Fantasy Forecast: Week 13
How your fantasy football team performs
— -- How your fantasy football team performs has a lot to do with the conditions on the field. We’re here each week with advice on who to start when the weather gets bad.
Wet weather and gusty winds are expected in Miami, Florida when the Baltimore Ravens play the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. For many, fantasy playoffs are underway, and rookies on both teams could be great late season pickups to help you win this week. The Dolphins’ DeVante Parker will have his first career start at wide receiver. He did great last week, which really boosted his confidence, with 80 receiving yards and a touchdown. He seems like he will have another solid performance this week against a lacking Ravens secondary. Owners just beware if you’re playing him, that rain and wind in the forecast could have an impact on how often they throw the ball to a rookie.
On the Ravens' side we have another rookie, Javorius “Buck” Allen who also had over 80 yards and a touchdown last week, and he is another fantastic pickup for this match up. With essentially no passing game and wet weather, the Ravens offense will likely give Buck a lot of opportunities, and he should have no trouble going up against a struggling Dolphins defense.
A bit further north in Tampa, rain isn’t much of an issue, but the wind is. Gusts could reach more than 20 mph Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, where the Atlanta Falcons play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. With Jameis Winston on a hot streak, he’ll still make some big play and passes here at home, but another huge component is running back Doug Martin. He’s going into week 13 as the number 3 fantasy running back and this is a very appealing match up for him. Lock him in as a solid RB1 this week against the Falcons.
Let’s talk about the Falcons backfield. Devonte Freeman was out with a concussion last week, so Tevin Coleman stepped in racking up 110 yards, but didn’t reach the end zone. If Freeman plays, he’s always a must-start, but the Bucs have a solid run defense. If Coleman gets the starting job again this week, it might be wise to look elsewhere.
We don’t talk about rain often in California, but when we do it should always be something to note. And rain is in the forecast in Oakland where the Kansas City Chiefs play the Oakland Raiders on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. PT. The Chiefs have a fantastic defense, so Oakland quarterback Derek Carr is going to have to get rid of the ball early and often. Amari Cooper could have another big game up his sleeve. Last week Cooper has seven catches for 115 yards again a stingy Titans defense, and that was in the rain, too.
The Chiefs also have an excellent backfield with Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware, and they always rely heavily on the running game in either rain or shine. Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce had stellar performances last week and the rain didn’t stop them either. I think they could be in for a repeat against a generous Oakland defense that struggles with both wideouts and tight ends.
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