“Shore Thing Sleepers” isn’t your ordinary fantasy football Week 13 start/sit article. Instead, our analyst Seth Woolcock and this week’s guest Tyler Bradley highlight lower-valued players that can provide starting-caliber production for a specific week. These are usually players near the end of your bench or even on the waiver wire/free agency. You can catch an additional sleeper pick live at the end of our weekly in-season Friday podcast episode.
Rostership percentages are based on ESPN Points Per Reception (PPR) redraft fantasy football leagues.
Week 13 Start/Sit Consideration: Shore Thing Sleepers
Royce Freeman (RB, Los Angeles Rams) | 19.4% Rostered
The Los Angeles Rams have shown a preference for Royce Freeman, providing him with a noteworthy workload of 12.6 carries per game. Freeman has been efficient, averaging 4.6 Yards Per Carry (YPC). Even with Kyren Williams back in Week 12, Freeman had another notable performance of 13 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown. While he may not contribute much in the receiving game, his goal-line opportunities make him a viable option, especially when facing the Cleveland Browns in Week 13.
Cleveland surprisingly presents a favorable matchup, ranking as a top-nine matchup for running backs over the past two weeks. The absence of Myles Garrett from practice adds to the allure, potentially opening up running lanes for Freeman. Last week, the Browns have given up double-digit PPR points to running backs like Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine. Prior to that, change-of-pace backs in particular fared well against Cleveland, as seen in Jaylen Warren‘s career day in Week 12, scoring 23.5 PPR points, and Keaton Mitchell‘s 15.6 PPR point performance as the second back behind Gus Edwards in Week 10. Considering the circumstances, Freeman could find success in Week 13, making him a sneaky start for fantasy managers. – Woolcock
Bailey Zappe (QB, New England Patriots) | 1.9% Rostered
Stepping in for the benched Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe gets the start for the New England Patriots. Zappe has had two career starts, displaying a boom-or-bust profile, finishing as a QB1 in one and outside the top 24 in the other. However, Week 13 brings a favorable matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, a team that has allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.
The Chargers’ defense has struggled, surrendering a league-high 3,340 passing yards and managing only six interceptions, with the last one coming in Week 8. In Weeks 10 and 11, both Jared Goff and Jordan Love had 300+ yards and two touchdowns against them. Zappe, a fourth-round pick, set the single-season College Football passing yards and touchdowns record in 2021 with Western Kentucky, totaling 5,987 yards and 62 TDs. With a great matchup incoming, Zappe could be a potential streamer for fantasy managers in need of a quarterback for Week 13. – Bradley
Thanks for reading our “Shore Thing Sleepers” to consider in your Week 13 start/sit decisions. Check out more of our fantasy football and other written content here at In-Between Media, or head over to our YouTube channel to get your fix via video.
*Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez – USA TODAY Sports*