets a great matchup this week against a Browns' defense that ranks 22nd in the league in our schedule-adjusted Defensive Passing NEP metric, and will likely be without star cornerback Joe Haden as he remains in concussion protocol. Dalton makes a great play in all formats against Cleveland.
Running Back
David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals
Both Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington are expected to be unavailable for Week 13, which means Arizona's exciting rookie running back will get an opportunity to show us what he is made of. Johnson is an explosive runner and a tremendous receiver out of the backfield. He has already scored 7 touchdowns from scrimmage on just 54 touches, and should see a heavy workload this week for the short-handed Cardinals. While he does draw a touch matchup against an outstanding Rams front seven, Johnson should see more than enough touches to reach value at just $6,300.
Darren McFadden, Dallas Cowboys
McFadden has been a revelation for the Cowboys following the suspension and subsequent release of Joseph Randle following Dallas' bye. Since the Cowboys bye week, the former Arkansas Razorback standout has carried the ball 132 times for 505 yards while adding 17 catches for 155 yards. He has become Dallas' unquestioned workhorse back and gets a plus matchup against a Redskins' defense that ranks 17th in the NFL in schedule-adjusted Defensive Rushing NEP -- they've given up the 15th most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs this season. McFadden provides a high floor at a very reasonable price.
Wide Receiver
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
As I already mentioned, Joe Haden is unlikely to suit up for the Browns this week, which bodes extremely well for the Bengals' star receiver Green. Cleveland has been torched in the passing game in the six games Haden has missed this season -- they have allowed an average of 280 passing yards and 2 touchdowns per game without their star cornerback -- and most of the damage has come from opposing number-one wideouts. Green is one of the most talented pass catchers in the NFL, ranking ninth in the league with a 78.79 Reception NEP and 13th in Target NEP among all wide receivers who have been targeted at least 50 times. The Bengals star should have little trouble taking advantage of the Browns' banged up secondary en route to a huge game this weekend.
Eric Decker, New York Jets
Decker has been one of the most consistent wide receivers in fantasy this season. He's scored at least 10 PPR points in every game he has played this season, and at least 15 in seven of his last eight. He has caught 8 touchdowns in 10 games and gets a great matchup against a Giants' secondary that ranks 24th in the NFL in schedule-adjusted Defensive Passing NEP on the year. Look for Decker to have another strong outing against the cross-town rival Giants. He makes an outstanding play in both cash games and tournaments.
Martavis Bryant, Pittsburgh Steelers
With Colts' star cornerback Vontae Davis healthy and expected to shadow Antonio Brown, Bryant should see plenty of targets come his way this week. Bryant saw a team-high 13 targets last week with Brown blanketed by Richard Sherman, and should see a similar workload in a much stronger matchup against the Colts this week. The Steelers' sophomore receiver has seen at least seven targets in every game since returning from his early-season suspension, and has converted them into 509 yards and five touchdowns in just six games. He is an absolute steal at just $6,100 this week.
Tight End
Vance McDonald, San Francisco 49ers
Two weeks ago, the 49ers shipped starting tight end Vernon Davis to Denver, which seemingly opened the door for Garrett Celek to take over the majority of the tight end targets in San Francisco. However, Celek suffered a high-ankle sprain last week against the Cardinals, and McDonald was thrust into lead tight-end duties for the short-handed Niners. McDonald has made the most of his increased role with Davis no longer on the team, covering 10 of 11 targets for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns over the last two weeks, and he'll have very little competition for tight end targets this week against Chicago. McDonald is criminally underpriced at just $1,700 and should reach value easily at that minuscule price tag.
Flex
Kamar Aiken, Baltimore Ravens
Aiken has been a target monster for the Ravens since Steve Smith was lost for the season. Over his last four outings, the young Ravens' wide receiver has caught 24 balls for 265 yards and 2 touchdowns on a whopping 38 targets. He is coming off of an impressive six catches for 80 yards and a touchdown against Cleveland and his skill-set seems to mesh perfectly with now Ravens' starting quarterback Matt Schaub, who is looking for more short-to-intermediate routes rather than pushing the ball down the field. Aiken draws a spectacular matchup against a Dolphins squad that has allowed the sixth most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers this season.
Defense
The Bengals get the pleasure of facing off against a Browns' offense that will start either Johnny Manziel or Austin Davis after losing starting quarterback Josh McCown for the remainder of the season with a broken collar bone. While I don't normally like to play defenses on the road, Cincinnati is inexplicably the lowest priced defense on the board at just $1,000, and should dominate whichever backup quarterback the Browns decide to trot out. The Bengals are essentially a must own this week considering their matchup and price.
