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Week 13 Start/Sit: Come Hill or Hightower

Trying to make the fantasy playoffs? Jeremy Hill can help. (Getty)
Hoping to secure a fantasy playoff spot in Week 13? Jeremy Hill can help. (Getty)

As we head into Week 13 of the 2016 NFL season, here are 12 players to give extra consideration to when filling out your lineups – six that are looking better than usual, and a half dozen that are looking worse:

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STARTS

QB – Colin Kaepernick, SF ($32) – For being the No. 6 QB in fantasy points per game since taking over behind center for the 49ers in Week 6, and the No. 2 fantasy QB (in PPG) over the past month, Kaepernick is not getting nearly enough love in Yahoo fantasy leagues this week, where he’s just the 17th-most started QB. Getting 62 rushing yards per game in this Chip Kelly system has helped pad his fantasy line in a significant way, and lately he’s actually doing some solid work through the air – averaging 277.5 passing yards and combining for 8 TD passes in his past four games. And there’s a decent chance for more aerial success this week, as his opponent, Chicago, has allowed 8 TD passes in its past four games. Still owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, Kaepernick is an attractive potential QB1 plug-n-play for any owner dealing with a Marcus Mariota bye week.

RB – Jeremy Hill, Cin ($20) – That Hill, now the clear featured back in Cincy with Gio Bernard (ACL) out, struggled on the ground last week versus Baltimore was no surprise – the Ravens, after all, are the stingiest fantasy defense against the RB position. But Hill filling Bernard’s role so admirably in the passing game (6 catches, 61 receiving yards), was an eye-raiser. This week, Hill should have more real estate to work with on the ground at home against a Philly defense that has allowed running backs 4.9 YPC in its six road contests. And now with a bigger opportunity to supplement his totals in a meaningful way through the air, Hill’s got too much upside to ignore this week.

RB – Tim Hightower, NO ($13) – Hightower is a great DFS deal this week given the likelihood of his handling a major workload against Detroit with platoon mate Mark Ingram struggling with a toe injury that has kept him out of practice this week. Even if Ingram does play, Hightower should play a platoon leader role against the Lions, with 20-plus touches likely – his average over the past five games is 19.6 touches. As this game has all the makings of a track meet – Vegas has it listed as far and away the highest Over/Under among Week 13 games – you’ll want anyone expected to touch the pigskin often in this contest.

WR – Dontrelle Inman, SD ($16) – Based on the virtue of the matchup alone, facing a Tampa Bay defense that has allowed the fifth-most TD passes to the WR position, I like Inman this week. But his appeal would get a wax coating if receiver teammate Tyrell Williams is limited because of a shoulder injury – he finally practiced on Friday but he’s dealing with a torn labrum. Inman cashed in with a 6/119/TD line against a tough Houston secondary last week, and he’s averaging a healthy 7.4 targets over his past five games. With Williams not in ideal condition to handle go-to duties, Inman could see north of double digit looks from QB Philip Rivers in an exploitable matchup.

WR – Marquess Wilson, Chi ($16) – Wilson announced his status as QB Matt Barkley’s go-to guy last week with authority – 11 targets, 8 catches, 125 yards and a TD. That’s really all you need to know going into this week’s contest against a 49ers defense that has allowed the most fantasy points per game to the WR position, including a league-high 20 TD passes – that’s at least three TD grabs more than any other team has allowed to WRs.

TE – Ladarius Green, Pit ($11) – After turning two catches into 67 yards last week at Indianapolis, Green is looking at a boost in playing time – so says Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin, who praised the tight end for his improvement with each passing week. Against a Giants defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to the TE position over the past five weeks, don’t be surprised if the athletically-gifted Green sees a spike in snaps this week and delivers TE1 production.

[Week 13 rankings: Overall | FLEX | QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K]

SITS

QB – Jameis Winston, TB ($33) – Winston is the ninth-highest priced signal caller in Yahoo DFS this week, and that’s too rich for my liking. After picking up big back-to-back wins against Kansas City and Seattle the past two weeks, this has all the makings of a comedown game for the Bucs, traveling across country to face the Chargers, who allow the sixth-lowest QB Rating in the league (83.2).

RB – Jay Ajayi, Mia ($26) – Ajayi, I’m sure, is a major reason why many of his owners are, at this point, preparing for the fantasy postseason – his three-game stretch from Weeks 6-9 is among the greatest in NFL history for a running back. But he’s also likely to be a big reason why those owners don’t get too far in the playoffs. Ajayi has a brutal schedule over the next four weeks, and especially the next couple weeks against Baltimore (in Week 13) and Arizona (Week 14). Those are the two toughest matchups on paper for a fantasy RB. And the fact that Ajayi is coming off a meager 18-carry, 45-yard performance (2.5 YPC) against a 49ers defense allowing 5.2 YPC to running backs doesn’t do much to inspire confidence in him overcoming this week’s showdown against a Ravens defense allowing just 3.4 YPC to the RB position.

RB – Devontae Booker, Den ($18) – Consider this a warning for all of the Broncos’ skill position players as it is all but assured that rookie QB Paxton Lynch is going to get the start at Jacksonville with Trevor Siemian saddled with a foot injury. Lynch’s only previous start came against a generous Atlanta defense in Week 5, and Lynch could lead Denver to only one touchdown in that contest (a scoring toss to WR Demaryius Thomas). The Jaguars are a middle of the pack fantasy run defense, but they should be better than that on Sunday as Lynch’s expected dink-dunk approach in the passing game will lead to a crowd of defenders around the line of scrimmage, not a good scenario for Booker, who has had a hard enough time as it is finding daylight – just 3.0 YPC in his past four games.

WR – Allen Robinson, Jac ($18) – Amazingly, Robinson is sitting as the 17th-most started receiver in Yahoo leagues this week, this despite combining for just 5 catches and 42 yards over the past two games. And he’s going up against a Denver defense that is the stingiest, by far, in fantasy points allowed to the receiver position. You could make a strong argument that he more belongs being ranked outside the top 40 among WRs this week as opposed to inside the top 20.

WR – Randall Cobb, GB ($20) – There’s very little to like about Cobb this week. He’s become the third fiddle in the Packers’ pass offense behind Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams. And he’s facing a Houston defense that has allowed third-fewest fantasy points per game to the WR position – the Texans also do a great job of defending the slot, where Cobb does much of his work. With fantasy playoff positioning on the line, you are not going to want to have hopes resting on the outcome of Cobb’s performance this week.

TE – Vernon Davis, Was ($10) – Jordan Reed owners should not make the mistake of plugging in his backup against Arizona this week after Reed was ruled out with a shoulder injury. The Cardinals, who allow the fewest fantasy points per game to the TE position, have faced five tight ends (Greg Olsen, Jimmy Graham, Kyle Rudolph, Martellus Bennett, Cameron Brate) currently among the top 10 in fantasy points at the position, and that group averaged 21.2 receiving yards and failed to score a TD against the Cards’ – in fact, no tight end has found the end zone against the Desert Birds this season.