Depth Chart Watch: Fallout From Week 13

Depth Chart Watch: Fallout From Week 13

This article is part of our Depth Chart Watch series.

Week 13 was quiet on the injury front, with precious few ailments likely to throw fantasy teams into disarray. Isn't that nice? I mean, it doesn't create much to work with on the ol' waiver wire, but at least your star players got through another week without being decapitated or dismembered. Let's see how things are looking now.

Arizona RB:David Johnson repaid the FAAB dollars and waiver priorities spent on him by racking up 99 rushing yards as well as 21 receiving yards with a touchdown, but Kerwynn Williams produced behind him in limited action, turning only six carries (Johnson had 22) into 59 yards, mostly thanks to a 35-yard scamper into the end zone. Meanwhile, Chris Johnson (toe) is done for the regular season, while Andre Ellington (toe as well) isn't expected to play when the Cards get back in action Thursday.

Arizona WR:J.J. Nelson continues to make himself noticed, this time with a first-quarter touchdown. Unfortunately, it was one of only two catches on the day, but his name should still be filed away as a potential bust-out if injuries strike the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown. All three of those guys were in the lineup Sunday, with Floyd (game-high 12 targets, seven catches for 104) and Brown (six for 113 on eight targets) carrying the offense while Fitzgerald wasn't able to get much going, mostly catching short stuff (eight for 55 on 11 targets).

Atlanta RB:Devonta Freeman got

Week 13 was quiet on the injury front, with precious few ailments likely to throw fantasy teams into disarray. Isn't that nice? I mean, it doesn't create much to work with on the ol' waiver wire, but at least your star players got through another week without being decapitated or dismembered. Let's see how things are looking now.

Arizona RB:David Johnson repaid the FAAB dollars and waiver priorities spent on him by racking up 99 rushing yards as well as 21 receiving yards with a touchdown, but Kerwynn Williams produced behind him in limited action, turning only six carries (Johnson had 22) into 59 yards, mostly thanks to a 35-yard scamper into the end zone. Meanwhile, Chris Johnson (toe) is done for the regular season, while Andre Ellington (toe as well) isn't expected to play when the Cards get back in action Thursday.

Arizona WR:J.J. Nelson continues to make himself noticed, this time with a first-quarter touchdown. Unfortunately, it was one of only two catches on the day, but his name should still be filed away as a potential bust-out if injuries strike the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown. All three of those guys were in the lineup Sunday, with Floyd (game-high 12 targets, seven catches for 104) and Brown (six for 113 on eight targets) carrying the offense while Fitzgerald wasn't able to get much going, mostly catching short stuff (eight for 55 on 11 targets).

Atlanta RB:Devonta Freeman got back from his concussion in Week 13, taking over full-time duties once again from Tevin Coleman. While he didn't have the most efficient day running the ball (14 carries for 47 yards), Freeman still managed to clear 100 total yards thanks to his season-high 10 catches for 56. Your PPR owners thank you, Devonta. Coleman touched the ball just four times, gaining 17 yards.

Baltimore QB: Well, we've seen Matt Schaub twice now. At least he was able to score a couple touchdowns on Cleveland's sad-sack defense, but Miami's similarly sad unit limited him to just one, though he did clear 308 yards. Oh, he's also thrown four interceptions in two weeks and gets to face the Seahawks next. Good luck!

Baltimore RB:Javorius Allen was mediocre on the ground Sunday, carrying 17 times for a modest 63 yards, but he exploded through the air, catching more balls than any other two players in that Ravens-Dolphins game combined – a cool dozen (on a baker's dozen targets) for 107 yards and Schaub's only touchdown. He did yield eight carries to Terrance West, but Buck's quite clearly the new horse here and a strong play down the stretch.

Buffalo RB:LeSean McCoy did some Shady stuff Sunday – as I certainly expect him to when the Bills draw the Eagles in Week 14 – but it's worth noting that Mike Gillislee and not Karlos Williams worked in a backup role, running seven times for 41 yards. Williams has a shoulder injury and remains iffy.

Carolina WR: It was another Cam Newton Show on Sunday down in N'awlins, and when Cam racks up five touchdowns, some receivers are going to have to benefit. Indeed, Ted Ginn gathered five catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns, while Jerricho Cotchery and Devin Funchess caught touchdowns of their own despite low yardage totals.

