Fantasy football winners/losers for Week 13: Changing of the guard in NFL backfields
Fantasy managers will gain a reprieve this week with only two teams (Arizona and Washington) on bye, following a massive hole created with six teams sitting out Week 13. There may also be some additional lineup options available, based on injuries and depth chart changes we saw play out on Sunday.
In many fantasy leagues, we've come to the final week of the regular season. So be sure to put your best foot forward.
32 THINGS WE LEARNED IN WEEK 13: A new leader in NFL MVP race?
These players saw their fantasy values increase or decrease most based on their performances in Week 13:
Fantasy football winners from Week 13
RB Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers: There’s a new coaching regime in Charlotte, and it appears the staff wants to rely heavily on Hubbard. He posted his first 100-yard game of the season, running 25 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns against the Buccaneers. After scoring just once in the first 10 games, Hubbard has three rushing TDs in the past two outings, looking like a solid fantasy RB2.
RB Ezekiel Elliott, New England Patriots: Zeke was the lead back once Rhamondre Stevenson checked out with what looked to be a rather serious ankle injury. While New England has been a train wreck offensively, Elliott is a veteran who could provide some much-needed leadership, especially if Stevenson is down.
RB Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans: Spears has proven he can be a useful fantasy option, especially catching balls out of the backfield for fantasy managers in PPR formats. He could be the top dog in the Tennessee backfield if Derrick Henry is forced to miss time with a concussion.
Tyjae Spears is the only Titans RB not named Derrick Henry to touch the football in the 2023 regular season.
He's good.pic.twitter.com/LG3ADMVGsq— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) December 4, 2023
TE Brevin Jordan, Houston Texans: Jordan made the most of his opportunity on Sunday, racking up three receptions for 64 yards on four targets. He and WR Nico Collins were the only players on the team with multiple receptions. With wideout Tank Dell lost for the season and starting TE Dalton Schultz battling a hamstring injury, Jordan could emerge as a low-end TE1.
QB Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers: Trubisky is going to take the reins in the Steel City with Kenny Pickett out for multiple weeks with an ankle injury. The Pittsburgh offense has some decent weapons around him with George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth and Jaylen Warren, among others.
Fantasy football losers from Week 13
WR Drake London, Atlanta Falcons: After a promising Week 12 game, London bottomed out with just a single catch for eight yards against the New York Jets. He hasn’t scored a touchdown in seven games, either, and can no longer be trusted on a regular basis in most fantasy leagues.
WR Allen Lazard, New York Jets: Lazard is pulling down some serious coin to be the WR2 for Gang Green, but he has been blanked in consecutive games on just two targets. It isn’t entirely his fault, as the Jets quarterback situation is a joke. He came to work with Aaron Rodgers, not a trio of nobodies.
WR Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts: The rookie has had his ups and, yes, his "downs" this season. After a promising 100-yard game against Cleveland in late October, Downs has totaled 11 catches for 107 yards across the past four games with no scores. Alec Pierce has surpassed him as the big downfield threat.
RB Royce Freeman, Los Angeles Rams: Kyren Williams returned last week, but Freeman still looked to have a piece of the offensive pie. However, he managed one offensive touch in Week 13, rushing for no gain. The re-emergence of Freeman is over.
RB Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns: Ford has done a decent job at times, taking over for Nick Chubb early in the season. But he hit rock-bottom in Week 13, averaging just 2.1 yards per carry with 19 rushing yards. Ford did post a receiving score, but he's had single-digit carry totals in the past two games.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football stock watch: Chuba Hubbard up, Jerome Ford down