• Kyren Williams leads the Rams: Williams has been a mainstay in this weekly article, and he may finally pay off against some favorable competition in the next few weeks.

• Zonovan Knight comes out of nowhere: The Jets undrafted rookie made his debut and could be the Jets' lead running back if Michael Carter is limited or ruled out of Week 13.

• Michael Gallup moves up the Cowboys depth chart: Gallup surpassed Noah Brown on Dallas’ depth chart and had the best game of his season on Thanksgiving Day.

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

Jump to a position group:

QB | RB | WR | TE

Quarterback

Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns (Rostered in 42.2% of leagues on ESPN)

Watson is eligible to return this week. The Browns QB was suspended for the first 11 games of the season.

Watson was able to return to practice two weeks ago. The Browns are planning on starting him as soon as he’s eligible to play, even though Jacoby Brissett ranked eighth among quarterbacks in PFF grade through the first 11 weeks.
Watson was a top-five fantasy quarterback each season from 2018-2020.
He might need some time to become that player again, as he's not played a regular-season game in a year and a half.
His first two matchups will be against the Texans and Bengals, and both teams are top-five in preventing fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
He’s unlikely to help a team reach the fantasy playoffs, but there is a chance he can be a starter in some average matchups during the postseason.

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (29.2%)

Goff threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns in the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Bills.

Goff ranked top-10 in both passing yards (2,442) and touchdowns (15) heading into the week.
His wide receivers are getting healthier, too: D.J. Chark was able to become a regular player in the offense against the Bills, Josh Reynolds is active again and Jameson Williams could make his debut this week.
The Lions have the fourth-easiest schedule for quarterbacks over the next five weeks.
His next two opponents rank in the top 10 in terms of allowing fantasy points to quarterbacks.

Mike White, New York Jets (2.5%)

White put together one of the best performances his team has got out of the QB position this season, which will hopefully be enough for him to keep the starting job.

His 11.3 yards per attempt and 78.6% completion percentage are single-game highs for a Jets QB this year.
White has thrown more touchdowns to Garrett Wilson and Elijah Moore combined than any other Jets quarterback this season.
The Jets play the Vikings next week. Minnesota ranks among the top 10 teams in allowing fantasy points to quarterbacks, and New York will likely need to pass a lot more.
Four of their next five opponents are in the top 12 for teams allowing fantasy points to quarterbacks.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (58.8%)

Lawrence threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns in the Jaguars' upset victory over the Ravens.

The former No. 1 overall pick ranks 11th in passing yards and 13th in passing touchdowns on the season, making him a borderline fantasy starter for the year.
His 90.1 PFF grade from Week 9 to Week 10 was the second-best at the position over that time. His quality of play has taken a giant step in the right direction in recent weeks.
Next week, Jacksonville plays a Lions team that has allowed the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
The week after, the Jags play a Titans team that ranks sixth in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks.
Lawrence can be dropped from fantasy rosters after those two games and should only be picked up to start in Weeks 13 and 14.

Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers (7.1%)

Pickett threw for 265 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers' Week 11 loss to the Bengals.

From Week 4 to Week 11, Pickett ranked 10th in rushing attempts (29) and yards (165) at the position.
The Steelers have the second-easiest schedule for quarterbacks the rest of the way.
The Steelers QB has been the top lottery ticket at quarterback this season, and it’s starting to look a little more likely that he can pay off.
Pittsburgh plays again tonight against the Colts on Monday Night Football.

Running Back

Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs (58.2%)

Clyde Edwards-Helaire landed on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain, which cost him this game and at least the next three.

Ronald Jones was active for the Chiefs as their third running back.
Jones played a little more than Edwards-Helaire had in recent weeks, but it largely came at the expense of Jerick McKinnon on early downs.
Isiah Pacheco not only maintained his role in the offense but took several goal-line snaps, something he hasn’t done in past weeks.
This allowed Pacheco to score a 3-yard touchdown, his first score since garbage time in Week 1.
Pacheco also set a career high in receiving yards at 17.
His number of rushing attempts in recent weeks was enough to make him a borderline fantasy starter, but the possibility of scoring touchdowns moves him closer to a must-start.

Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (61.7%)

White dominated the Bucs' snaps in the absence of Leonard Fournette, but it might not be enough for him to hold onto a significant role.

White was the clear RB1 in every situation, losing a few snaps to Ke’Shawn Vaughn only when he needed a rest.
He put together a great first quarter running the ball, gaining 48 yards on four carries — the best first-quarter total by a Bucs back all year.
White gained only 11 yards on eight carries over the next three quarters, and he averaged just 0.25 yards before contact per carry.
He caught nine passes — the second-most by a Buccaneers running back this season — for 45 receiving yards.
There hasn’t been a noticeable difference between White and Fournette this season. There is a chance White continues to play a high number of snaps and becomes a fantasy starter from volume alone, but we could also go back to more of a split.
Giovani Bernard returned from injured reserve for the Buccaneers, but he didn’t play a snap in this game. There is a chance he could contribute in the future.

NFL Week 13 fantasy football waiver wire targets