Fantasy Football Week 13 Wrap: Saquon Barkley may not win real-life NFL MVP, but his case is getting stronger

Philadelphia Eagles @ Baltimore Ravens

The Eagles won their eighth straight game thanks in part to Justin Tucker missing three kicks (two FGs, one EP) for the first time in his career. Philadelphia’s defense ranked first in sacks (27), pass yards per game (140.3), total yards per game (222.6) and points per game (14.7) during their seven-game winning streak, and the unit continued to play well Sunday. Lamar Jackson entered 23-1 versus the NFC in his career, but he recorded his second-lowest YPA (6.6) of any game this season during the loss. Jackson tossed two scores and ran for 79 yards, finishing as a top-five fantasy QB even in an underwhelming performance against a top defense.

Jalen Hurts didn’t see any uptick in volume, as he attempted just 19 passes against a Baltimore defense that entered with its opponents averaging by far the most pass attempts (39.2) in the league. Hurts punched in his 12th rushing score, but he has just two TD passes over the last three games — a span in which he hasn’t been a top-12 QB any week. The Ravens’ secondary has been playing better, and Hurts gets a prime home matchup to bounce back against the Panthers in Week 14 when hopefully a healthy DeVonta Smith returns.

Saquon Barkley topped 100 rushing yards for the sixth time over the last seven games despite having just 44 yards through three quarters. Barkley ran in another TD Sunday, and he’s on pace to total 18.4 touchdowns despite his quarterback ranking second in the league in rushing scores. Barkley remains unlikely to win MVP, but his case will certainly grow if the Eagles can secure the No. 1 seed.

• Derrick Henry was held out of the end zone for the second straight week after scoring in the first 11 games.

• Mark Andrews caught his seventh touchdown over the last eight games.

• Rashod Bateman left in the second half with a knee injury, yet Diontae Johnson remained on the sidelines afterward.

• The Eagles improved to 9-0 when A.J. Brown plays this season, and Nick Sirianni is now 26-1 when winning the turnover battle.

• There were five fumbles in this game but zero turnovers.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals

• Russell Wilson overcame throwing a pick-six on the opening drive and finished with the third-most passing yards (414) in a game this season. Wilson had 257 yards at halftime — the most he’s had in a first half during his career. He added three TD tosses and was fantasy’s QB2 this week.

• George Pickens led Pittsburgh in receiving yards (74) and caught a touchdown, but he committed just one fewer penalty (two) than he recorded catches.

• Najee Harris briefly left injured but returned to finish as this week’s RB3. He saw 22 opportunities despite missing some snaps and a healthy Jaylen Warren.

• Joe Burrow once again put up big stats in a loss that included him committing three turnovers. Burrow lost a fumble that was returned for a score during a game with the most combined points (82) all season.

• Chase Brown’s 41-yard run in the first quarter was his longest of the year. He was tackled at the one-yard line but punched in a score the next play. Khalil Herbert recorded the first RB carry other than Brown since Zack Moss went down in Week 8. It was Herbert’s lone opportunity Sunday. Brown looks like a borderline top-five RB down the stretch, although there’s some concern Cincinnati will give up on its lost season.

Arizona Cardinals @ Minnesota Vikings

• Aaron Jones lost a fumble in the first quarter and couldn’t secure a touchdown catch in the fourth. Jones fumbled twice Sunday, giving him four over the last three games. He’d ultimately catch the winning touchdown that gave Minnesota its first lead of the game with 1:13 left, but Jones finished with just five carries — one more than Cam Akers.

• Justin Jefferson failed to record a touchdown for the sixth straight game, and he didn’t reach 100 yards for the fourth consecutive contest. It’s worth noting Arizona’s defense has played far better recently.

• Trey McBride secured all 12 targets, but he’s now up to an NFL-high 92 this season without a receiving touchdown.

• Marvin Harrison Jr. pulled down his seventh TD catch (most among rookies), but he didn’t record his first reception until 56 seconds were left in the first half. MHJ was much more involved in the second half, but he entered without a single designed screen this season.

• Greg Olsen perfectly described the danger of kicking a field goal up three points later in the game, and one of the risks he pointed out happened. The Vikings were forced to go for it on a fourth down (successfully) while in field goal range. Minnesota almost certainly kicks there if the Cardinals fail their fourth-down try (and Arizona’s win probability shoots way up if they succeed). Actively choosing to go up six was the kiss of death.

