You are bound to see some surprising players on this list. Remember, it doesn't necessarily represent the top fantasy performers at each position for Week 13 of the NFL season. Instead, my goal here is to help you understand which players performed the best in terms of the competition they were going up against.
Of course when a player tallies a solid fantasy game like Calvin Johnson or Dez Bryant this week, it really doesn't matter the competition he played against.
Anyway, here goes.
Quarterbacks | Player | Team | Yards | TD | INT | PTS | Opp. Ranking |
| Russell Wilson | Seattle | 364 | 2 | 0 | 26.8 | Chicago #7 |
| Cam Newton | Carolina | 210 | 3 | 0 | 29.1 | Kansas City #9 |
| Andrew Luck | Indianapolis | 424 | 4 | 3 | 28.9 | Detroit #18 |
| Tony Romo | Dallas | 317 | 3 | 0 | 25.5 | Philadelphia #16 |
| Jay Cutler | Chicago | 260 | 2 | 0 | 20.0 | Seattle #5 |
This was an interesting week for fantasy quarterbacks. Two rookies, Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck, combined for nearly 800 total yards and six scores. Meanwhile the darlings of the previous two weeks, Robert Griffin III and Colin Kaepernick tallied a total of one touchdown, but did combine another 530 total yards.
For his part, Wilson was dazzling against a stout Chicago Bears defense on the road. He gained over 360 yards and did not turn the ball over a single time. He has now combined for 14 touchdowns compared to one interception in his last seven games. While we were a bit concerned about him putting up lackluster passing numbers in the past, it seems that those worries have subsided a bit. Equally as important heading into the fantasy playoffs this week, Wilson plays three of his final four games at home.
Cam Newton might have added to his fantasy output in garbage time against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, but the talented quarterback had his second consecutive stellar outing. Newton has now put up seven touchdowns compared to zero interceptions against defenses that rank ninth and 16th respectively in his last two games. Not too shabby if you ask me.
While Luck did throw three interceptions against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, his late-game heroics didn't only get the Indianapolis Colts closer to a playoff spot, they probably got a few of you into the postseason. The simple fact that his 424 total yards didn't even match a season high speaks volumes in regards to what Luck has done this season. He is now averaging 20 fantasy points in his last seven games.
Tony Romo might be a coup for those of you who decided to keep him on your roster as a QB2 option after his initial struggles this season. The veteran quarterback has put up some great fantasy numbers recently. In fact, he is the No. 2 overall fantasy quarterback (behind Cam Newton) over the last four weeks. With a relatively easy remaining schedule, Romo might actually be starter material in the playoffs for you.
Running Backs | Player | Team | Rush Yds | Total Yds | TD | Points | Opp. Ranking |
| Adrian Peterson | Minnesota | 210 | 220 | 1 | 28.0 | Green Bay #16 |
| Bryce Brown | Philadelphia | 169 | 183 | 2 | 28.3 | Dallas #18 |
| Ray Rice | Baltimore | 78 | 83 | 1 | 14.3 | Pittsburgh #5 |
| Matt Forte | Chicago | 66 | 96 | 1 | 15.6 | Seattle #12 |
| Marshawn Lynch | Seattle | 87 | 98 | 1 | 13.8 | Chicago #10 |
Earlier in the season I asked whether Adrian Peterson was even from this world. Was he maybe a combination of Batman and Spiderman's love-child? Okay, well now that we have that disturbing image in our head let's take a gander as what AP has done since returning from what was a devastating knee injury last December.
He is No. 2 among running backs in fantasy points, first in rushing yards and has averaged a bit over 24 points per outing in his last four games. To make things even more ridiculous, Peterson has done this against some mighty find run defenses in the form of the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks. Yeah, I don't really have much more to say here. Maybe this guy can do the writing from now on.
Expect Bryce Brown to continue putting up solid fantasy numbers for the Philadelphia Eagles. It was reported on Monday that starter LeSean McCoy is still at least a week away from returning from his concussion. Even if McCoy does get the go-ahead to play, why would Philadelphia even risk putting him in during a lost season? I don't see him playing another snap this season. While Brown has fumbled the ball three times in two games, he provides Andy Reid and company too much firepower to be sitting on the sideline.
On that note, Ray Rice didn't touch the ball a single time in the fourth quarter for the Baltimore Ravens in their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Hey Cam Cameron, I got something for you; signed every person that owned Rice, ever! That is simply stupid; no other way to put it. Rice was still able to tally 83 yards and a touchdown against the fifth best rush defense in the NFL.
Has Dez Bryant finally showed up? We have been waiting for this longer than we have been waiting for Lindsey Lohan to complete her first step in AA. The enigmatic wide receiver could really be a boon for those who have relied mostly on his talent up until now. He ranks second behind only Calvin Johnson in fantasy points over the last four weeks and has six touchdowns during that span.
Speaking of Johnson, he is in the midst of one of his normal stretches. The best receiver in the game has nearly 800 yards in his last five outings. Yes, you read that right. To put that into perspective, Larry Fitzgerald has 650 yards all season.
I guess it could be stated that Andrew Luck is pulling a Peyton Manning on us. The rookie quarterback just seems to make all of his wide receivers solid fantasy producers. The latest in a long line is the veteran Avery, who recorded 91 yards and two scores against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Avery joins T.Y. Hilton and Reggie Wayne as solid fantasy options for the streaking Colts.
The good news for fantasy owners is that they have at least one legitimate threat from the Chicago Bears. This comes in the form of Brandon Marshall, who now ranks third in points from the wide receiver position behind only A.J. Green and the aforementioned Johnson. Considering that Marshall is really the only major receiving threat for Jay Cutler, you can expect him to keep this up.
This little voice in your head has been chirping pretty damn loudly about a under-the-radar tight end in the form of Brandon Myers who was just ridiculous Sunday for the Oakland Raiders. In terms of PPR leagues, his 14 receptions represented a steal of epic proportions. But looking at it further, Myers has been a consistent force for Carson Palmer recently. He now ranks fifth among tight end in fantasy points and has recorded a dumbfounding 48 receptions in his last seven games. With injuries still affecting Oakland's backfield, Myers and the passing game will continue to get ample opportunities moving forward.
Yesterday I predicted Martellus Bennett to have a solid fantasy performance against the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football. Well, he didn't disappoint. The ultra-talented tight end put up over 80 yards and a score. This represented his best fantasy performance all season.
Defenses | Team | Sacks | INT | Turnovers | TD | PTS | Opp. Ranking |
| St. Louis | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | San Francisco #11 |
| Houston | 5 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 10 | Tennessee #23 |
| Atlanta | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 13 | New Orleans #6 |
| San Diego | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 20 | Cincinnati #15 |
| Arizona | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 7 | New York (J) #29 |