Fantasy Football Week 13 Top Performers from Early GamesBy Zachary Thompson | Dec 1, 2013Dec 1, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) passes the ball during the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports / A great football weekend kept right on rolling with the early games this Sunday. Several players came up huge starting the month of December off right and helping their owners get that much closer to a pivotal week 13 win.Here are the top performers from the early afternoon games this Sunday:Josh Gordon-WR-Cleveland BrownsGordon had a second consecutive monster game going before leaving the game with a head injury. He later returned to the game and despite missing some time finished with 261 yards on 10 catches with a pair of touchdowns making him the top scorer in the league to this point. He’s the first WR to go for over 200 yards in back-to-back games.Alshon Jeffery-WR-Chicago BearsJeffery caught a pair of long touchdown passes and has 249 yards on 12 catches. He torched the Vikings secondary and turned in the second-biggest performance of week so far. He’s a great WR2 as you head into the playoffsBen Tate-RB-Houston TexansAfter a dismal week last week, Tate bounced back in a big way against a Patriots rush defense that has ben torched the last few weeks. He finished with three touchdowns and 102 yards on 22 carries.Cam Newton-QB-Carolina PanthersNewton threw for a pair of touchdowns and 263 yards while adding 68 yards and a third touchdown on the ground. Newton carried more of the rushing load with DeAngelo Williams sidelined.Nick Foles-QB-Philadelphia EaglesThe Eagles defended their home turf against the visiting Cardinals behind a solid day from Nick Foles who threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles 24-21 win. He continues to run Chip Kelly’s offense well and is turning into a good QB to start almost every week even in this tough matchup.Josh McCown-QB-Chicago BearsIn a great matchup against the Vikings, McCown excelled while playing in place of the injured Jay Cutler. McCown threw for 355 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Bears OT loss.Tom Brady-QB-New England PatriotsBrady led the Patriots back from an early deficit in Houston while throwing for 371 yards and two touchdowns. After struggling for part of the season, Brady is back to being a solid QB1 with four games in a row over 295 yards.Zach Ertz-TE-Philadelphia EaglesAgainst the Cardinals who cannot defend the tight end, Ertz showed his long-term upside with 68 yards on five catches and two touchdowns. He’ll be a great weapon as he continues to grow and could be a big part of the Eagles offense after working hard last week during the bye week.Brandon Weeden-QB-Cleveland BrownsFor a week anyway, starting Weeden paid off as he threw for 360 yards and three scores against the Jags. He’s not a great option going forward, but it shows how bad the Jags D is against the pass.Brian Hartline-WR-Miami DolphinsHartline and the Dolphins torched the Jets this week on their way to a big road win. Hartline had nine catches for 127 yards and a touchdown.Carson Palmer-QB-Arizona CardinalsPalmer threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns against the Eagles. He continues to be a solid QB option in Bruce Arians pass-heavy scheme that he seems to be thriving in now.Rob Gronkowski-TE-New England PatriotsGronk is always a great play at tight end, and that was again the case in week 13. He finished with 127 yards on six catches and one of the best TD catches in the league this year.Adrian Peterson-RB-Minnesota VikingsNot getting into the end zone cost AD an even bigger game, but he still had a big performance with 211 yards rushing on 35 carries against the Bears depleted rush defense.Home/Fantasy Football
