Fantasy Football Week 13 Wrap: Deebo Samuel's eruption fuels 49ers' thrashing of Eagles
San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles dominated the first quarter, gaining more first downs (seven) than the 49ers ran plays (six). San Francisco’s minus-six yards in the first were the fewest in any quarter under the Kyle Shanahan era. But Philadelphia led just 6-0 after entering with an NFL-high 12 straight red-zone drives finishing in touchdowns, and things quickly changed.
The 49ers outgained the Eagles 173-21 yards in the second quarter and would finish recording six straight touchdown drives during the huge win that keeps the NFC’s top seed (and the NFC East) alive.
Deebo Samuel exploded for three touchdowns and was fantasy’s top scorer Sunday on just seven touches (not counting kickoff returns). He ran in a score and caught two more, including one in which he broke multiple tackles during a play he had a 0.1% chance of scoring. Samuel is a bigger injury risk than most given his physical style of play, but he looks like a top-15 fantasy WR while seeing more opportunities now that he's healthy.
Christian McCaffrey just missed being a top-five fantasy RB this week despite not seeing a touch in the first quarter and facing an Eagles defense that entered allowing the fewest fantasy points to running backs this season. CMC got 5.5 YPC, scored his NFL-high 17th touchdown and became the first 49ers player to run for 1,000 yards in a season since 2014.
Brock Purdy was fantastic, getting 11.4 YPA and throwing four touchdowns. He finished as fantasy’s top-scoring QB on Sunday and with an EPA/play in the 98th percentile. Any questions about Purdy performing on the road were put to rest, and he might be the new MVP favorite.
Jalen Hurts dealt with a lot of pressure and got no help from his running game but still produced a strong fantasy line. He held onto the ball too long at times, and San Francisco’s defense had a strong plan to stop him running. Hurts was evaluated for a concussion but returned and peppered both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith with targets.
Brown versus Charvarius Ward was a fun battle, while Smith benefitted as usual without Dallas Goedert; Smith caught a late TD and made a terrific play picking up a first down during an earlier third-and-long.
Philadelphia entered as the first 10-1 team to be an underdog at home in the Super Bowl era and 5-0 when trailing at halftime (the rest of the league is 36-131). In fairness to the Eagles, their defense was on the field for an NFL season-high 95 plays last week.
Dre Greenlaw and the Eagles’ Head of Security were thrown out midway through the third quarter, which wasn’t exactly an even swap.
The 49ers are +85 in four games since their bye.
Miami Dolphins @ Washington Commanders
Tyreek Hill’s early 78-yard touchdown was Miami’s longest play of the season, and he followed that up with a 60-yarder later. Hill had 132 yards and two scores during his first three targets and remains on pace to record the first 2,000-yard receiving season in NFL history.
Tua Tagovailoa got 11.7 YPA and would’ve had a bigger game if not for ceding three touchdowns to his running backs and sitting for much of the fourth quarter. Jaylen Waddle also suffered a bad drop in the first quarter.
De’Von Achane has been the best fantasy player when on the field this season, and I’d believe anything when it comes to his 2024 ADP.
The Dolphins’ defense scored for the second straight week.
Sam Howell struggled mightily but paid the fantasy bills with two touchdown runs.
Brian Robinson left injured, leaving extra work for Antonio Gibson and Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Four of Miami’s final five games are at home (where they’ve averaged 38.8 points), so get ready for more from The Greatest Show on Surf.
Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints
The Lions led 21-0 with 8:15 left in the first quarter. They held on to win 33-28 during a game Derek Carr left in the fourth quarter with shoulder, back and concussion injuries.
David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs continue to mostly rotate series, with the former finishing with 10 more carries this week. Gibbs had an explosive 32-yard run during his first touch of the game but watched Montgomery punch in the goal-line score the next play. Both can be top-15 fantasy backs down the stretch.
Sam LaPorta secured every target and led all tight ends in catches (nine), receiving yards (140) and fantasy points this week.
