Team of the Week
QB: Josh Allen, BUF
Playing in the heavy snow wasn’t enough to keep Allen from going off last night, as he currently leads all Week 13 scorers in fantasy points (28.42) while becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to have a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown in the same game. He’s right with Jalen Hurts as the top quarterback to own down the stretch.
RB: Bucky Irving, TB
Irving seemed to be taking over the backfield last week with 18 touches for 152 yards and a touchdown—and he followed it up with an even better day by turning 28 touches into 185 yards and a score. The impressive rookie has proven to be one of the best real-life and fantasy values of 2024, and he should stay hot next week against the Raiders.
RB: Bijan Robinson, ATL
Robinson finishing as a high-end RB1 felt like a foregone conclusion this week, and he handled a season-high 32 touches for 135 yards and a touchdown in a disappointing loss for Atlanta. Kirk Cousins having four interceptions prevented an even bigger day for Bijan, but he should remain a workhorse next week in Minnesota.
WR: Terry McLaurin, WAS
The Titans have been solid defensively this season, but the Commanders jumped on them early and didn’t look back—including McLaurin hauling in all eight of his targets for 73 yards and two touchdowns. Fantasy owners will need to look elsewhere for Week 14 with the Commanders on a bye, but he’ll likely be a borderline WR1/WR2 against the Saints to begin the fantasy playoffs.
WR: Mike Evans, TB
After not quite being a full go last week in his return to the lineup, Evans was back to being himself versus the Panthers—catching eight-of-12 targets for 118 yards and a touchdown. The score was a highlight, one-handed grab along the boundary in the end zone, and Evans is up to seven scores on the season despite the missed time.
TE: Brock Bowers, LV
Bowers continued a phenomenal rookie campaign on Black Friday with 10 receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown (plus a two-yard carry)—and the Chiefs simply had no answers for the No. 13 overall pick. In three games with Scott Turner as offensive coordinator, Bowers has seen target totals of 16, 10, and 14.
FLEX: Najee Harris, PIT
Harris has been extremely steady this season, and he came through with a season-best performance against the Bengals with 16 carries, 75 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, six receptions, and 54 receiving yards. The next three weeks won’t be easy (v CLE, @ PHI, @ BAL), but Harris has reached double-digit fantasy points in six of his past seven outings.
D/ST: Dallas Cowboys
The playmaking for Dallas has returned over the past two weeks, and Thanksgiving was another big performance with 18.0 fantasy points powered by six sacks, two takeaways, and a touchdown. Especially with the Cowboys still feeling they are in the wild card race, their defense is at least worth consideration based on the upside.
K: Chad Ryland, ARI
This week was a rare situation with the top-scoring kickers all missing field goals, but Ryland hit five of his five attempts on his way to a season-high 16.0 fantasy points. Although the miss ended up hurting Arizona in a 23-22 loss, the former Patriot has settled in nicely with the Cardinals.
Surprise of the Week: Aidan O’Connell
O’Connell making it a game against the Chiefs on Black Friday wasn’t a major surprise, but it was the opposite of their Christmas Day win in 2023—as the second-year quarterback was throwing the ball around (including down the field) with 340 yards and two touchdowns. The improved offense under Scott Turner will make Las Vegas a more formidable opponent over the final five weeks.
Disappointment of the Week: Cooper Kupp
The Saints felt like an opponent for Puka Nacua and Kupp to completely destroy, but the duo was mostly quiet until Nacua got some things going in the second half—and Kupp had just three receptions for 17 scoreless yards. Unfortunately, a quiet outing came at a bad time for those in a playoff push, and we’ll see if a possible shootout occurs next week in Los Angeles with the Bills coming to town to get Kupp back on track.
Rookie of the Week: Bucky Irving
Jayden Daniels (27.64 fantasy points) or Brock Bowers (25.2) have a case here, but Irving (26.0) came through with a monster game in an overtime win for Tampa Bay—and his stock continues to trend way up at the perfect time. Looking ahead to the fantasy playoffs, Irving gets good matchups against the Chargers and Cowboys before another blow-up spot versus Carolina in Week 17.
Week 13 MVP: Josh Allen
There is no other choice here, as Allen recording a passing and receiving touchdown on the same play surely swayed plenty of matchups—many of which got fantasy owners in the playoffs (or knocked opponents out of contention). The top fantasy score heading into Monday night came with just 17 pass attempts, and Allen will carry as much upside as anyone next week against the Rams.