Fantasy Football: 5 Major sleepers with tasty Week 13 matchups

Five fantasy football sleepers that deserve consideration for your Week 13 lineup.

Congratulations on making it through one of the most hectic weeks in fantasy football history. From last-second Reserve/COVID list adds to multiple games rescheduled to the Broncos playing without a quarterback, it was truly a week for the ages. With COVID uncertainty seemingly ramping up as we near the most important stretch of the fantasy football season, it is as important as ever to have backup plans for as many players as possible.

Looking ahead to Week 13, the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on bye. The schedule can also figure to change at any moment, so it is crucial that you continue to monitor news around the league as we draw closer to Sunday.

Without further ado, here are five sleepers with tasty matchups that can give you the advantage needed to push your fantasy team into the playoffs.

Note: All fantasy football stats are via Fantasy Pros.

Fantasy Football sleeper No. 5: QB Baker Mayfield, Cleveland (vs. Tennessee)

For all intents and purposes, Baker Mayfield has been unusable this year for fantasy football. However, he draws a fantastic matchup in Week 13 against a Tennessee defense bleeding fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

Even though the Browns are happy to take the ball out of Mayfield’s hands, they are going to have to throw the ball a lot to keep up with a potent Tennessee offense. Even though his floor is almost nonexistent, as he has scored under 10 points four times this year, I like his chances to provide strong streamer value in a likely Week 13 shootout.

Fantasy Football sleeper No. 4: RB Frank Gore, New York (vs. Las Vegas)

It is not a glorious play by any means, but Frank Gore has been getting it done these past few weeks as the Jet’s RB1. With La’Mical Perine on the injured reserve, Gore is going to see 15+ rushes, a few targets, and all the goal-line work against a Las Vegas defense allowing the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Even though there is always the chance he turns those touches into 60 yards and no touchdown, you can confidently throw him in your FLEX spot knowing he will not lose you your week.

Fantasy Football sleeper No. 3: WR Denzel Mims, New York (vs. Las Vegas)

As hard as it is to recommend two Jets players, I actually think they have a good shot to stay competitive in their Week 13 matchup with the Raiders. If they are to stay competitive, Denzel Mims is going to play a big part in it.

In the past three weeks, Mims has seen at least seven targets and totaled at least 62 yards. More importantly, he is clearly the most talented receiver on this team and has flashed his big-play ability. While his upside is capped by the uninspiring Jets offense, his target volume and talent make him a strong dart throw at the FLEX position.

Fantasy Football sleeper No. 2: WR Allen Lazard, Green Bay (vs. Philadelphia)

In his second game off the injured reserve, Lazard turned six targets into four receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown against a strong Chicago defense. More importantly, he clearly took over the WR2 role, with Marquez Valdes-Scantling not receiving a single target in Week 12.

With Aaron Rodgers playing at an MVP-caliber level, his second wide receiver should be started week in and week out, especially with a pretty solid matchup against Philadelphia with Darius Slay likely shadowing Davante Adams.

Fantasy Football sleeper No. 1: TE Jordan Reed, San Fransisco (vs. Buffalo)

Reed turned in a disappointing Week 12 performance, turning six targets into two receptions for 18 yards. Nick Mullens missed him on a few wide-open deep balls that would have turned him into a TE1 if they connected, and you could see Reed’s frustration as Mullens sent easy completions soaring over his head.

The important takeaway though is six targets and with the 49ers offense getting healthy, they should see plenty more touchdown opportunities in coming weeks. In addition, Reed draws an extremely favorable matchup in Week 13 against Buffalo who has allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Give Reed another chance as a back-end TE1 in Week 13.