Taysom Hill led New Orleans in rushing and completed a pass to Chris Olave that was down at the two. Olave caught a 30-yard tipped pass in the fourth quarter from Jameis Winston, who later missed an open Olave downfield.
Juwan Johnson had a pass bounce off his hands for an interception early, and then watched Jimmy Graham catch a touchdown and Foster Moreau be more involved the rest of the game.
Alvin Kamara’s two short TD runs and pass-catching ability helped him finish as this week’s top-scoring fantasy back despite being out-rushed by Taysom Hill.
The Saints haven’t held a halftime lead at home all season.
Denver Broncos @ Houston Texans
C.J. Stroud played well again, getting 10.1 YPA against a strong Denver secondary despite losing Tank Dell to an injury.
Dell suffered a season-ending broken leg during a Dameon Pierce goal-line TD run late in the first quarter.
Nico Collins had 117 yards by the end of the first quarter and finished with a career-high 191. He’s a top-10 fantasy WR down the stretch with Dell out.
Pierce led Houston’s backfield one week after Devin Singletary finished among the league leaders in RB snap share and route participation. It’s a tough situation for fantasy managers given how badly the Texans struggle to run, and both combined for just one target Sunday.
Stroud missed an open John Metchie III for a possible long score late in the first half.
Derek Stingley Jr. had two nice picks and has recorded three interceptions over the last four games.
Russell Wilson badly underthrew a wide-open Marvin Mims Jr. on a would-be 45-yard touchdown and tossed three interceptions, including one to end the game in the end zone on third-and-goal.
Javonte Williams had a beast run late in the fourth quarter, picking up a first on fourth down when he was hit three times before the line of scrimmage. But he was otherwise shut down by a stout Houston run defense.
Courtland Sutton suffered a bad drop early in the first quarter that prevented a huge gain and had nothing but a bunch of unrealized air yards at halftime. Sutton’s first catch of the game was a sick 45-yard touchdown and marked his first score outside the red zone all season (and he’s scored in nine out of 12 games). Sutton’s day was close to being much bigger.
Cleveland Browns @ Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford tossed three more touchdowns in the win, giving him seven over the last two games (matching his total over the previous six).
Puka Nacua re-injured his shoulder during a nice catch with eight minutes left in the second quarter and improbably returned for the second half. He led the Rams in receiving while scoring a 70-yard touchdown, becoming just the third rookie not taken in the top 100 to record 1,000 receiving yards. With Cooper Kupp playing (even more) injured and no longer seeing designed plays like last season, Nacua is the clearly preferred LA fantasy WR down the stretch.
Kupp caught his first touchdown since Oct. 15.
Joe Flacco wasn’t good, but we’ve seen far worse QB play. Flacco threw two touchdowns off his couch against a solid secondary and despite getting little help from his rushing attack and losing Amari Cooper to a concussion in the first half.
Jerome Ford managed just 2.1 YPC but saved his fantasy day with a touchdown catch.
Elijah Moore’s only 100-yard receiving game during his career came with Flacco as his QB, and he finished with his third-most receiving yards (83 yards) Sunday.
Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans
Derrick Henry had two TD runs for the second straight game but would leave with a possible concussion. He had just 13 scoreless rushing yards after halftime but still finished as this week’s No. 2 fantasy back. Henry’s career YPC (5.5) during December is the second highest by a player in any month in NFL history.
Tyjae Spears would become a clear fantasy start should Henry miss time, although it’s worth noting his once-favorable fantasy playoffs schedule looks different now. The Titans get the Texans twice over those three weeks, and Houston has gone from soft to tough against the run.
Zack Moss busted as DFS chalk but remains a must-start with Jonathan Taylor out.
Alec Pierce pulled down a nice touchdown and recorded a huge catch in overtime, helping set up Michael Pittman Jr.’s walk-off TD. Pittman led all players Sunday with 16 targets and has become a top-10 fantasy WR.
The Colts blocked punts on back-to-back drives, returning one for a score (which was followed by Tennessee then recording a pick-two).
