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Marcas Grant: There's no doubt that Scott Chandler is worth an add as long as Rob Gronkowski is out. With the Patriots suffering from a lack of pass-catchers, the veteran tight end is going to see a good number of targets -- especially in the red zone. The question of whether you start Chandler ahead of Antonio Gates is a little tougher. Last week's 17-point outburst was Gates' best game since his season debut in Week 5 but that's what Gates has the potential to do at any time. His ceiling in any given week is much greater than what you can expect from Chandler. For that reason alone, I have Gates slightly higher in my Week 13 rankings. Plus this week's matchup might be a little misleading. For all of the issues Philadelphia has had on defense recently, the Eagles have still been pretty tough on tight ends while Denver has been a little vulnerable. Once again the advantage goes to Gates.
M.G.: For the past couple of weeks, I've been preaching that you should stay patient with Dez Bryant. You originally drafted him as an every-week WR1, why not give him that chance? But that was also with the prospect of Tony Romo returning and the Cowboys offense regaining a semblance of the productivity we expected at the start of the season. With Romo done for the year, those hopes have been dashed and Bryant has now become a very talented matchup-based starter. That's the bad news. The good news is that this week has a matchup that he can very much exploit against a Washington secondary that hasn't offered much resistance all season. Now let's just hope that Matt Cassel can get him the football.
M.G.: In most circumstances, I wouldn't recommend trading away a starting running back that isn't part of a committee. But in this case, you seem to have just about the only remaining rushers that still fit that description. With such depth, you can afford to move one of them but admittedly I'm not sure if anyone is going to be willing to part with Odell Beckham Jr for a running back who has started to fade in recent weeks and has a pretty tough schedule the rest of the way. Of course, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take so it's worth throwing the offer out there and seeing if you can get someone to bite on it.
M.G.: I would certainly agree that neither Eli Manning nor Matt Ryan are quarterbacks that I'd want to ride with into the playoffs. As for the three you mentioned, the best remaining schedule belongs to Alex Smith (@OAK, v. SD, @BAL, v. CLE). But the dynamics of the Chiefs offense mean that it could take a herculean effort for him to net you 20 fantasy points in any week. Ryan Fitzpatrick has the worst slate with two of his three playoff contests coming against Tennessee and New England, but of the three he has probably the highest week-to-week point ceiling. Tyrod Taylor's schedule isn't too hard and not too soft -- it's just right -- and he projects closer to Fitzpatrick's ceiling on any given week. That puts Taylor first on my list followed by Fitzpatrick and Smith.
M.G.: I've been on board with Blake Bortles as a playoff quarterback for the past month and I've seen nothing that will change my mind. The second-year player has been a top-eight fantasy signal-caller despite his best efforts to undermine himself on the field. Of the top 10 players at his position, Bortles is far and away the leader in interceptions (13) yet he still averages better than 18 fantasy points per game. That's reason enough to be optimistic against a playoff run versus the Colts, Falcons and Saints.
M.G.: I've already laid out my concerns with Carr's matchup this week against the Chiefs -- although the potential lack of Justin Houston might make things better. On the other side, this turns out to be a really good matchup for Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Jets passing game. The Giants have allowed 300 or more passing yards in three of their past four games and could enter Week 13 with a hobbled Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who suffered an ankle injury in last week's loss to Washington. If last week was an indication, Fitzpatrick seems to be back in rhythm with Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. If you're streaming a quarterback, this is the week to go with the slightly-less-bearded wonder.
M.G.: Just when we felt like we had found a receiver in Minnesota that we could trust, Stefon Diggs goes and starts disappearing on us. The speedy wideout hasn't has more than 66 receiving yards in his last four games. It's not completely his fault as Teddy Bridgewater hasn't been the quarterback we thought he was this season, but the end result is still the same. DeSean Jackson isn't exactly what you'd call PPR gold -- he's had more than five catches in a game just twice during his time in Washington. But he's a big play specialist, of which he reminded us with his 63-yard touchdown catch last week. With the Vikings unsurprisingly turning their offense over to Adrian Peterson, it's too difficult to rely on Diggs going forward.
M.G.: Paper is about the only place Keshawn Martin looks good right now. The fourth-year receiver has played a decent amount of offensive snaps this year (184), but he has a grand total of eight targets. The upside (if you want to call it that) is that those eight targets have yielded seven catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. That's not the kind of production I want to hang my hat on this late in the season. There are lots of receivers on the waiver wire who have a lot more week-to-week potential than Martin.
M.G.: Definitely. With Gore struggling and less than 100 percent healthy, the Colts are certain to get Herron on the field going forward just as we saw with Ahmad Bradshaw before his injury. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that the Colts offensive line isn't particularly running back friendly and you can't blame all of it on Trent Richardson. Indy hasn't had a 1,000-yard rusher since Joseph Addai in 2007. With the Steelers and Texans on the schedule in two of the next three weeks, there is reason to be concerned about Indy's run game.
Bonus question:
M.G.: Sure. But since you have all of this free time, would you mind taking care of my Christmas shopping? Thanks.
In the latest episode of the NFL Fantasy LIVE podcast the gang discuss Week 13 waiver targets, the latest injury news on Gronk, CJ2K, etc., and which players they trust down the stretch. Don't forget to subscribe and listen in HERE!
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com and a man who is still working on Thanksgiving leftovers. Tweet him your tales of gluttony or fantasy football questions @MarcasG.
