Fantasy Football Week 13 Thursday Night Football Preview
By Bill Pivetz
The Saints and Cowboys kick off Week 13 on Thursday Night Football with an important game for both teams. Which players have the highest fantasy football value in this game?
Fantasy Football Week 13 Thursday Night Football Preview
The New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys are coming off wins on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys are now tied for first in the NFC East while the Saints increased their NFC South lead to four games. In what is expected to be a Thursday Night Football shootout, which players have the highest fantasy football value?
The Saints have multiple weapons that Drew Brees can target. Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara rank third at their respective positions. Mark Ingram has been racking up the yards since his return and is ranked 34th.
The Saints are not afraid of getting everyone on their roster involved. Tommylee Lewis, Austin Carr and Keith Kirkwood all caught touchdowns last week. Backup tight end Dan Arnold also scored a touchdown. Don’t forget about Tre’Quan Smith, either.
Brees is a must-play against the Cowboys. While they are ranked ninth in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, they are still scoring an average of 20 points per game.
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Owners should not get cute with the playoffs just a week or two away. Thomas should be in everyone’s lineup. Same goes for Ingram and Kamara. Smith and Ben Watson are options in deeper leagues.
If you play in a 16-team league or are absolutely desperate, Kirkwood and Carr are the wide receivers I would target for their scoring possibility.
As for the Cowboys, they are a three-player offense. It’s Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper. Prescott isn’t going to have the same volume as Brees. He hasn’t reached 300 passing yards in any game this season. Though, he increases his value with his legs. Prescott has a rushing touchdown in three straight games and in five of his last six. Those extra six points can make a difference.
The Cowboys are one of the few teams that aren’t using a committee at running back. Elliott has 217 carries, Prescott is second with 58 and Rod Smith is third with 20. Regardless of game flow, Elliott will get his carries and the opportunity to score another 25-plus points.
In their Thanksgiving Day game against the Washington Redskins, Cooper scored 38 PPR points. No other pass catcher reached five. The Saints defense is ranked 32nd against wide receivers, giving up over 50 points three times in the last five games. The way this offense is built, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cooper gets to 50 by himself.
If you are looking for a contrarian play, Cole Beasley is available. He had 12 catches between Weeks 9 and 11 but just one last week. He is very inconsistent, though, as he’s finished with less than 20 yards four times this season. Digging deeper, Michael Gallup has received some targets recently but doesn’t have consistent playing time.
Next. Week 13 Fantasy Football Top Plays. dark
As I said, the Cowboys offense revolves around three players while the Saints will use anyone available. I can see Thomas getting double covered while his teammates shine again. DFS players may want to stack Elliott and Cooper and use the other Saints pass catchers to save some money.