Arizona Cardinals @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Kenny Pickett left with an ankle injury during an Arizona upset that included two separate weather delays. Pickett’s injury is expected to sideline him a couple of weeks.
Pittsburgh managed just 10 points and 317 total yards against a bad Cardinals defense during its second game without Matt Canada, and Mitch Trubisky is the new starter.
Jaylen Warren got 6.6 YPC but saw just nine carries and three targets.
Trey McBride’s TD catch capped a 99-yard drive right after the tight end had a would-be score overturned.
Kyler Murray struggled passing again (-8.4 CPOE in the 18th percentile), but it was encouraging to see nine rush attempts after he had just one last week.
James Conner finally got back into the end zone (twice) and finished as a top-five fantasy RB this week, while Rondale Moore dropped a long pass in the second quarter.
Kansas City Chiefs @ Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love impressed yet again, this time against a tough Kansas City defense. Love has an 8:0 TD:INT ratio over his last three games and led Green Bay’s offense to the most points scored against the Chiefs defense this season.
Christian Watson caught two more scores, giving him four touchdowns over the last three weeks. He saw a season-high nine targets before suffering a hamstring injury late. What a frustrating year for fantasy managers.
Jayden Reed had a quiet night but would see a fantasy boost should Watson miss time, while Romeo Doubs hauled in a crazy catch on fourth down.
Isiah Pacheco once again saw added receiving work with Jerick McKinnon out and broke 100 rushing yards for the second time this season. His night ended early after being ejected for throwing a punch late in the fourth quarter, but Pacheco is an easy top-10 RB with McKinnon sidelined.
Rashee Rice nearly lost a costly fumble late but led Kansas City with nine targets. He’s going to be a fantasy difference-maker down the stretch.
Patrick Mahomes hasn’t finished better than a top-eight QB since Week 7.
Matt LaFleur improved to 16-0 in December during his coaching career, and he has the youngest team in the league sitting in a playoff position.
Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bryce Young was bad again, while Baker Mayfield also struggled against a stingy Carolina secondary that got some reinforcements back. Weather was an issue, too.
Chuba Hubbard was robbed of an obvious touchdown run in the third quarter but scored on the next play. He became just the second running back to run for 100 yards against Tampa Bay this season while punching in two scores and nearly finishing as a top-three fantasy back this week.
Adam Thielen can no longer be trusted in fantasy lineups.
Mike Evans took a 75-yarder to the house Sunday and has seven touchdowns in his last seven games. Evans has started his NFL career with 10 straight 1,000-yard seasons. No player in NFL history has had more than six.
Atlanta Falcons @ New York Jets
Trevor Siemian was somehow even worse than Tim Boyle, which really raises the question of why has Joe Flacco been sitting on his couch this whole time? The Jets wasted a great defense and a season from two of the best young players at their position this year.
New York couldn’t hold its 2-0 lead, as Atlanta now has the league’s longest streak of defensive drives without allowing a touchdown.
Desmond Ridder threw his second touchdown over six road games this season.
At least Bijan Robinson topped 20 opportunities for the third straight game.
Los Angeles Chargers @ New England Patriots
Rhamondre Stevenson had already racked up 10 touches over the game’s first 10 minutes but left after injuring his ankle (on a play he lost a fumble). He was clearly on his way to a big fantasy day, and New England’s offense became even more hopeless after Stevenson departed.
DeVante Parker saw nine targets and nearly had a 45-yard catch late. He was just out of bounds and a defensive pass interference no-call was a big help to Los Angeles winning.
Tyquan Thornton dropped a potential 76-yard TD in the third quarter during his lone target but added a 39-yard run later.
Austin Ekeler ran for 18 yards on 14 carries and opened the second half with a drop. The Chargers offense struggled mightily with Bill Belichick trying to limit Keenan Allen’s involvement as much as possible.
Raheem Mostert has as many total touchdowns as New England this season. Christian McCaffrey has more!