Los Angeles Chargers @ Atlanta Falcons

• Ladd McConkey had eight catches for 105 receiving yards at halftime, when Justin Herbert had 115 passing yards. McConkey finished accounting for a whopping 79.6% of Herbert’s passing yards. The announcers reported McConkey was “gutting it out” through his painful shoulder injury, and the Falcons had been stingy against the slot this season. McConkey looks like a future PPR star, especially once he’s fully healthy.

• There was no winner with J.K. Dobbins sidelined, as Gus Edwards and Kimani Vidal split work on just 10 carries. Hassan Haskins, who had been pilfering goal-line scores, lost a fumble during his lone rush attempt.

• The Chargers committed the fewest giveaways (five) through 11 games in NFL history (along with this year’s Commanders) but lost a fumble in the opening drive. Herbert took five sacks against a Falcons defense that entered with 10 all season.

• Kirk Cousins missed an open Darnell Mooney for a would-be 17-yard touchdown on the opening drive, and things only got worse from there. Cousins threw four interceptions, including an ugly and telegraphed pick-six. Cousins has a 0:6 TD:INT ratio over his last three games after posting a 7:0 ratio over his previous two contests.

• Bijan Robinson put up the most fantasy points by a running back against the Chargers this season, nearly finishing as fantasy’s RB1 for the second time over his last three games. Robinson had just one touchdown over his first five games, but he’s scored six over the last six contests. Robinson racked up 13 touches for 60 YFS and a score in the first quarter alone Sunday, and his 32 touches coming out of the bye easily marked a season-high. Robinson has quietly overtaken Tyler Allgeier at the goal line, so he’s a top-three back down the stretch.

Tennessee Titans @ Washington Commanders

• Jayden Daniels totaled four touchdowns and finished as fantasy’s QB1 this week in a game Washington led 28-0 with 11 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Daniels ran in a score for the second straight week after going seven games without a rushing TD, and he continues to look healthier as the Commanders head into their bye.

• Terry McLaurin had two TD catches in the first 20 minutes during his third game with multiple scores this season. Scary Terry is up to a career-high nine receiving touchdowns.

• Brian Robinson Jr. had 16 carries and an early 40-yard TD run, but he split work with Chris Rodriguez (13 rush attempts) and Jeremy McNichols (six) with Austin Ekeler out.

• Game script limited Tony Pollard to just eight carries, but he helped contribute to the deficit with a lost fumble and multiple drops.

• Nick Westbrook-Ikhine led Tennessee with eight targets and caught two more touchdowns, giving him eight over his last eight games. NWI now suddenly ranks fourth in the league in TD catches this season.

• Will Levis took a step back this week (-10.2% CPOE), but he tossed two touchdowns while continuing to attack downfield (10.9 aDOT) and took just two sacks. Still, Levis needs to get Calvin Ridley more involved.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers

• Bucky Irving was injured and appeared questionable to play after halftime, but he returned with a vengeance and finished as this week’s RB1. Irving totaled 205 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 28 touches. He benefitted from a favorable matchup, but Irving has now finished as fantasy’s RB6, RB3 and RB1 over his last three weeks. Rachaad White will remain involved, but Sean Tucker didn’t record a touch Sunday. Irving looks like a special back who won’t be leaving fantasy lineups for years to come (assuming health, as he barely played in overtime).

• Bryce Young continued to show real improvement, posting a +3% CPOE with an aDOT (9.8 yards) in the 74th percentile. Young ran in a touchdown and threw a TD strike with 30 seconds left to give Carolina the lead. It was especially encouraging to see Young perform well against a zone-heavy Tampa Bay defense, as he’s experienced most of his success against man coverage. Young hadn’t been a top-15 QB in any week this season before doing so in each of the last two games, including being the QB6 this week (despite being robbed of a TD pass). Young would’ve likely led the Panthers to an upset win Sunday if not for two missed FGs and a Chuba Hubbard lost fumble in overtime while in field goal range.

• Adam Thielen was busy Sunday, leading Carolina in targets (10), catches (eight) and receiving yards (99). He scored, also had the near touchdown, dropped another potential score and secured a terrific one-handed catch in overtime.

Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots

• Anthony Richardson managed just 4.5 YPA while throwing for only 109 yards, but he finished as fantasy’s QB6 this week anyway. Richardson struggled with accuracy as usual, but he added 48 rushing yards and his third TD run over the last three games. Richardson has averaged 9.7 rush attempts over three games since returning as the starter, and he saw multiple designed runs once again Sunday. AR led a 19-play final drive (despite an Adonai Mitchell drop downfield) that culminated with a TD pass to Alec Pierce on fourth-and-goal with 12 seconds left. The Colts then went for 2, with Richardson punching in the game-winning conversion.

