Thu Nov 27 8:50am ET
Field Level Media
Hold the coronation of the Indianapolis Colts. The two-time defending AFC South champions might have something to say in the matter.
Houston hits Indiana's capital city with a three-game winning streak and a healthy quarterback, momentum the Texans plot to put to good use in closing the gap in the division. The Colts (8-3) are back in their comfort zone in Indianapolis on Sunday with two losses -- at Pittsburgh and at Kansas City -- that dented their lofty conference standing following a 7-1 start.
The Texans (6-5) have taken three consecutive meetings from the Colts by a combined nine points. Houston began the season 0-3, but has its season back on track thanks to a toothy defense.
Now C.J. Stroud will join the party. The star quarterback and his teammate, nickelback Jalen Pitre, cleared concussion protocol on Friday and are set to play in this pivotal game.
Stroud was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. Barring a setback before Sunday, he'll be on the field for a fifth time opposite Indianapolis. Stroud is 3-1 in four games against the Colts.
"Picking up where we left off," Texans wide receiver Nico Collins said Wednesday after Stroud returned to the lead of the QB rotation at practice. "Going out there and being himself. He looked good out there. Excited to get back."
With Stroud out, the Texans took down Buffalo (23-19), Tennessee (16-13) and Jacksonville (36-29) the past three weeks with backup Davis Mills at quarterback. Even with the November to remember in progress for Houston, the Jaguars (7-4) separate the Colts and Texans in the South standings. Indianapolis, which last won the division in 2014 behind third-year quarterback Andrew Luck, is in Jacksonville next week.
The Sunday game will be the first of two meetings between the Texans and Colts, who also square off in the regular-season finale Jan. 4 in Houston.
The Texans lead the NFL in total defense (264.3 yards per game) and rank second in scoring defense (16.5 points per game). But Buffalo averaged 4.9 yards per carry and rushed for 143 yards last week, when Bills quarterback Josh Allen completed 70.5% of his passes but was sacked eight times.
Ryans said the Bills went away from the script most teams follow to block the Texans' attacking front seven with a seven-man blocking scheme -- incorporating multiple tight ends or a fullback -- and rolled the dice with one-on-one matchups across the field.
This is the first look for Ryans and the Texans at the Daniel Jones-led Indianapolis offense, one with a functional run-pass option foundation designed to isolate second-level defenders and freeze linemen committed to contain. The former Giants first-round pick supplanted the purported QB of the future -- Anthony Richardson, drafted two picks after Stroud in 2023 -- and has accounted for 22 of the Colts' 40 touchdowns this season. He also has 10 turnovers in 11 games.
Even at home, it's a high-stakes, high-pressure environment for Jones against the Houston edge rushing duo of defensive ends Danielle Hunter (11 sacks) and Will Anderson Jr. (10.5), the player drafted between Stroud and Richardson. Hunter and Anderson are the first pair of teammates with 10-plus sacks in the first 11 games of a season since 2019.
Jones (fibula) was limited Wednesday and practiced fully Thursday and Friday. NFL Network reported that Jones has a broken fibula, but head coach Shane Steichen said he's "good to go." He'll need protection from his offensive line.
"We have a lot of confidence and trust in our guys up front, our tackles," Jones said. "Regardless of who you've got, you try to chip them, you try to help when you can. It's my job to get the ball out on time."
None of the Texans are asking for an introduction to MVP candidate Jonathan Taylor, Jones' partner in the Colts' backfield. He leads the NFL with 17 touchdowns (15 rushing scores) and has produced big numbers in eight career matchups with Houston: 1,067 total yards (133.4 per game) and 10 TDs (nine rushing). He registered the NFL's fastest speed on a scoring play this season -- touching 22.38 mph on a 43-yard reception in Week 2 -- per Next Gen Stats.
"They have smart players. But they have athletic players," Taylor said. "If we let that front run wild, it's going to be a long Sunday."
Taylor is running for history on Sunday.
With two TDs he can become the fifth running back in NFL history to reach 75 touchdowns from scrimmage -- non-passing TDs -- in fewer than 80 games. The others to accomplish the feat: Jim Brown and LaDainian Tomlinson (both 72 games), Emmitt Smith (77) and Todd Gurley (78).
The Texans ruled out linebacker Jamal Hill and cornerback Ajani Carter, both with hamstring injuries. The Colts had just one player ruled out, linebacker Jaylon Charles (ankle).
