Tis the season for joyful spirits! However, some of these performances may give some of these players a lump of coal in their stockings! There is still plenty of football left for most teams to make a playoff push. For that to happen some of these defenders will need to step it up. As we all know, DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS!
Last week we got 70% correct! That is 4 straight weeks with at least 60% correct. Let us ride the momentum into week 13!
*Side note- a sit to me is somebody that will get 10 or less fantasy points for you.*
Week 12 Starts (4 Pass, 1 Fail)
Tuli Tuipulotua- 7pts – Fail; Jaelan Phillips– 16pts – Pass; Ivan Pace– 20pts – Pass; Tremaine Edmunds– 17pts – Pass; Kevin Byard– 22pts – Pass
Week 12 Sits (3 Pass, 2 Fail)
Haason Reddick– 5pts – Pass; Travon Walker– 4pts – Pass; Brian Burns– 15pts – Fail; Jordyn Brooks– 33pts – Fail; Ji’Ayir Brown– 5pts – Pass
If you are feeling hesitant about any IDP I mention, then be sure to check out my additional start/sit options. Now let’s get into my Week 13 Starts & Sits for IDP!
START
DL- Andrew Van Ginkel (MIA) @ Washington Commanders (START)
The team lost pass rusher Jaelan Phillips which means somebody will need to step up for added pressure. Van Ginkel should be in line to see some extra opportunity. The Commanders are the league’s worst when allowing defenders to get to the quarterback (Sam Howell). This could be a game where Van Ginkel gets behind the line for some big plays. In games he has seen over 75% of snaps, he has at least one sack. Those 3 games (over 75% snaps) were games that Jaelan Phillips was out. Plug him in your lineups with confidence this week!
Edge- Alex Highsmith (PITT) vs Arizona Cardinals (START)
Highsmith has scored less than 10 fantasy points in the last 3 weeks. This week he will get a fruitful matchup versus offensive tackle D.J. Humphries. Since quarterback Kyler Murray has returned, he has been sacked a total of 9 times. An average of 3 times per game. Humphries has allowed 3 sacks this season. Murray is a great quarterback. With T.J. Watt on the opposite side though, the open lane could be there for Highsmith to connect. I am taking the over on 10 fantasy points for him this week.
LB- E.J. Speed (IND) @ Tennessee Titans (START)
Speed seems to be the beneficiary after the Colts released linebacker Shaquille Leonard. Last week he saw 95% of snaps. This would be his second outing seeing north of 90% of snaps. The other time was against the Titans in week 5. Speed was already on track for a career year with 45 tackles through 11 games. Last season he had 55 tackles through 17 games. Now that Leonard is out of the mix, I expect Speed to be a huge part of the Colts defense from here on out. Plug him in with confidence.
LB- Eric Kendricks (LAC) @ New England Patriots (START)
Kendricks plays against arguably the worst quarterback this season. Since his season worst 4 tackles in week 9 against the Jets, he has turned it around. He has recorded 7 tackles per game the last 3 weeks. This week we might see the Patriots try to pound the rock up the middle with the quarterback position in flux right now. Kendricks is seeing the least amount of snaps between the starting linebackers, but he has a shot to be extra efficient against a bad offense this week.
DB- Jordan Battle (CIN) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (START)
It was only a matter of time for the rookie safety to take over the starting role. In the past two weeks he has out snapped former starter Nick Scott by 91 snaps. In those two weeks, he has 19 total tackles. He had 11 tackles total through the first 9 weeks of playing. Battle is a talented player with excellent ball tracking skills. He will be able to identify the runs or drop back into coverage. Either way, this is a fruitful matchup for him. Honestly, if he performs again as he has the past two weeks he might become a must start for the rest of the season.
Additional Players to consider starting:
Broncos – Jonathon Cooper
Jaguars – Devin Lloyd
Steelers – Elandon Roberts
Buccaneers – Antoine Winfield
Saints – Tyrann Mathieu
SIT
DL- Myles Garrett/Za’Darius Smith (CLE) @ Los Angeles Rams (SIT)
Garrett was seen in a sling after their game against Denver last week. Reports say he avoided major injury. Regardless, he might not be 100% this week. For that reason, I would be sitting Garrett. If Garrett is unable to go, then it is possible Smith gets an uptick in snaps. If he does, I am still benching him. If there is no Garrett, there is no pressure. This would hurt Smith even with more opportunity.
DL- Chase Young (SF) @ Philadelphia Eagles (SIT)
Since joining the 49ers, Young has seen less than 80% of snaps. In the 3 games he has played with the team, he has 3 total tackles with 1.5 sacks. Young is a great talent. Lately, his presence has only opened the door further for defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to find more success. Since Young has joined the team, Hargrave has 3 sacks and 15 total tackles. I like Young as a talent. This may be a game he finds some success since he has some experience against the Eagles. However, in 3 years with the Commanders he has only played the Eagles three times. Two of those times were in his rookie season. Until he shows me he can be a dominant pressure off the edge, he is on my bench.
LB- Jack Campbell (DET) @ New Orleans Saints (SIT)
I will admit I was high on Campbell coming into this season. I thought he would go into Detroit and at the very least be second to linebacker Alex Anzalone. The truth is veteran Derrick Barnes has not given up the starting spot to him. I am also hesitant on starting Barnes on a weekly basis. Anzalone seems to be the only consistent linebacker for the Lions to start on a weekly basis. I love Campbell. He should be stashed in any IDP dynasty league you have. His time to shine though may be next year, not this one.
Note: It is possible that Anzalone misses this week with a hand injury. If that is the case, then we might need to check the additional players to sit. Campbell could be called upon to have a bigger game with no Anzalone on the field. If Anzalone can give it a go, then bench Campbell where you have him.
LB- Byron Young (LAR) vs Cleveland Browns (SIT)
Young had his time to shine in week 9 when starting linebacker Ernest Jones was out. He did too. In that game against the Packers, he had 10 total tackles, 2 sacks, one tackle for loss, and a forced fumble. With Jones back in the lineup after the bye week he has had 6 total tackles. Now this is a great matchup considering the Browns do not have much at the quarterback position. They just signed veteran Joe Flacco. Young has impressed throughout his rookie season. He has been one of the new additions for the Rams that has stepped up. However, with Jones in the lineup I believe it is safe to bench Young until further notice.
DB- Budda Baker (AZ) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (SIT)
Baker has played 100% of snaps since his return in week 7. He does get a good matchup against a bad quarterback this week. Kenny Pickett saw his best completion percentage last week with 72.7% completion. It is possible Pickett throws a turnover with Baker on the opposite side of that. The issue is the Cardinals run defense is horrendous. They just allowed Kyren Williams to rush for 143 yards on 16 attempts. This was Williams’ first week back from injury. The Steelers have two solid backs in Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris. They both could get a heavy workload taking Baker out of the picture for a big play.
Additional Players to consider sitting:
Titans – Harold Landry
Bengals –Sam Hubbard
Chiefs – Willie Gay
Falcons – A.J. Terrell
Rams – Jordan Fuller
That is my week 13 start/sits for the IDP positions.
Thank you for reading. Follow me on X at @ThePPRShow for more! If you need offensive start/sit advice, give @TFFGRobbie a follow for his weekly offensive start/sit articles! Peace & Love.
For additional IDP lineup advice, check out our Start/Sit Tool.