Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Week 13 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2023 Edition

Quarterback

MVP: Brock Purdy (49ers) 

It's been up-and-down for anybody that's committed to Purdy as their QB1, but the people that stuck with him through his horrendous October were majorly rewarded on Sunday as he overcame a quiet 1st quarter to absolutely shred the Eagles secondary (314 YDS, 4 TD's) in a stunning blowout road win for the 49ers. Purdy will face the Seahawks for the 2nd time in 3 weeks in Week 14.

Honorable Mentions: Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Geno Smith (Seahawks), Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars)

LVP: Justin Herbert (Chargers)

Rainy conditions and another string of heinous drops by his receivers prevented Herbert from doing much of anything on Sunday against the Patriots as he finished the game with 212 passing YDS, 0 TD's 0 turnovers and -5 rushing YDS on 4 carries. Herbert will hope to regroup and return to the endzone in this week's divisional showdown against the Broncos.

Dishonorable Mentions: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Kyler Murray (Cardinals), Baker Mayfield (Buccaneers)

Running Back

MVP: Joe Mixon (Bengals)

Jake Browning's remarkable performance against the Jaguars last night might've stolen all the real-life headlines, but in the fantasy realm it was all about Mixon. The Bengals back got a whole lot of work in this OT thriller and made the most out of it, turning his 25 touches (19 carries, 6 receptions) into 117 scrimmage YDS and 2 rushing TD's. Mixon-whose quietly been a steady RB1 since the Bengals came off their bye in Week 8-has a huge plus matchup against the Colts soft run defense in Week 14.  

Honorable Mentions: Alvin Kamara (Saints), Derrick Henry (Titans), De'Von Achane (Dolphins)

LVP: Austin Ekeler (Chargers)

Ekeler predictably got stuffed by the Patriots quietly excellent run D (18 YDS on 14 carries), but his lack of involvement in the passing game (2 REC/9 YDS) is just puzzling considering how much the Pats have struggled to contain pass-catching RB's at times this year and it led to a crippling dud of a performance in all formats. A date with a Broncos D that has been horrible at containing RB's for most of the season couldn't be arriving at a better time for Ekeler-whose turned in 3 straight underwhelming showings. 

Dishonorable Mentions: D'Andre Swift (Eagles), Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions), Jaylen Warren (Steelers) 

Wide Receiver 

MVP: DK Metcalf (Seahawks)

DaRon Bland has to be thrilled that he probably won't seeing Metcalf again this season. The Seahawks star receiver flat-out embarrassed the Cowboys 2nd year CB as he turned in one of the best games of his career (6 REC/134 YDS/3 TD's). Next up for Metcalf is a chance at redeeming himself against the 49ers tough secondary after he managed just 3 catches for 32 YDS against them in Week 12.   

Honorable Mentions: Deebo Samuel (49ers), Tyreek Hill (Dolphins), Nico Collins (Texans)

LVP: Terry McLaurin (Commanders)

For only the 2nd time in his pro career, McLaurin was held without a catch. Shockingly, the Commanders WR1 managed only 3 targets on a day where Sam Howell threw for only 127 YDS against a feisty Dolphins defense that fully committed to disrupting their aerial attack. McLaurin gets the chance to regroup this week as the Commanders finally get their bye and will face the Rams in Week 15. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Drake London (Falcons), Calvin Ridley (Jaguars), Tee Higgins (Bengals)

Tight End

MVP: Sam LaPorta (Lions)

LaPorta put together the best performance of his young career so far by exploding for 140 YDS and a TD on 9 receptions against the Saints on Sunday afternoon. The rookie will continue his quest towards the record books for his position this week against a Bears team that held him in check (3 REC/18 YDS in their earlier meeting this season. 

Honorable Mentions: Trey McBride (Cardinals), Evan Engram (Jaguars), Jake Ferguson (Cowboys)

LVP: Cade Otton (Buccaneers)

Otton's hot streak (by 2023 TE standards at least) of 2 straight games with 4 REC's and 45+ YDS came to a brutal end as he didn't receive a single target against the Panthers. To be fair to Otton, receivers not named Mike Evans accounted for 7 REC's and 40 YDS as Baker Mayfield only completed 14 passes against the 4th ranked pass D in the league. Otton should be more involved in Week 14 when they square off against the Falcons.

Dishonorable Mentions: David Njoku (Browns), Logan Thomas (Commanders), Pat Friermuth (Steelers)

Defense/Special Teams

MVP: Chargers

No, this isn't a misprint or a bit. Brandon Staley's Chargers-who are ranked near the bottom of the league in nearly every defensive metric of consequence-put together a brilliant performance on Sunday as they picked up 5 sacks and a fumble recovery in a 6-0 victory over the Patriots. Despite the Broncos' offense's struggles with turnovers and sacks allowed, giving the Chargers D/ST an encore performance in your starting lineup in Week 14 would be an ill-advised move that could yield disastrous results. 

Honorable Mentions: Falcons, Dolphins, Jets

LVP: Cowboys 

Man oh man did the Cowboys vaunted D get more than bargained for when they faced an allegedly struggling Seahawks offense last Thursday night. Outside of a lone sack and INT late in the game, Dan Quinn's group got lit up as the 'Hawks hung 35 points on them and probably would've won the game if their own defense could've come up with just 1 stop in the 4th quarter. The 'Boys have another rough task ahead of them this week as they square off against an explosive Eagles offense that had success against them back in Week 9. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Browns, Eagles, Steelers 

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