Stars of Week 13 

QB:      Peyton Manning: 22-35, 403 yards, 5 TDs

RB:      Ben Tate: 22 carries, 102 yards, 3 TDs

WR:     Josh Gordon: 10 catches, 261 yards, 2 TDs

Alshon Jeffery:12 catches, 249 yards, 2 TDs

Eric Decker: 8 catches, 174 yards, 4 TDs

TE:      Zach Ertz: 5 catches, 68 yards, 2 TDs

Peyton Manning finds his way back here in a commanding performance against the defense of the Kansas City Chiefs, which has fallen off a cliff the last three weeks. Hopefully Tate’s owners didn’t sit him due to injury concerns, as he carved up the Patriots’ run D, in yet again a losing effort by the Texans. Josh Gordon and Alshon Jeffery both went off on Sunday, and in both cases, marks their second 200+ yard performance of the season. Also, couldn’t leave Eric Decker out of the honor roll with his 4 TD performance, so the WR prize gets shared three ways. Zach Ertz displayed nice chemistry with Nick Foles against the Cardinals, and Ertz will be reviewed more closely below.

Week 13 Takeaways – A Closer Look 

Each week we’ll take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.

- Brandon Weeden: 24-40, 370 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs           

Analysis:         If you’ve read the tea leaves surround the Browns’ QB situation, you know that Weeden no longer factors into the long term plans at QB.  Weeden had a terrific game, for fantasy purposes, against the Jags on Sunday. For those teams who lack a sure fire starting QB, do not look Weeden’s way, despite Sunday’s performance. Weeded cannot be trusted to string together a stretch of solid performances, and just as the Browns’ front office has done, you should set your sights elsewhere. Don’t view Weeden’s line against the Jaguars as a sign of things to come for the last quarter of the NFL season.

- CJ Spiller: 15 carries, 149 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: Spiller has as strong of a case as any player for the “fantasy football bust of the year” trophy. A truly disappointing season by Spiller, with injuries a major cause, but not the full cause, of the down year. Spiller’s superior talent level remains evident, but trusting him on a week to week basis requires a leap of faith that I would not recommend taking. If you own Spiller, he’s fine as a flex play, and possibly as an RB2 in favorable matchups, but note that he’s as risky as they come in terms of weekly performance. Managers looking for a safer play should consider other RBs. 

- Montee Ball: 13 carries, 117 yards, 0 TDs

Analysis: If you own Knowshon Moreno, surely you took notice of Montee Ball’s workload against the Chiefs on Sunday, as the carries were split rather evenly between the RBs. Should Moreno owners be alarmed? Yes, on some level, as Ball’s involvement in the offense has quietly increased over the past month. While an even timeshare is not likely for the remaining games, something along the lines of a 2-1 split in favor of Moreno should be expected. So expect Moreno’s numbers to dip a bit, albeit not enough to warrant removing him from your starting lineup. As for Ball, we need to see more before recommending Ball as a fantasy contributor, but he should definitely be on the stock watch list for teams needing RB help.

- Roddy White: 10 catches, 143 yards, 0 TDs

Analysis:         Roddy White suffered a nasty high ankle sprain near the opening of the season, and the injury essentially torpedoed his year. For the first time this season, however, White looks to be healthy, and he had his first “vintage Roddy White” game of the year against the Bills. If White found his way to the waiver wire in your league, now’s the time to scoop him up if you need a WR. Proceed with caution though, as the Falcons are fully out of contention, and may elect to limit White’s playing time during the last few weeks. But, he could help fantasy owners in the playoffs – certainly worth a flyer if you need a WR (flex level). 

- Michael Crabtree: 2 catches, 68 yards, 0 TDs

Analysis:         Crabtree finally made his long awaited 2013 debut, just in time for the playoff push (both for the 49ers and fantasy managers). A nice first game for Crabtree, which included a promising run after one of his catches. So the takeaway here is that Crabtree looks healthy, and we should expect meaningful production for these last few weeks. If you need a WR and Crabtree’s available, scoop him up. He should be no worse than a WR3/flex, with upside as a WR2. The chemistry he displayed with Kaep should reappear in little time.

- Zach Ertz: 5 catches, 68 yards, 2 TDs

Analysis:         The juggernaut offense commanded by Nick Foles reached its way to Zach Ertz on Sunday against the Cardinals, capped by his 2 TDs. Ertz is in his rookie season, and as with most rookies, has not been consistent from week to week. This does not mean that Ertz lacks talent though – he was a second round pick from Stanford, so no surprise to see an uptick in performance. Ertz looks to have a promising future, but as for this season, he slots as a TE2. For teams in deep leagues which need TE help, feel free to take a flyer on Ertz. He does have upside, but keep expectations for the remainder of this season in check.

Strategy Discussion  - Beware of the “Adjustment Period” 

For this week’s strategy discussion, we’re borrowing a phrase from the baseball world, but it applies to all sports. We see this with young players all the time – the player makes his debut, puts up eye catching stats for the first month, and then drops off a cliff once teams have had a chance to scout the player’s weaknesses. For our purposes, our primary concern for the  adjustment period is for young quarterbacks. So, we’re talking about Case Keenum, Matt McGloin (and Terrelle Pryor before McGloin) and Mike Glennon, while you could also throw Colin Kaepernick and Ryan Tannehill in the group as well. With fantasy playoffs starting in most leagues this week, the takeaway here is to be careful in starting QBs like Keenum, McGloin and Glennon over solid veteran options. This does not mean that you can’t proceed with one of these young QBs if that is your best option, but as teams have more footage of these guys now, they are making adjustments, and this could lead to some rough weeks.  Glennon is the safest pick out of these guys, but still very much risky. Just keep the adjustment period in mind when setting your lineups.

