Your eyes didn’t deceive you. That was actually a compelling Thursday Night Football game!
The Seahawks nearly upset the Cowboys in a shootout but Dallas held on, 41–35. Here’s hoping for more games like that in the next few days with a slew of big NFL and college football matchups scheduled for this weekend.
In today’s Winners Club you’ll find:
Week 13 is a bye-pocalypse of sorts, akin to Week 7 when six teams were on bye and Week 10 when three of the NFL’s best offenses were idle. The Bills, Ravens, Vikings, Raiders, Bears and Giants are all off this week, which means Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Josh Jacobs, Stefon Diggs, DJ Moore and T.J. Hockenson will not be available for fantasy managers hoping to make a playoff push.
The good news: Minnesota activated Justin Jefferson from injured reserve, which sets up the All-Pro receiver for a Week 14 return against Las Vegas. However, it’s unclear who will be under center for the Vikings after Josh Dobbs’s disastrous four-interception outing on Monday.
With so many stars on bye, Michael Fabiano’s start/sit advice and player rankings are more important than ever, especially considering the fantasy postseason is right around the corner.
Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: QB | RB | WR | TE | K & D/ST
Player Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | FLEX | K | D/ST
Stacking Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill in DFS has been a recipe for success all season and Jen Piacenti recommends you do just that in Week 13. As for running backs, both Steelers backs are viable plays, as is Alvin Kamara with the Saints’ receiver room depleted. If you need more inexpensive options to round out your roster, look no further than this trio of Colts: Gardner Minshew, Zack Moss and Josh Downs.
NFL Week 13 Picks and Lines
There’s another candidate for the game of the year going on this week: 49ers vs. Eagles. It’s an NFC Championship Game rematch and potential playoff preview between the top two teams in the conference and San Francisco is a road favorite.
That heavyweight matchup headlines our five best games to bet this week. Matt Verderame, Gilberto Manzano and I made score predictions, against the spread and over/under picks for each, including a key game between the surging Broncos and Texans.
Manzano also honed in on five over/under wagers he likes in this upcoming slate, and he’s in on the over in the game with the highest total of the week: Dolphins-Commanders, which is set at 49.5
Piacenti shared her seven favorite prop bets as well. And in line with Manzano’s over pick in the Miami-Washington game, she likes overs for Brian Robinson Jr. and Jaylen Waddle in what should be a high-scoring affair.
Check out The MMQB team’s straight-up picks for this week. There’s very few upset picks across the board, though most of our writers picked an Eagles win and a few like the Jets to beat the Falcons.
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Colts (-1.5) vs. Titans | Total: 42.5
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Chargers (-5.5) vs. Patriots | Total: 40.5
1 p.m. ET (FOX): Lions (-4.5) vs. Saints | Total: 46.5
1 p.m. ET (FOX): Falcons (-1.5) vs. Jets | Total: 33.5
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Cardinals vs. Steelers (-5.5) | Total: 40.5
1 p.m. ET (FOX): Dolphins (-9.5) vs. Commanders | Total: 49.5
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Broncos vs. Texans (-3.5) | Total: 47.5
4:05 p.m. ET (CBS): Panthers vs. Buccaneers (-5.5) | Total: 36.5
4:25 p.m. ET (FOX): Browns vs. Rams (-3.5) | Total: 30.5
4:25 p.m. ET (FOX): 49ers (-2.5) vs. Eagles | Total: 47.5
8:20 p.m. ET (NBC): Chiefs (-6.5) vs. Packers | Total: 42.5
8:15 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN): Bengals vs. Jaguars (-8.5) | Total: 38.5*
*Monday Night Football
CFP Spots on the Line in Champ Week
There’s still much to be sorted out across the college football playoff landscape this weekend, starting with the final Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday night and all throughout Saturday’s stacked slate.
As of now, the College Football Playoff would look like this:
No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Florida State
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Washington
However, the Bulldogs have to hold off No. 8 Alabama in the SEC Championship to secure their spot in the final four — and the Crimson Tide can potentially sneak back in with a win. The Seminoles must keep their record perfect with a win in the ACC title game over No. 14 Louisville, without their star quarterback. The Wolverines, following their win over No. 6 Ohio State, are the most likely to get in as heavy favorites over Iowa for the Big Ten title. And the Huskies have to beat No. 5 Oregon in a rematch in the Pac-12 Championship to return to the CFP.
Also on the outside looking in is No. 7 Texas, which not only has to defeat No. 18 Oklahoma State to clinch the Big 12 title but the Longhorns are also rooting for chaos in the top four. The Buckeyes are in the same boat, only they’re the only team in the top eight not playing for a conference championship this weekend.
Pat Forde laid out some of the wildest imaginable scenarios here. And I previewed and picked the two most pivotal matchups — the SEC and Pac-12 title games — here.
(All games on Saturday, except for Oregon-Washington.)
Pac-12
8 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 5 Oregon (-9.5) vs. No. 3 Washington | Total: 65.5
Big 12
12 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 18 Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Texas (-15.5) | Total: 55.5
SEC
4 p.m. ET (CBS): No. 1 Georgia (-5.5) vs. No. 8 Alabama | Total: 54.5
Big Ten
8 p.m. ET (FOX): No. 2 Michigan (-21.5) vs. No. 16 Iowa | Total: 34.5
ACC
8 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 14 Louisville vs. No. 4 Florida State (-1.5) | Total: 47.5
In Other News
USC’s Bronny James Cleared to Return to Play: The Trojans freshman who experienced cardiac arrest in July was cleared for a full return to basketball by doctors. James is set to return to practice next week after an evaluation with the team’s staff.
Jets Open Aaron Rodgers’s 21-Day Practice Window: New York’s quarterback is one step closer to returning from his torn Achilles, which he suffered in Week 1 against the Bills. Rodgers has indicated he won’t come back if the Jets are not in playoff contention.
Oregon State QB DJ Uiagalelei Enters Transfer Portal: The former five-star recruit is back in the portal soon after Beavers head coach Jonathan Smith took the top job at Michigan State. Uiagalelei threw for a career-high 2,638 yards this season.
As always, thanks for reading. Winners Club will be back in your inbox Sunday morning. Until then, be sure to keep up with our coverage @SI_Betting and @SI_Fantasy and enjoy this loaded weekend of football!
