Week 12 was a tough one for the majority of fantasy managers. Plenty of top running backs had injuries that surely derailed plenty of fantasy seasons. Seriously, the early first round, which is supposed to be one of the safer positions to draft in, has turned into a complete minefield.

Surefire “set it and forget it” players like McCaffrey, Cook, Kamara, and Henry have all fallen victim to injuries of some sort and have either missed time or their season has ended altogether. Hopefully, your team isn’t stumbling into the finish like so many others and it is ready to take on the playoffs and compete for the championship.

With most of the struggles behind us, here are your Week 13 risers and fallers.

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Week 13 Fantasy Football Risers

Handcuff Running Backs 

If you were fortunate enough to own none of the running backs that got injured in Week 12 while also owning a handcuff to one of those backs, you should be sitting pretty right now. This week was awful for fantasy owners who had top running backs so hopefully, you help onto your handcuffs throughout these weeks. 

Backs like Tony Pollard, Jamaal Williams, Alexander Mattison, A.J. Dillon, Chuba Hubbard, Ameer Abdullah, Boston Scott, and Sony Michel all received boosts to their value. While the situations surrounding them have all been somewhat different, there is the possibility that all of them see increased workloads as the season comes to a close. 

Rob Gronkowski (TE, TB)

In this Tampa Bay offense that relied heavily on the run for their close win against Indianapolis, the lone receiver that excelled was Gronk. He didn’t receive any of his usual red zone work as that was all given to the run game but he did have an impressive day yardage-wise. He finished with a line of 7 receptions on 10 targets for 123 yards as he was favored much more than either Chris Godwin or Mike Evans.

With Antonio Brown expected to next three games for violating NFLPA COVID-19 protocols, Gronk could continue to gather more looks in the receiving game rather than being purely a touchdown threat. 

Odell Beckham Jr. (WR, LAR)

Odell Beckham has been struggling all year while being a victim of many different storylines surrounding his lack of success. From what we saw in Week 12 though, he may have just broken out of his recent struggles. OBJ was used as a main option in the Ram’s passing game on Sunday as he finished with 5 receptions on 10 targets for 81 yards and a touchdown.

A decent portion of his production came with a 54-yard touchdown in the third quarter but the usage is still a good sign. Hopefully, those 10 targets translate to more opportunities in future matchups while this Ram’s offense looks to regain their composure as a team. 

Javonte Williams (RB, DEN)

This might be the start of the Javonte Williams stretch fantasy managers have been begging for. Williams didn’t show out a ton on his efficiency with 3.9 yards per carry, but he did eclipse 100 total yards while also adding on a touchdown as a bonus. Early in the game, Melvin Gordon fell victim to a shoulder injury as well as a hip injury that was later reported.

This could play a role in Javonte receiving a larger workload as Melvin Gordon might not be 100 percent. If that is the case and Williams starts to see a higher percentage of the carries, a late-season breakout might be on the horizon.  

Week 13 Fantasy Football Fallers

Christian McCaffrey (RB, CAR)

The consensus top pick in fantasy drafts this year has had a frustrating run as of late. He spent 5 weeks on IR from Weeks 4-8 but he did end up returning for some productive games in Weeks 9-11. Now, in Week 12, CMC saw the field again and suffered another unfortunate injury. McCaffrey injured his ankle in the Panther’s loss to the Dolphins and it looks like he will be missing the rest of the 2021 season while sitting on IR once again.

In his absence, Chuba Hubbard and Ameer Abdullah will be taking the majority of the touches out of the Carolina backfield. What will be interesting to see is how CMC will be viewed in 2022 fantasy drafts as he possesses the ability to help managers win in any given week, but his availability has been lackluster these past couple of years.

Dalvin Cook (RB, MIN)

In the Vikings matchup against the 49ers, Dalvin Cook fell victim to a torn labrum late in the game. There have been plenty of reports since this injury that have suggested varying timelines for how long Cook will be out. The widely accepted thought is that this injury will keep him out until around Week 15. But in the complete opposite direction of that, Mike Zimmer has said that Cook could suit up as early as this coming Sunday.

I’d stick with the NFL insiders and their takes instead of a coach who has a history of providing major levels of coachspeak to the media. Until Cook’s possible return, Alexander Mattison should take the bulk of the workload out of the Minnesota backfield.

Cam Newton (QB, CAR)

Well, the hype was certainly short-lived. After having a great game in Week 11, the lights were shining on Cam Newton to have a similar performance against the Dolphins in Week 12. Cam started out the game with an awesome 64-yard pass to D.J. Moore and then finished off that drive with a rushing touchdown. 

Boy did that fall apart quickly. After that successful drive, the Panther’s offense was miserable as the offensive line couldn’t block a senior citizen to save their soul and Cam Newton only completed 4 more passes for the rest of the game. He was eventually benched in the 4th quarter, putting Newton and fantasy managers out of their misery. Matt Rhule has suggested that Newton will start again after their Week 13 bye but I wouldn’t expect much after this disaster. 

D’Andre Swift (RB, DET)

In the Lion’s annual Thanksgiving game, one of their star players hit the ground and got injured early in the contest. D’Andre Swift hit the ground hard on the sidelines and it kept him out for the remainder of Week 12. The injury was apparently to his shoulder and recent reports have said that it could keep him sidelined for multiple weeks. If you are the Swift owner in your league, that is the last news you want to hear. 

This situation could be similar to what we saw late in the 2020 season with Joe Mixon where there was nothing for the Bengals to really play for. That kept Mixon out for an extended period even though he could’ve probably played later in the season. The Lions have absolutely nothing to play for as they’re still searching for their first win so Swift could be sitting for the remainder of 2021. It all depends on the Lions’ management and how willing they are to let one of their few star players play with the risk of reinjury.