Chicago RB:Matt Forte predictably saw his workload spike back near normal levels in his second game back, as he carried 21 times for 84 yards and a score while catching all five of his targets for another 39. Jeremy Langford still got some nice work in a backup role, running a dozen times for 59 yards, though he didn't do much with his receiving opportunities (three targets, two catches, nine yards).

Chicago TE:Martellus Bennett got back in there Thursday, but had a quiet day, gaining only 14 yards. He may find the going easier next week against Washington, another seven days removed from his rib injury.

Cincinnati RB: Predictably, Jeremy Hill was well used and quite productive against the Browns on Sunday, but then again, that seemed predictable when Cleveland came into Cincy to visit the Bengals a month ago, and it didn't work out that way. Well, this time it went as expected, with Hill tearing off 98 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries while Giovani Bernard saw just five catches and one pass target in the rout. The rule of thumb is: Hill against bad teams, Bernard against good ones.

Cincinnati TE:Tyler Eifert downplayed his neck injury last week after the game, but he didn't practice all week or play Sunday. With the orange cats sticking it to the brown Browns, his services weren't really required anyway. Backups Tyler Kroft, Ryan Hewitt and C.J. Uzomah each caught a pass in his stead.

Cleveland QB:Josh McCown hit IR last week with his collarbone injury, but the Browns – intent on punishing Johnny Manziel – went with Austin Davis at quarterback in Week 13. The results were predictably unpleasant, with Davis turning the ball over twice and leading zero touchdown drives. Now, the latest is that Manziel will regain the starting role. Maybe for the rest of the year this time?

Cleveland WR: Compounding the woes of the Browns' pass game, their best wide receiver (by a big margin), Travis Benjamin, left Sunday's game with a shoulder issue. With Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel already suffering from concussions, maybe Dwayne Bowe gets to see the field again in Week 14.

Dallas QB:Matt Cassel has a cake matchup on tap for Monday night against a bad Washington secondary, but will he be good enough – and will Dez Bryant (foot) be healthy enough – to take advantage? We'll find out soon!

Denver RB:C.J. Anderson frustrated fantasy owners again Sunday – he didn't draw the start, but he was running well (seven carries for 42 yards and a 12-yard catch) before leaving with an ankle injury. Ronnie Hillman, meanwhile, didn't do a very good job at taking advantage of the Chargers' user-friendly run defense, as he managed only 2.9 YPC on 19 carries. Maybe the Broncos turn back to Anderson next week; maybe we're all just sick of both guys.

Detroit RB:Joique Bell was a horror show Thursday against the Packers – five yards on eight carries – while Ameer Abdullah delivered a snazzy 5.2 YPC on his own 13 lugs, a productive day that could lead to him enjoying a bigger share moving forward. Third-down man Theo Riddick returned to quietude in this one, producing only 27 yards on his five receptions. He's no threat to poach carries, but he'll keep holding Abdullah's usefulness down in PPR.

Green Bay RB: It looked like Eddie Lacy was back and ready to roll… and then he missed curfew Wednesday night and barely played Thursday, carrying five times for four yards and losing three on his only catch. Not that James Starks was a whole ton better despite a more 'featured' role – he managed only 15 yards on nine carries and added 45 on five catches. I suspect we'll see more of Lacy next week against Dallas, but there's a lot of uncertainty here.

Green Bay TE:Richard Rodgers exploded Sunday, catching all eight of his targets for 146 yards and a touchdown. I haven't touched on Rodgers much in this space, but despite fairly inconsistent production, it's well worth noting that he sees quite consistent targets -- at least five in five consecutive weeks now, and eight times in the last nine. He also has four TDs in his last five games.

Houston RB:Alfred Blue (back) saw his workload cut down to only four carries Sunday after he was limited in practice all week, which left Chris Polk with starter's touches. He took advantage as much as you could ask for, running 12 times for 61 yards and adding an 11-yard touchdown catch. Jonathan Grimes saw more work than Blue, too, with five carries and a pair of catches. You have to figure the Texans go back to Blue if he's healthy enough next week, but they face a Patriots team that's likely to come out with a chip on its shoulder after this week's beating by Philadelphia.

