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2021 Fantasy Football Busts Projections Week 13 | Sit ‘Em Picks & Players Who’ll Disappoint

Last Updated: Jul 14, 2023

Each week of the 2021 NFL season, I will be listing certain players as potential fantasy football busts for the upcoming week. No, this does not mean I believe these players are trash and should not be rostered.

The players I name in this article each week may have unfavorable matchups, situational changes that negatively impact their value, injury concerns, and other various reasons to avoid having them in your lineups for that specific week.

The adage “stick with your studs" only applies to a few elite fantasy options. You should not be married to all of your starters every week, but instead, pick and choose which players have the best matchups and highest potential of fantasy points each week.

I know that can be a lot of work, but don’t worry, I have you covered with fantasy football tips!

This weekly fantasy football bust article, partnered with my weekly waiver wire article, will assist you in your sit/start decisions every single week for the 2021 season.

2021 Fantasy Football Busts for Week 13 - Quarterback

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals vs Los Angeles Chargers

Joe Burrow had a decent performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. He wasn’t spectacular but added to his fantasy production with a rushing touchdown.

Burrow had been hot for the first eight weeks of the season but has since cooled down. He’s thrown for less than 300 yards in each of his last four games and has totaled just two touchdown passes and three interceptions in his last three contests.

The Los Angeles Chargers have given up the seventh-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season and have allowed a quarterback to throw for over 300 yards just once. Meanwhile, they’ve limited a quarterback to less than 200 passing yards in five games.

With how well Joe Mixon has been running the ball of late, I expect the Bengals to rely on their running game against a Chargers team that surrenders a league-high 145.3 yards per game on the ground.

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks vs San Francisco 49ers

Even in a productive fantasy performance, Russell Wilson did not look good against the Washington Football Team in Week 12. His throws were sloppy and he missed his targets by a wide margin on multiple attempts.

Ever since Wilson injured his finger, he hasn’t been the same player. He’s thrown for 615 yards and just two touchdowns in his last three games and has two interceptions in that span. This is a guy who threw for 895 yards with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions in his first three games of the season.

The San Francisco 49ers are a middle-of-the-pack defense against the quarterback position, but that’s honestly enough to hinder Wilson’s fantasy day. The 49ers have given up multiple touchdown passes to a quarterback just once in their last five games.

More Week 13 Busts To Avoid:

  • Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens

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2021 Fantasy Football Busts for Week 13 - Running Back

Saquon Barkley, New York Giants @ Miami Dolphins

Where did Saquon Barkley go? Yes, he had an injury in Week 5 that kept him out of four games, but he hadn’t done much before and hasn’t been effective since. His best rushing performance of the season came in Week 2 when he ran 13 times for just 57 yards.

It just feels like a wasted season for Saquon Barkley and his fantasy managers at this point. If he has trouble in good matchups, how can we trust him in the difficult ones? Last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, Barkley had a 32-yard rush. He ended the game with 40 rushing yards.

The Miami Dolphins have given up the seventh-fewest fantasy points to running backs. They haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher since Jonathan Taylor in Week 4 and haven’t allowed a running back to score a rushing touchdown in their last five games.

It’s time we start fading Saquon until he shows signs of his old self, and time is quickly running out.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs vs Denver Broncos

Clyde Edwards-Helaire was impressive in his first game back after his five-week absence due to a knee injury. He rushed 12 times for 63 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys in Week 11.

He’ll have a more difficult time against a Denver Broncos defense that has given up the eighth-fewest fantasy points to running backs this year.

The Broncos have allowed just two 100+ rushing yard performances on the season and haven’t given up a rushing touchdown to a running back since Week 7. The Broncos just held Chargers running back Austin Ekeler to 31 yards on 12 attempts.

It’s not about Edwards-Helaire’s talent. I’ve said it many times before, the Chiefs do not need to rely on their running backs to win football games. In a tough matchup for running backs this week, expect Patrick Mahomes and his pass-catching weapons to take over.

More Week 13 Busts To Avoid:

  • David Johnson, Houston Texans vs Indianapolis Colts

2021 Fantasy Football Busts for Week 13 - Wide Receiver

Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals vs Los Angeles Chargers

Tee Higgins is coming off his best game of the season. He caught 6 of 8 targets for 114 yards and a touchdown. It was his first 100+ receiving yard game of the year and the first time he’s caught a touchdown since Week 2. Are you beginning to see why we shouldn’t overreact to last week?

Prior to last week’s game, Higgins had over 50 receiving yards in just three of his last six games. He just had a two-catch, 15-yard performance in Week 11. His matchup this week is close to as bad as it can get.

The Los Angeles Chargers have given up the second-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this season. They’ve allowed just three 100+ receiving yard games and have given up just two touchdown receptions to wideouts in the last six games. The Chargers have only given up five touchdown receptions to wide receivers this season.

Considering Tee Higgins isn’t the top option for Joe Burrow, this matchup should scare you enough to bench him.

Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots

Cole Beasley‘s target share has decreased recently. He went from nine targets in Week 6, 13 targets in Week 8, and 11 targets in Week 9 to just 12 total targets over his last three games. He hasn’t topped 46 receiving yards in any of his last four games. Beasley has scored just one touchdown on the season, in Week 6 against the Tennessee Titans, so he doesn’t even offer scoring upside.

Everything mentioned above should be enough to avoid playing Beasley going forward. If it isn’t, his matchup should do the trick.

The New England Patriots have given up the fourth-fewest fantasy points to wideouts this season. They’ve allowed just one touchdown reception from the position in their last four games and have allowed just one wide receiver to surpass 50 receiving yards (Keenan Allen, Week 8) since both Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb surpassed that number in Week 6.

More Week 13 Busts To Avoid:

  • Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills

Find better Week 13 fantasy football players on the waiver wire with our 2021 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Top Pickups.


2021 Fantasy Football Bust for Week 13 - Tight End

Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots

As good as the Patriots are at defending wide receivers, they are even better against tight ends. The Patriots defense has given up the fewest fantasy points to the position this season and have allowed just one tight end to surpass 29 receiving yards on the season (Dalton Schultz, 77 yards in Week 6). New England has allowed just three touchdowns from the position all year.

The Patriots defense basically takes away any upside Dawson Knox can provide. He’s only eclipsed 50 receiving yards just twice this season and has scored a total of two touchdowns in his last four games. There are other options at the position with better matchups to stream this week. The Patriots’ defense is for real.

More Week 13 Busts To Avoid:

  • Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions

Find better Week 13 fantasy football players to start with our 2021 Fantasy Football Sleepers Predictions.


2021 Fantasy Football Bust for Week 13 - Defensive Team

Chicago Bears vs Arizona Cardinals

The Chicago Bears defense has been very good for fantasy purposes this year. The Bears can get to the quarterback and create turnovers. However, they have not done well against good quarterbacks and unfortunately, they will have to deal with Kyler Murray this week.

Murray can avoid pressure as one of the best mobile quarterbacks in the league, taking away one of the strengths of this defense. The Cardinals also score a ton of points, which will also negatively impact the fantasy value of the Bears defense.

As good as the Bears defense has been for you in recent weeks, it’s best to find a substitute for this week.

More Week 13 Busts To Avoid:

  • Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs

Author

Nate Hamilton

Nate Hamilton is a regular contributor to the fantasy football industry. He has produced content for some of the top fantasy football sites including FantasyPros, The Fantasy Footballers, Fantasy Data, FantraxHQ, and currently The Game Day! He is a co-author of Amazon's #1 Best Selling "The Fantasy Football Black Book" with Joe Pisapia. Nate is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA).

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