• Jonathan Taylor’s first TD catch of the season and his first score since Week 8 came during the opening drive and was his lone target of the game. Taylor fell just shy of 100 rushing yards, and he’s averaged the most rush yards during December and January in NFL history.

• The Colts have played in an NFL-high 11 one-score games this season.

• Drake Maye didn’t attempt many passes downfield, but he got 7.9 YPA and deserved better. Hunter Henry turned a would-be TD catch into an interception in the end zone in the third quarter, and another Maye TD toss to Kendrick Bourne was nullified by an illegal shift penalty (Antonio Gibson would run in a touchdown on the next play). Maye is playing terrific while doing what he can with his receivers, and he added a career-long 41-yard run Sunday while finishing as a top-10 fantasy QB.

• Rhamondre Stevenson saw 21 opportunities, but he had a first-quarter touchdown run nullified by penalty and lost a fourth-quarter TD run to Gibson.

Houston Texans @ Jacksonville Jaguars

• Nico Collins saw another 11 targets, but he also had multiple catches called back by penalty and missed a few snaps while getting checked for a concussion. He was close to having a bigger game, which has been a theme throughout the last few weeks. Collins is a top-five fantasy player who’s going to explode soon, although the Texans now head into their bye.

• C.J. Stroud underthrew a wide-open Tank Dell on a potential 67-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

• Trevor Lawrence took an illegal hit late in the first half that resulted in him fencing (and a fight ensued), which is always scary. Mac Jones took over the rest of the game and eventually snapped the NFL’s longest active streak without a TD pass.

• Brian Thomas Jr. was a top-10 WR this week, but he should’ve easily finished WR1. The rookie was open for a potential 77-yard touchdown in the second quarter, but Lawrence underthrew him for an interception instead. Jones then missed a wide-open BTJ for a 69-yard TD during the opening drive of the second half, although the rookie would record a 56-yard catch two plays later (his first of the game). Thomas Jr. also committed a bad drop downfield in the fourth quarter, when he also had another near 24-yard touchdown (although he’d later score on that drive). Thomas (and his fantasy managers) deserved better Sunday.

• Doug Pederson is now 3-15 over his last 18 games.

Los Angeles Rams @ New Orleans Saints

• Matthew Stafford and the Rams’ passing attack disappointed in a weird game script that saw Los Angeles run just three plays in the first quarter. The Rams were shut out in the first half for the first time in 129 games, and Stafford attempted his second-fewest passes (24) this season.

• Blake Corum matched his career high with eight carries, but Kyren Williams scored for the second straight week, broke 100 rushing yards and didn’t fumble. However, Williams has seen just one target over the last three games.

• Demarcus Robinson has as many touchdown catches (seven) as Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp combined.

• Alvin Kamara ran for 112 yards, but he had a TD catch nullified by penalty in the first quarter. He turned six targets into just seven yards, but Kamara remains locked in as a weekly top-five back given his usage. Kamara has averaged a whopping 27.5 opportunities over the last four games. He hasn’t scored since Week 6, but Kamara will see more TD chances (and even more touches) after Taysom Hill suffered a significant knee injury Sunday. The Saints are running out of alternatives on offense.

Seattle Seahawks @ New York Jets

• The Seahawks somehow won despite getting 4.5 yards per play and an abysmal special teams performance. Seattle’s special teams was already performing badly enough for the announcers to question whether the 10 a.m. body clock game was to blame. And then the Seahawks proceeded to allow a kickoff return for a touchdown, lost a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, had an extra point blocked and allowed yet another long kickoff return afterward — and all before halftime.

• Garrett Wilson saw 10 targets, but he’s averaged just 5.7 fantasy points over his last three games. Wilson was wide-open in the end zone for a 10-yard TD in the second quarter, but Aaron Rodgers’ throw missed him. It was costly, as a big man pick-six occurred on the next play.

• Rodgers’ two TD passes happened within 100 seconds of each other thanks to favorable field position, although Davante Adams couldn’t secure a nice throw downfield on fourth down in the second quarter.

• Breece Hall briefly exited but later returned. He committed two fumbles (losing one) and now has four over the last five games. Hall doesn’t have a run for 20 yards over his last six games, as he’s somehow been less explosive a year further removed from knee surgery this season. Sunday marked the first game all season Hall didn’t record a catch. To be fair, Seattle’s defense has been a top-five unit since trading for Ernest Jones.

• The Jets clinched their NFL-high ninth straight losing season.