Indianapolis QB:Matt Hasselbeck was a disaster in Week 13, turning the ball over three times and thoroughly nerfing his wide receivers' value en route to a trouncing at the hands of Pittsburgh. He also suffered neck and shoulder injuries, ultimately being pulled from the game for Charlie Whitehurst. Andrew Luck (kidney) is looking at a return in Week 15 or 16 and amazingly, he could still lead this awful Colts team to the playoffs. In the meantime, it's not impossible that Whitehurst draws the start next week, as Hasselbeck's status is quite uncertain.

Jacksonville WR: The Jags were without Allen Hurns (concussion) against the Titans on Sunday, but instead of spreading the ball around more, Blake Bortles locked in on Allen Robinson, throwing him the ball 15 times. The result certainly won more than a few fantasy matchups, as Robinson went off for 10 catches, 153 yards and three touchdowns. Rashad Greene caught a touchdown, but had just 15 yards to go with it. Marqise Lee was the second-most-targeted wideout with four, and he only caught one of those for 17 yards.

Kansas City RB:Charcandrick West (hamstring) got back out there Sunday, but Spencer Ware made enough of an impression during West's absence that his end of the timeshare was only slightly smaller. Neither was impressively productive this time around – 35 yards on nine carries for West, 26 on seven carries for Ware – but the second-stringer's 10-yard touchdown made him a little fantasy-relevant. Look for West to get more run next week against the Chargers.

Miami WR: This time around, DeVante Parker was the only Miami receiver to do really anything. He caught three of his five targets for 63 yards and a touchdown, while the rest of the Dolphins combined to catch six passes for 23 yards. Despite only turning the ball over one time, the Dolphins somehow only managed to run 46 plays to Baltimore's 75 on Sunday.

New England RB: I thought the Patriots were going to stick it to the Eagles and it'd be a big LeGarrette Blount day Sunday, but no. Blount did carry a team-leading 13 times for 54 yards, but it was James White who stuck out, assuming much of the slack left in the passing game by the lack of Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski. He led the team with 10 catches on 13 targets for 115 yards and a touchdown. Hot.

New England WR:Danny Amendola made his return to the field Sunday, picking up seven grabs for 62 yards and a score, but he did need 13 targets to make that happen and he had at least one bad drop. But hey, he was better than Keshawn Martin and Brandon LaFell, who were targeted a combined 17 times and produced a combined seven catches for 72 yards. And Amendola also threw a 36-yard pass to, uh, Tom Brady. Now I know why people ask me what QB they should choose in their PPR leagues.

New England TE: Boy, don't the Patriots wish they had Rob Gronkowski (knee) for that last-minute drive as they attempted to finish their comeback from 21 down. They didn't, but Scott Chandler delivered 61 yards and a touchdown, which is all fantasy owners who snatched him up for the week could ask for. Gronk remains highly questionable for next week's game, so there could be more Chandler time ahead. Who else is Brady going to throw to?

New Orleans WR:Willie Snead (calf) wasn't able to go Sunday, which left Drew Brees to do plenty of heaving to steady No. 1 Brandin Cooks (six catches for 104 and a score) as well as preseason darling Brandon Coleman (four for 73 and a score). It didn't help Marques Colston, who caught only one pass. Coleman appears set to enjoy a bigger role as long as Snead's out.

New York Giants TE:Will Tye grabbed three balls for 70 yards against the Jets on Sunday, which is about all you can ask for from a replacement tight end not named Scott Chandler.

New York Jets RB:Chris Ivory came into Sunday's game healthy and came out of it healthy, too, but maybe he did something to make the coaches mad – he sat for extended stretches both early and late, yielding many passing-down plays to Bilal Powell, who ended up tying for the team lead with 13 targets and catching eight of them for 91 yards and a brilliant touchdown. Powell didn't get anything going on the ground (six carries for 17 yards), though. Ivory was more efficient, running for 47 on 10 carries and adding five catches for 22, resulting in a modest fantasy total that looks downright ugly when you add in his rare fumble.

Philadelphia QB:Sam Bradford got back to face the Patriots on Sunday, and it went better than you'd expect. With a big assist from the Eagles' defense and special teams, which made sure he didn't have to do too much, Bradford went 14-for-24 for 120 yards and two scores. And Mark Sanchez was right back where Philly fans want him – on the bench.