Colts cornerback Charvarius Ward, who just returned last week after missing five games while in concussion protocol, reappeared on Friday's injury report (groin) as a limited participant.
Starts, Sits, Sleepers: Week 13
The Minnesota Vikings have elevated quarterback John Wolford to the active roster ahead of their Week 13 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Wolford will be starting quarterback Max Brosmer's backup in Sunday's game, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN. The Vikings' quarterback room has been battling injuries all season, with quarterback J.J. McCarthy (concussion) in and out of the lineup at various times and veteran quarterback Carson Wentz (shoulder) having season-ending surgery earlier this season for a torn labrum. Wolford had seen limited action early in his career, with a stint with the Los Angeles Rams. It has been some time since Wolford has taken a meaningful snap in a regular-season NFL game, but he could be called upon to play on Sunday against a tough Seattle defense.
From RotoBaller
The Los Angeles Chargers have promoted running back Jaret Patterson from the practice squad to their active roster ahead of Week 13's game against the Las Vegas Raiders. This move is likely to increase depth in a weakened Chargers backfield and support lead running back Kimani Vidal. Vidal has been the only healthy running back on the roster since fellow running backs Omarion Hampton (ankle), Najee Harris (Achilles), and Hassan Haskins (hamstring) have landed on injured reserve. Patterson has proven to be a capable change-of-pace running back in the NFL, having played for both the Chargers and the Washington Commanders. He will aim to relieve Vidal and share some of the workload in Week 13.
From RotoBaller
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith has seen limited work in the offense over the last few weeks. Since Week 10, Smith has seen a combined seven targets and two rushing attempts. The 30-year-old has yet to be a consistent fantasy option and has only had two productive weeks this season. Entering Week 13, Smith will face a tough Buffalo Bills passing defense that has allowed the fewest receiving yards this season. However, the Bills' run defense has allowed the third-most rushing yards this season. The Steelers' offense may want to establish the run game early against a run-funnel Bills defense and take pressure off quarterback Aaron Rodgers (wrist), who is still battling a left wrist injury. Smith is difficult to trust for fantasy managers heading into Week 13 and is mainly an option in deep leagues.
From RotoBaller
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver David Sills V made the most of his opportunity last week with Drake London (knee) absent, hauling in two of his three targets for 16 yards and one touchdown. London has been ruled out for Week 13 again, so Sills should get an opportunity to be fantasy relevant for a second straight game on Sunday. The 29-year-old will have to share looks with Darnell Mooney, Kyle Pitts Sr., Bijan Robinson, and others, so the veteran wideout is nothing more than a speculative flier in very deep leagues, especially given that Sunday's matchup versus the Jets is expected to be a low-scoring affair against a defense that has been fairly good against the pass in recent weeks.
From RotoBaller
Denver Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant is coming off his best performance of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11. The rookie wideout hauled in five of his six targets for 82 yards in the win. This was a solid showing from Bryant who has been a non-factor in the offense outside of that. Bryant has been held to two receptions or less in every game besides his most recent performance. It remains to be seen what kind of involvement Bryant will have coming out of the bye week. He'll likely be a distant third option behind Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin. Bryant is worth a stash in dynasty formats, but isn't a recommended starting option against the Washington Commanders this weekend.
From RotoBaller
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne has been a non-factor in the offense over the last few weeks. In fact, Bourne hasn't hauled in a pass since Week 10. Honestly, Bourne hasn't been a factor in the offense since his five-catch performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6. The 49ers are getting healthy on offense and Bourne is falling out of the offensive gameplan. Last week, Bourne saw a season-low nine percent of the offensive snaps during the win over the Carolina Panthers. Bourne is unlikely to help unless an injury happens, so the 30-year-old is best left on the bench ahead of Week 13.
From RotoBaller
Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears continues to have a limited upside while splitting up the reps in the backfield. Spears has good long term upside, but has a limited ceiling while he continues to split up the backfield duties with Tony Pollard. At the moment, Pollard gets most of the ground work while Spears does the receiving work in the backfield. Last week, Spears rushed three times for four yards, while hauling in four receptions for 21 yards in the loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The 24-year-old is worth stashing in dynasty formats, but doesn't have great upside in redraft formats. At best, Spears offers low-end flex value for the upcoming matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
From RotoBaller
Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo (foot) is officially listed as questionable ahead of the Week 13 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Okonkwo has been limited in practice this week due to a lingering foot issue. When healthy, Okonkwo has been a lackluster option for fantasy managers this season. The 26-year-old has been playing better lately with six receptions for 96 yards over his last two games. Despite that, Okonkwo will still have limited upside due to the fact he'll continue splitting up the playing time with Gunnar Helm. It doesn't seem like Okonkwo is going to be 100 percent healthy for this game. Fantasy managers should consider him on the lower end in the TE2 conversation for Week 13.
