Fantasy Football Hot and Cold Starts - Week 13

Week 13 Fantasy Football Risers

Kyle Monangai, RB, Chicago Bears

After 11 games, it seems that the seventh-round rookie has finally taken over from veteran D'Andre Swift. In Week 12, Monangai had a 57% RB opportunity share on a 54% snap share, which was his highest of the season with Swift active. The rookie has scored a touchdown in three consecutive weeks, while Swift hasn't found the end zone since Week 8.

Ben Johnson has found the ideal split for the backfield, so expect Monangai to get more goal-line opportunities in the weeks ahead. Although Swift will still play a role, it won't be as lucrative as it was early in the season. With 12+ touches in each of his last two games and three touchdowns in his previous three games, Monangai is a startable RB2 or flex in Week 13 vs. Philadelphia.

Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants

Robinson has been a target machine with Jameis Winston under center in the last two weeks. In Week 11, he had a 31% target share, and in Week 12, a whopping 41% target share. He turned his 14 Week 12 targets into 156 yards and a touchdown, getting loose on multiple plays downfield.

According to Hayden Winks from Underdog, Robinson ranked fifth in WR usage in Week 12 (18.5 expected fantasy points), behind just Michael Wilson, Rashee Rice, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Despite scoring just three touchdowns on 102 targets, Robinson is a back-end WR1 thanks to his career-best 12.03 yards per catch. With double-digit targets and massive target shares in four of his last six games, expect the train to continue rolling along, despite who's under center for the New York Giants.

John Metchie III, WR, New York Jets

Metchie started his 2025 season with the Philadelphia Eagles after two seasons in Houston. He was then traded to the Jets ahead of the 2025 trade deadline. It took him a couple of games to get acclimated, but it appears he's finally done so. In Week 12, Metchie went 6-65-1 on seven targets.

He played on 86% of the snaps and operated as a top-2 receiver alongside Adonai Mitchell. Metchie has caught 9-of-10 targets in his last two games, while Mitchell has caught just 3-of-13. In Week 12, the Jets went with Tyrod Taylor over Justin Fields at quarterback. That led to 17 completions, a number Fields hit in just three of nine starts this season.

According to Fantasy Points Data, Metchie led the team with a 31.3% first-read target share and 2.17 yards per route run last week. Next up is a friendly matchup against a Falcons secondary that has been vulnerable through the air. Metchie makes for a startable WR3/4 in Week 13.

Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Even with Jaylen Warren active in Week 12, Gainwell still totaled 122 yards on 16 touches. That comes after a 105-yard, two-touchdown performance on 16 touches in Week 11. But it's Gainwell, not Warren, that has the more fruitful role for fantasy football. He has 14 targets to Warren's just two in the last two games.

Considering a target is worth roughly 2.55 times a carry in full PPR leagues, that's a significant difference in opportunity share for the two running backs. According to Fantasy Points Data, Gainwell is seventh in expected fantasy points per game in the last two weeks (18.5), while Warren is just 37th (9.1).

In addition to being a spectacular receiver, Gainwell is also a menace in pass protection. Expect his role to only increase as the Steelers look to protect the quarterback and utilize a legitimate weapon in the passing game. Start him as an RB2 in full PPR leagues in Week 13 vs. Buffalo.

Other Fantasy Football Risers

• Tyrone Tracy Jr.
• Travis Etienne Jr.
• Luther Burden III
• Colston Loveland
• Chimere Dike
• Jakobi Meyers

Week 13 Fantasy Football Fallers

Stefon Diggs, WR, New England Patriots

Diggs has been a part-time player for much of the 2025 season. As a result, he's had some up-and-down performances throughout the year. Week 12 was one of those down weeks. Diggs saw just three targets, turning them into two catches for 20 yards. That comes after a 105-yard performance on 11 targets.

Mack Hollins has recently been a mainstay in the Patriots' passing attack. So has Hunter Henry. The difference in Week 12 was the return of Kayshon Boutte. Boutte played 80% of the snaps, which led to just a 48% snap share for Diggs. There will be weeks that Diggs goes off, but they've been few and far between this season. He's caught fewer than four balls or totaled fewer than 40 yards in half of his games this season.

D'Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears

Swift played a season-low 45% of the snaps in Week 12. He also touched the ball a season-low nine times. Some of that was due to a costly fumble, but some of it was also due to Monangai producing on his touches. It's taken over half of the season, but it appears Swift has finally lost a stranglehold on the RB1 job in Chicago.

Swift probably won't find himself fully in the dog house after his fumble, as he's put the ball on the ground just twice this season. However, he might find himself in a role similar to the one he was in a few years ago in Detroit under Johnson, when he played 40-45% of the snaps in any given game.

Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Downs has been phased out of the Colts' offense for the past two weeks. To say his stock is "down" would be an understatement (pun fully intended). Despite back-to-back competitive games, the Colts' primary slot receiver has played on just 45% of the team's offensive snaps. His eight targets trail Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, and Tyler Warren.

He's now firmly the fourth option in the passing attack. Some other fourth options on other teams include guys like Jahan Dotson, Ryan Flournoy, and Jordan Whittington, all unstartable players in fantasy football. So far this season, Downs has scored double-digit fantasy points in just half of his games and has eclipsed 15 points just twice.

Last season, he scored double-digit fantasy points in 9-of-14 games and went over 15 points seven times. The Warren effect?

Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers

Pearsall returned to the field in Week 11 after missing six games due to a knee injury. He immediately played 75% of the snaps, but saw just two targets in his return. Last week, he still played 75% of the snaps and saw just four targets. He caught just two of those targets for six years.

Pearsall is likely still ramping up to 100% health, but it's clear, like Downs, that he's fourth in the pecking order behind George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, and Jauan Jennings. The 49ers do have a bye upcoming in Week 14, so it's possible Pearsall is close to 100% coming out of the bye, but you can't trust him in Week 13 against a tough Browns secondary.

Look elsewhere for your WR3/4 or flex play this weekend.

Other Fantasy Football Fallers

• Jordan Addison
• Sean Tucker
• Bhayshul Tuten
• David Njoku
• Rome Odunze