Philadelphia RB: Let's face facts: DeMarco Murray looks slow. I mean, really slow. Slow enough that the Eagles instead handed the ball to Darren Sproles 15 times Sunday. Even Kenjon Barner carried the ball more times (nine) than Murray (eight), though Barner's late fumble that nearly blew the game may make Chip Kelly warier on that front. Sproles put together 100 total yards and returned a punt for a touchdown. Murray, meanwhile, wasn't even targeted in the pass game and can't be relied upon for the rest of the season unless things change drastically in the next few weeks.

Philadelphia TE:Zach Ertz got back from his concussion Sunday, and though he only caught two passes for nine yards on four targets, one of those landed him in the end zone. Brent Celek nearly doubled up Ertz's receiving distance by catching a 16-yard pass on his only target.

Pittsburgh QB:Ben Roethlisberger apparently avoided any kind of serious concussion situation, as he got right back out there and threw four touchdowns against the Colts. That guy is tough.

Pittsburgh TE:Heath Miller sat out Sunday's game with his rib issue, but Jesse James didn't do a ton in his place, notching three receptions for 30 yards as the fifth option in the pass game.

San Diego WR: The Chargers' passing game got wrecked by that Denver defense in Week 13 on multiple fronts. Not only did they score three points as a team, but they also lost Dontrelle Inman to a neck injury and Steve Johnson to a groin injury. Malcom Floyd got held to one catch, but hey, depth man Javontee Herndon caught both his targets. I expect to see more Herndon and more of Ladarius Green as a wideout if one or both of those injured guys can't get back on the field in time for next week.

San Francisco RB:Shaun Draughn continues to dominate the carries for the Niners, but despite consistent production through the air – another 50 yards Sunday – he keeps getting less efficient on the ground, with just 36 yards on 13 carries against the Bears. But hey, he punched in a short touchdown and continues to hold the top role with Carlos Hyde (foot) out indefinitely and possibly forever (aka the year).

San Francisco TE:Vance McDonald wasn't able to follow up his two good weeks with a third, as he managed only two catches for 18 yards Sunday due to a concussion. He does still retain relevance in deeper formats as the primary pass-catching tight end here if the issue ends up proving Roethlisberger-esque.

Seattle RB:Thomas Rawls threw down 101 rushing yards and scored a touchdown for the third straight game Sunday. Marshawn who? (Also, Fred Jackson scored a receiving touchdown. That is all.)

Seattle WR: Doug Baldwin is having himself a fiesta. He now has five touchdowns in two weeks after grabbing two more – and another 94 yards – in Sunday's game against Minnesota. Tyler Lockett performed well, too, catching all seven of his targets for 90 yards.

Seattle TE: With Jimmy Graham done, the Seahawks didn't lean that much on Luke Willson Sunday, as he caught only two balls for 36 yards and actually saw one target fewer than Cooper Helfet, who only caught one of his four. Looks like this timeshare could ruin the potential for either of them to take over Graham's role, but the true test will come when the Seahawks get into a game that forces them to throw the ball a lot.

St. Louis QB: Another day, another Nick Foles disaster. Foles completed just 15 of 35 passes for 146 yards and an interception en route to a three-point day for the Rams' offense. Ick. Case Keenum (concussion) couldn't go Sunday, but will be your Week 14 starter.

Tampa Bay TE:Austin Seferian-Jenkins returned to the field Sunday and was Jameis Winston's second-most-targeted receiver, though that meant only six looks and three catches for 31 yards. With the Saints up next, it's a good idea to snag him off your wire.

Tennessee RB:Antonio Andrews and David Cobb got equivalent workloads in Week 13, appropriately carrying 13 times each, and Andrews had the better of it, gaining 58 yards and scoring on a goal-line carry. Cobb had 40 yards of his own, which means that Marcus Mariota outgained the both of them put together with his old-time Michael Vick stat line of 112 rushing yards.

Tennessee WR:Dorial Green-Beckham had the best game of his young career Sunday, tying his season mark with five catches and easily eclipsing his previous yardage totals with 119 and a touchdown. No other wideout was very involved; Kendall Wright finished with only 28 yards and seems to be seeing his role decline every week.

Washington RB: It'll be interesting to see how the Redskins break out their carries between Matt Jones and Alfred Morris on Monday night against a Cowboys team that's had a bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde run defense.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Fiorentino
Andrew is a former RotoWire contributor. He was a managing hockey editor, talent wrangler, football columnist, FSWA's 2015 fantasy hockey writer of the year. Twitter: @akfiorentino
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