From RotoBaller
Tennessee Titans tight end Gunnar Helm is coming off his best performance of the season. Helm hauled in six of his seven targets for 51 yards during the loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The rookie tight end has stepped up his play recently with 10 receptions over his last two games. His role in the offense could increase this weekend with Chig Okonkwo (foot) currently questionable for the Week 13 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. If he sits, Helm would take over as the primary tight end in this offense for at least one game. Regardless, Helm has done enough lately to be worth a look as a TE2 in deep leagues for this weekend.
From RotoBaller
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Elic Ayomanor (hamstring) carries a questionable tag into the Week 13 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ayomanor has been limited in practice all week due to a lingering hamstring injury that kept him out of last week's game. When healthy, Ayomanor hasn't offered fantasy managers much of anything all season long. The rookie wideout has been held to under 50 receiving yards in every game but two this season. Ayomanor has seen five targets or more in each of his last five games. Despite that, Ayomanor is having little success right now and shouldn't be viewed as anything more than a low-end flex option.
From RotoBaller
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Chimere Dike tied for the team lead with seven targets in Week 12 against the Seattle Seahawks, recording five catches for 44 yards and a touchdown. Across 11 games this season, the rookie has hauled in 28 catches for 252 yards and two touchdowns on 43 targets. Dike could get some target competition back in the lineup in Week 13, as Titans wideout Elic Ayomanor (hamstring) is questionable to play on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars after being sidelined in Week 12. Still, Dike has emerged as a relatively safe bet for playing time in Tennessee, playing at least 80% of his team's offensive snaps in three out of his last four games. The Jaguars also profile as a favorable matchup for opposing wide receivers, as they currently rank 22nd in the NFL in passing yards allowed (2,788) and 26th in passing touchdowns allowed (22). Dike profiles as a WR4/deep-league flex option for fantasy managers in Week 13.
From RotoBaller
Across 11 games this season, Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard has recorded 690 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 166 touches. The 28-year-old's 4.2 yards-per-touch average is the lowest of his seven-year NFL career. Pollard has been particularly inefficient over his last two games, recording just 67 scrimmage yards on 28 touches. Making matters worse for fantasy managers, Pollard is stuck in a nearly dead-even playing time split with fellow Titans running back Tyjae Spears. In Week 13, Pollard will face the stingy Jacksonville Jaguars run defense. Entering the week, the Jaguars' defense ranks seventh in the NFL in yards per carry allowed (3.9) and has allowed just seven rushing touchdowns on the season. Pollard appears unlikely to see a high volume of touches, nor be particularly efficient with the work he receives against Jacksonville. He profiles as a low-end RB3/flex option for fantasy managers in Week 13.
From RotoBaller
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. hauled in just two passes for 25 scoreless yards in Week 12, but despite the limited production, the 25-year-old is now 2-for-2 in leading the team in targets in the two games this season with Kirk Cousins at the helm. The other commonality in those two contests was that Drake London (knee) was absent, which will again be the case on Sunday against the Jets. While that is a positive for Pitts' prospects this week, the 6-foot-6 tight end has found the end zone just one time this season. The Jets are middle of the pack in terms of yielding fantasy points to opposing tight ends, but this game has one of the lowest expected totals on the slate (39.5) and with a low chance of scoring, the former first-rounder projects as a volume-dependent low-end TE1.
From RotoBaller
Tennessee Titans quarterback Cameron Ward had arguably the best game of his young NFL career in Week 12 against the Seattle Seahawks, completing 28 of 42 pass attempts for 256 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. Ward also recorded 37 rushing yards and a touchdown on six rushing attempts. The 23-year-old has been far more aggressive as a runner in recent weeks, recording 70 yards on nine attempts over his last two games after totaling just 46 yards on 18 attempts over his first nine contests. He now faces a favorable matchup on paper in Week 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Through 12 weeks, Jacksonville ranks 22nd in the NFL in passing yards allowed (2,788) and 26th in passing touchdowns allowed (22). Fantasy managers should proceed with caution based on the overall struggles of Ward and the Titans' offense in 2025, but the arrow is tentatively pointed in the right direction for the rookie. Ward profiles as a low-end fantasy QB2 in Week 13 against the Jaguars.