Week 14 Rankings

Quarterbacks

1. Peyton Manning, Broncos (TEN)

2. Matthew Stafford, Lions (at PHI)

3. Cam Newton, Panthers (at NO)

4. Tom Brady, Patriots (CLE)

5. Drew Brees, Saints (CAR)

6. Nick Foles, Eagles (DET)

7. Tony Romo, Cowboys (at CHI)

8. Russell Wilson, Seahawks (at SF)

9. Josh McCown, Bears (DAL)

10. Philip Rivers, Chargers (NYG)

11. Robert Griffin III, Redskins (KC)

12. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (MIA)

13. Alex Smith, Chiefs (at WAS)

14. Matt Ryan, Falcons (at GB)

15. Colin Kaepernick, 49ers (SEA)

16. Andrew Luck, Colts (at CIN)

17. Joe Flacco, Ravens (MIN)

18. Carson Palmer, Cardinals (STL)

19. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Titans (at DEN)

20. Eli Manning, Giants (at SD)

Running Backs

1. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (at BAL)

2. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs (at WAS)

3. Matt Forte, Bears (DAL)

4. Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks (st SF)

5. LeSean McCoy, Eagles (DET)

6. Reggie Bush, Lions (at PHI)

7. Knowshon Moreno, Broncos (TEN)

8. Andre Brown, Giants (at SD)

9. Eddie Lacy, Packers (ATL)

10. Alfred Morris, Redskins (KC)

11. Le'Veon Bell, Steelers (MIA)

12. DeMarco Murray, Cowboys (at CHI)

13. Ben Tate, Texans (at JAC)

14. Zac Stacy, Rams (at ARI)

15. Chris Johnson, Titans (at DEN)

16. Shane Vereen, Patriots (CLE)

17. Ray Rice, Ravens (MIN)

18. Frank Gore, 49ers (SEA)

19. Giovani Bernard, Bengals (IND)

20. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars (HOU)

21. C.J. Spiller, Bills (at TB)

22. Steven Jackson, Falcons (at GB)

23. Fred Jackson, Bills (at TB)

24. Ryan Mathews, Chargers (NYG)

25. Rashard Mendenhall, Cardinals (STL)

26. Bobby Rainey, Buccaneers (BUF)

27. Chris Ivory, Jets (OAK)

28. Donald Brown, Colts (at CIN)

29. Rashad Jennings, Raiders (at NYJ)

30. Montee Ball, Broncos (TEN)

Wide Receivers

1. Calvin Johnson, Lions (at PHI)

2. A.J. Green, Bengals (IND)

3. Josh Gordon, Browns (at NE)

4. Brandon Marshall, Bears (DAL)

5. Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (TEN)

6. Dez Bryant, Cowboys (at CHI)

7. Vincent Jackson, Buccaneers (BUF)

8. DeSean Jackson, Eagles (DET)

9. Andre Johnson, Texans (at JAC)

10. Alshon Jeffery, Bears (DAL)

11. Antonio Brown, Steelers (MIA)

12. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (STL)

13. Torrey Smith, Ravens (MIN)

14. Wes Welker, Broncos (TEN)

15. Victor Cruz, Giants (at SD)

16. Eric Decker, Broncos (TEN)

17. Pierre Garcon, Redskins (KC)

18. Jordy Nelson, Packers (ATL)

19. Harry Douglas, Falcons (at GB)

20. Keenan Allen, Chargers (NYG)

21. Riley Cooper, Eagles (DET)

22. Roddy White, Falcons (at GB)

23. T.Y. Hilton, Colts (at CIN)

24. Julian Edleman, Patriots (CLE)

25. Cecil Shorts, Jaguars (HOU)

26. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs (at WAS)

27. Kendall Wright, Titans (at DEN)

28. Michael Floyd, Cardinals (STL)

29. Anquan Boldin, 49ers (SEA)

30. Marques Colston, Saints (CAR)

Tight Ends

1. Rob Gronkowski, Patriots (CLE)

2. Jimmy Graham, Saints (CAR)

3. Julius Thomas, Broncos (TEN)

4. Jason Witten, Cowboys (at CHI)

5. Vernon Davis, 49ers (SEA)

6. Greg Olsen, Panthers (at NO)

7. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons (at GB)

8. Martellus Bennett, Bears (DAL)

9. Antonio Gates, Chargers (NYG)

10. Jared Cook, Rams (at ARI)

11. Jordan Cameron, Browns (at NE)

12. Charles Clay, Dolphins (at PIT)

13. Coby Fleener, Colts (at CIN)

14. Jordan Reed, Redskins (KC)

15. Delanie Walker, Titans (at DEN)

Neema Hodjat is the fantasy sports writer for RealGM.  He can be reached via email at nhodjat@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @NeemaHodjat.