Fantasy Football Quarterback Start/Sit Week 13: Should You Start Jared Goff, Jordan Love, or Russell Wilson?

Welcome to Week 13. C.J. Stroud and Brock Purdy are top-7 fantasy quarterbacks on a points per game basis. Trevor Lawrence is closer to Mac Jones on a points per game basis than he is to Patrick Mahomes. And Sam Howell has been a better fantasy quarterback than Lawrence, Justin Fields, Jared Goff, and Russell Wilson on a points per game basis. Exactly how we all drew it up!

All that to say, we've got our work cut out for us as we try to figure out what to do with our start/sit decisions moving forward. You're obviously not benching any of those guys (more on that below), but there are plenty of other borderline fantasy starters we need to sift through. 

I'm going to use the list below to cover every quarterback start/sit situation for Week 13. The list is broken into tiers (which as pretty self-explanatory based on the names of them), and you can simply look at the list and make start/sit decisions -- because it's in order of preference! Think of it as my weekly quarterback rankings.

This week is a bit of a mess with all the byes, so let's see what we can figure out!

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No-Brainer Start 'Em

You drafted these guys as your starter. There's no reason to waffle on them based on matchups or anything like that. We don't even need to talk things through on any of these guys -- let's stop over-thinking things. Here's the order in which I'd start them this week: 

• Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

  • While Hurts has a rough matchup, there's no way you can think about benching the current MVP. 

• Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

  • Mahomes hasn't had quite the season we're used to from him, but he's still elite. 

• Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

  • Dak has been on fire over the last month and you can't even think about benching him right now. 

• C.J. Stroud

  • The Broncos defense has been better after an awful start, but Strough has played his way into beeing a must-start. 

• Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

  • It feels like a lifetime ago that Tua was in the MVP conversation, but this week's matchup should give him a chance to get back on track. 

• Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

  • While the Patriots defense isn't quite as bad as their record indicates -- Herbert should be able to have his way with them. 

• Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Lawrence looks to have played his way back into this category and has a nice home matchup against the Bengals. 

• Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

  • I don't love the matchup, but Purdy has been producing -- and I think the 49ers are going to have to air it out to keep up with Philly

Still Start 'Em

These guys are a little more of a borderline decision, but they're worth starting this week. Here's the order in which I'd start them this week:  

• Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

  • I don't love the matchup, but Kyler has looked good since returning from injury. 

• Sam Howell, Washington Commanders

  • Howell is in the QB1 conversation with all the byes. I'm not quite there on a must-start, but he's close as he'll likely have to air things out against Miami. 

• Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers

  • Love has been excellent as of late and will have to put the ball in the air against Kansas City. 

• Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos

  • Stroud has been good, but the Texans defense hasn't been great. Russ should be able to cook against them. 

• Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

  • Goff has cooled off as of late, and the Saints offense is really good. I think he's still a solid start, but he's not a no-brainer. 

• Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Baker looks to be healthy after being questionable earlier in the week and should push the QB1 conversation against the lowly Panthers. 

Deep League Starts

These guys are basically "sits" in a 12-team league. But they're likely someone you should start in a superflex league or a 16-team league. Here's the order in which I'd start them this week:

• Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts

  • Minshew has a decent start against the Titans, but I'd avoid him if you can.

• Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints

  • I don't mind Carr in deeper leagues against the Lions, but it's also Derek Carr. Deep leagues only. 

• Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks

  • Smith has been really tough to rely upon this season and I don't want to use him against the Cowboys if I can avoid it. 

• Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Pickett looked better last week, but I'm still avoiding him if possible.  

• Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

  • Stafford was very good last week, the Browns defense is one to avoid. 

Sit 'Em

These guys are "sits" in pretty much any league except a superflex. Here's the order in which I'd start them this week if you absolutely have to:

• Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

  • Starting Young is basically just rolling the dice on a post-Frank Reich turnaround. Avoid. 

• Jake Browning,Cincinnati Bengals

  • Browning isn't too bad and has some decent options. He's a desperation play, but he might be the best of this bunch. 

• Will Levis, Tennessee Titans

  • Levis has been very average lately. His matchup isn't horrible, but he's a desperation play.  

• Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons

  • The Jets defense makes an already bad fantasy option an even worse fantasy option. 

• Bailey Zappe, New England Patriots 

  • Can Zappe be worse than Mac Jones? I'm not starting him in fantasy to find out. 

• Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns

  • It's 2023. We're avoiding Joe Flacco for fantasy purposes if possible. 

• Tim Boyle, New York Jets

  • This entire team is just a mess at this point. Stay away from Boyle. 

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