From RotoBaller
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 199 yards and a pair of touchdowns (one interception, too) last week in his second start of the season and first since Week 8. The veteran was able to put that solid fantasy performance together despite completing just 16 passes (23 attempts). It could be tough sledding in Week 13 in a road matchup against the Jets, a defense that has yielded the tenth-fewest pass yards per game (194.6) on the season and eighth-fewest over the past three weeks (181.3). Not only that, the 37-year-old will be without the team's top receiving option, Drake London (knee), for the second straight week. Fold in a low implied total of 39.5 for this game (21 for Atlanta) and the fact that the Falcons may lean more heavily on Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, it leaves Cousins as a low-end QB2 in Week 13.
From RotoBaller
Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller (pectoral) is being activated off Injured Reserve and will play in his team's Week 13 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Waller has been sidelined by a pectoral injury since Week 7. Across four games before getting injured, the 33-year-old recorded 10 catches for 117 yards and four touchdowns on 12 targets. Waller was emerging as a favorite end-zone target of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and he played a season-high 69% of Miami's offensive snaps in Week 6, his final full game before getting injured. Entering Week 13, the Saints rank in the bottom ten among all NFL teams in passing touchdowns allowed (20). Waller profiles as a borderline top-12 fantasy tight end in his matchup on Sunday against New Orleans.
From RotoBaller
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell called star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) "day-to-day" with an ankle injury, and said he doesn't know what that means for St. Brown's status in Week 14 and 15, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. St. Brown was forced to exit in the first quarter from Detroit's Thanksgiving Day loss to the Green Bay Packers after getting rolled up on. The 26-year-old has previously been classified as week-to-week, although it doesn't sound as though there's been much concrete change since his initial injury diagnosis. The Lions will take on the streaking Dallas Cowboys in Week 14 next Thursday night. In addition to St. Brown, Detroit may be without tight end Brock Wright (neck) and wide receiver Kalif Raymond (ankle) against Dallas. Lions wideout Jameson Williams stepped up with a huge performance in Week 13 after St. Brown went down, and depth wide receivers Isaac TeSlaa and Tom Kennedy could also be forced into larger roles if St. Brown cannot play in Week 14.
From RotoBaller
New Orleans Saints running back Audric Estime figures to have a larger role in the offense for the upcoming Week 13 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. The Saints are going to be without lead back Alvin Kamara (knee, ankle) for at least one game. That means, Devin Neal will take over as the lead back. However, Estime, Evan Hull, and Taysom Hill could see a role as well. Estime was signed to the active roster a few weeks ago, but has been mainly a depth option. The 22-year-old is still young enough to re-establish his value with his new team. Estime won't be worth starting this weekend, but could be someone worth stashing in dynasty formats.
From RotoBaller
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney is set to be the team's No. 1 wideout again with Drake London (knee) having been ruled out for the second consecutive week. Kirk Cousins only attempted 23 passes in Week 12 and spread the ball around to seven different receivers, so Mooney was limited to just three targets, however, he converted all three for catches and tallied 74 yards with a touchdown. In what is expected to be a low-scoring affair on Sunday, there may not be a lot of passing again, which will dampen the veteran's outlook. The Jets are also middle of the pack against the pass this season in terms of fantasy points allowed and are a bit more generous against the run, so it all leaves the 28-year-old as a mid-range WR3 for Sunday's tilt with New York.
From RotoBaller
New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill has seen his role in the offense expanded over the last few games. Last week, Hill saw a season-high 10 rushing attempts in the loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Sadly, Hill didn't have much success as he finished with 17 yards for a lousy 1.7 yards per carry. The expectation is that Hill is going to see a larger role again in Week 13 with Alvin Kamara (ankle, knee) ruled out. Devin Neal will take over as the lead back, but Hill should see chances as well. It wouldn't be shocking to see Hill having double digit carries again, but his lack of success this season is a concern. Fantasy managers shouldn't trust him as anything more than a touchdown-dependent option for the upcoming matchup against the Miami Dolphins.
From RotoBaller