Week 13 Roundup

11th December 202211th December 2022 Tim Fitzgerald

We are getting down to the last month of the NFL regular season. Most people who play fantasy football have their fantasy playoffs beginning next week. This is the time of year that separates the contenders from the pretenders. Now more than ever we must be diligent and focus on exploiting key matchups that could make the difference between winning and losing. Let’s see what we can do. Also, please sure you are following me on Twitter at @Fitz_843!

From a fantasy (and real-life) perspective:

Detroit, Tennessee, Minnesota, and Atlanta have hemorrhaged fantasy points to the Quarterback position this season.
Houston, Los Angeles (Chargers), Green Bay, and Seattle have been relative screen doors for Running Backs.
Minnesota, Tennessee, and Detroit have allowed Wide Receivers to tear them up all season.

Across the NFL:

The Bills and Chiefs still sit atop the AFC at 9-3 each. Barring some unforeseen changes in personnel, I expect the road to the Super Bowl will feature these two teams in the AFCC. Miami and Cincinnati should offer stout challenges, but in the end, I don’t think they have enough gas to make it to the end of the line. You get the sense that the Dolphins and Bengals must play perfect games to beat the Bills and Chiefs, whereas the Bills and Chiefs can still at least keep it close when giving just an average effort. At full speed, I would flip a coin between Buffalo and Kansas City and probably lean toward KC.
The NFC feels far more wide-open than the AFC. The Eagles, Cowboys, Vikings, and 49ers all appear to be legitimate contenders to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. However, Jimmy G going down with an injury that may knock San Francisco off this shortlist. It certainly seems that when the dust settles the Eagles will be in the driver’s seat.

This demonstrates that no matter how much planning we do, things can go sideways in a hurry. We must adapt and pay attention to all trends in front of us. The charts below are meant to assist with this effort, focusing on which defenses give up the most fantasy points (and other vital measurables) to each primary offensive position. Certainly, a tougher opponent will make a team’s defense appear potentially worse than usual. However, monitoring these metrics as the season progresses will help us make better fantasy football decisions.

DEFENSES vs QBs: Through 13 weeks, these defenses appear particularly vulnerable to QBs