NFL Week 13 active gave us more than enough thrills, curse words, and headaches, even with six fewer teams on the slate than usual. From a fantasy football perspective, there wasn’t a great deal of information to glean from utilization unrelated to injuries. That tends to be the case this late in the season, but we saw a several players across running back, wide receiver and tight end who were substantially utilized but didn’t do much of anything.
This happens to some degree each week, of course, though it’s not too common for it to occur from all three of those skill positions. Perhaps it stands out more with fewer teams, but it’s worth a quick peek.
Indianapolis Colts RB Zack Moss was utilized 22 times and produced just 7.7 points in PPR. Green Bay’s AJ Dillon touched the ball 19 times for 9.7 points, and Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris managed the same output on his 19 utilizations (18 handles). No performance at the position stung more than Austin Ekeler‘s 4.7-point day (17 utilizations).
At receiver, another Los Angeles Charger, Quentin Johnston, posted a personal-best for targets (7), tied his high-water mark in catches (5), and set a career-high in yardage (52). On the plus side, the rookie is trending in the right direction after already being deemed a bust by the least charitable among us, but Johnston still produced just low-end WR3 returns on moderate WR2 utilization. New York Jets WR Garrett Wilson struggled to reach eight fantasy points on seven targets (tied 20th) as Gang Green turned to third-stringer Trevor Siemian in a failed bid for offensive competency. New England’s DeVante Parker couldn’t capitalize on his nine targets, going for only 4-64-0, and Seattle Seahawks rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba turned the eighth-most utilizations (11 targets) into the 23rd-most PPR returns (7-52-0).
Tight ends Tyler Conklin (9 targets), Tucker Kraft (6), and David Njoku were the most egregious examples of high-volume, low-return efforts for the position. Conklin and Kraft combined for just 13.2 PPR points, while Njoku’s six looks resulted in a lowly 2-17-0 line with quarterback Joe Flacco making his Cleveland debut. Njoku was playing some of his steadiest ball leading up to this one, so there’s reason to be concerned going forward. Kraft and Conklin may have been someone’s bye-week replacements but will return to obscurity.
As we enter the home stretch of the fantasy season, most pecking orders have stabilized, although we’ll see a handful of transitions toward the youth movement as teams fall out of the playoff race. That means fewer notable situations arise, and some of the inclusions will be a rehashing of developing roles.
6
RB Antonio Gibson, Washington Commanders
Washington heads into its bye week with No. 1 running back Brian Robinson Jr. nursing a hamstring, and his availability directly correlates to Gibson’s overall utility. The latter will have a role as a receiver, regardless of the second-year back’s health. Should Robinson miss Week 15, Gibson becomes the primary back as teams enter Round 1 of the fantasy playoffs. The fourth-year pro has managed his three best fantasy days of the season in the last four contests. Washington faces several tough defenses ahead (LAR, NYJ, SF, DAL), but Gibson’s versatility will make him relevant in PPR.
5
RB Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks
Charbonnet admirably replaced Kenneth Walker III (shoulder) against a capable Dallas Cowboys defense by posting 16.9 PPR points on Thursday Night Football, which was the second-best performance by a running back vs. Dallas in 2023. He converted 20 touches (21 utilizations) into 99 yards with a rushing score. While it remains unclear whether Walker will return this week, Charbonnet’s effort should earn him a handful more touches than he had been seeing. Unfortunately, Seattle heads to San Francisco in Week 14, followed by hosting the Philadelphia Eagles before going to the Tennessee Titans in Week 16. Not ideal.
4
Houston Texans running backs
All of the attention rightfully has been paid toward mourning the loss of WR Tank Dell after he fractured an ankle, but there’s a tear to be shed for what is going on with this backfield. The return of Dameon Pierce from an ankle injury of his own that led to a three-game absence has clouded the skies in Houston. He had done basically nothing before the injury, and Devin Singletary stepped up in a major way, so — naturally — Houston leaned on Pierce in Week 13. He was eased back in the prior game with six total utilizations, but Houston tripled his rushing role for a 15-carry, 41-yard, one-TD day against Denver. Singletary, meanwhile, saw his role dip to a dozen touches in Week 12 and down to nine on Sunday. Given the volatility of this backfield and a harsh closing schedule, it’s difficult to project either back to be fantasy-relevant the rest of the year. That’s a shame after Singletary looked poised to leapfrog the second-year Florida product.
3
RB Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Spears rushed 16 times for 75 yards and caught four of six looks for 13 yards in Week 13, and 14 of his utilizations came after Derrick Henry (head) left the game with a suspected concussion. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said Monday that Henry didn’t suffer a concussion. Even if Henry goes this week, there’s a decent chance we could see Spears earn enough targets to matter against Miami, a team that is plenty capable of forcing Tennessee into a negative game script. We have only Arizona and Washington on bye this week, but the absence of two starting fantasy backs could be enough to justify taking a flier on Spears in deep PPR leagues. Should Henry be forced to sit out this one, there’s RB2 utility to be found.
2
WR Jonathan Mingo, Carolina Panthers
Let’s face it, there’s nothing to get excited about in Carolina this season. The offensive line has left Bryce Young running for his life when he isn’t being sacked, and no receiver beyond Adam Thielen has offered consistent fantasy utility. When all things look lost, digging for any kind of silver lining is important. Rookie wide receiver Jonathan Mingo was a mostly unheralded prospect and has not done much with his limited chances, but his role has increased in the last month. He has at least six targets in each of those games and topped out at a personal-best 10 looks in Week 13. It resulted in a career-high six catches, 69 yards, and 12.9 PPR points. No one will be writing home about that pedestrian level of production, but there’s an opportunity to be seized with favorable matchups over the next two weeks.
1
WR Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns
Joe Flacco‘s return to the field isn’t going to wow anyone, but it at least stabilizes an offense that wasn’t going anywhere with the likes of Dorian Thompson-Robinson and PJ Walker trying to replace Deshaun Watson. Moore had been involved in the three contests prior to Week 13, garnering seven-plus targets in each of those outings. He was on the end of 12 passes from Flacco on Sunday, which tied a career high for Moore. He landed just four of those throws, however, which is troubling, but his 83 yards helped create the third 12-plus-point effort for Moore in the last month. Cleveland lost Amari Cooper to a concussion in Week 13, and it’s unclear if he’ll be available against Jacksonville on Sunday. His absence would thrust Moore into the WR1 slot against a defense that allowed 13 receiver scores entering Monday night.
