Depth Chart Watch: Fallout From Week 13

Depth Chart Watch: Fallout From Week 13

This article is part of our Depth Chart Watch series.

When the biggest cheer from the crowd comes not because of a big play, but rather for shirtless idiots running onto the field, you know you're watching the 2016 Jets in action. Monday night's game was the sort of event that could make a god-fearing Jets fan swear off football altogether, and it was the final straw that got Ryan Fitzpatrick sent to the bench for good. Have you ever seen a guy hold out so long for a big contract and then prove so thoroughly that he doesn't deserve one?

Anyway, let's see how the depth charts are looking, shall we?

QUARTERBACK

Cleveland Browns

Robert Griffin (shoulder) is reportedly in consideration for the Week 14 start, so assuming he gets through the week of practice alright, I'd anticipate seeing him out there against the Bengals. If not, well, Cody Kessler's healthy again and Josh McCown is still kickin' around too.

Denver Broncos

Paxton Lynch drew his second start of the year with Trevor Siemian (foot) on the shelf Sunday, and the results weren't pretty – 12-for-24, 104 yards, no touchdowns or picks. Word is that Siemian's getting healthy, so he might return for Week 14, but there's still some uncertainty built in here.

New York Jets

The Jets saw enough of Ryan Fitzpatrick after yet another brutal performance Monday night (5-for-12, 81 yards and an interception), so they brought Bryce Petty on in relief. Although there were some positive moments for optimistic New York fans (do those exist

When the biggest cheer from the crowd comes not because of a big play, but rather for shirtless idiots running onto the field, you know you're watching the 2016 Jets in action. Monday night's game was the sort of event that could make a god-fearing Jets fan swear off football altogether, and it was the final straw that got Ryan Fitzpatrick sent to the bench for good. Have you ever seen a guy hold out so long for a big contract and then prove so thoroughly that he doesn't deserve one?

Anyway, let's see how the depth charts are looking, shall we?

QUARTERBACK

Cleveland Browns

Robert Griffin (shoulder) is reportedly in consideration for the Week 14 start, so assuming he gets through the week of practice alright, I'd anticipate seeing him out there against the Bengals. If not, well, Cody Kessler's healthy again and Josh McCown is still kickin' around too.

Denver Broncos

Paxton Lynch drew his second start of the year with Trevor Siemian (foot) on the shelf Sunday, and the results weren't pretty – 12-for-24, 104 yards, no touchdowns or picks. Word is that Siemian's getting healthy, so he might return for Week 14, but there's still some uncertainty built in here.

New York Jets

The Jets saw enough of Ryan Fitzpatrick after yet another brutal performance Monday night (5-for-12, 81 yards and an interception), so they brought Bryce Petty on in relief. Although there were some positive moments for optimistic New York fans (do those exist anymore?), Petty completed only 11 of 25 pass attempts for 135 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions of his own. The Jets are expected to roll with Petty for the remainder of the season as they try to see what they have in the 25-year-old Baylor product.

San Francisco 49ers

The bizarre saga of Colin Kaepernick continues. Just one week after throwing for 296 yards and three touchdowns against Miami, with 113 rushing yards serving as a mountain of icing on that cake, he faced the Bears and offered up an utterly pitiful 24-yard performance with as many sacks as pass attempts. He was yanked after three quarters. I have to say, that's about as quickly as I've seen anyone go from hero to zero. Fortunately for Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert came in and was similarly terrible (4-for-10, 35 yards, sacked for a safety), so the NFL's most controversial quarterback (sorry, Cam Newton, you non-tie-wearing son of a gun) will probably get another start in Week 14 against the Jets.

RUNNING BACK

Baltimore Ravens

Terrance West's edge in workload translated to a pair of touchdowns against the Dolphins on Sunday – one on the ground, one through the air – but Kenneth Dixon was again the more effective runner. Dixon gained six more yards (56) on four fewer carries (six), and he did it with consistency rather than by breaking that one huge run. He also held a one-target edge, catching all four balls thrown to him for an additional 21 yards. Thus, the timeshare continues.

Cincinnati Bengals

For two straight weeks since Giovani Bernard's injury, Jeremy Hill has been fed the ball heavily, and the result has been absolutely disastrous rushing totals. Incredibly, he was even worse in Week 13 than he'd been the week before, taking 23 carries for 33 yards, and a short touchdown proved to be his only saving grace for fantasy purposes. Rex Burkhead has actually led the Bengals in rushing twice in a row, as he carried the ball eight times for a strong total of 38 yards and added 28 more through the air. He lost a fumble however, which won't help his cause. Better times are ahead for Hill with Cleveland on the schedule for Week 14.

Denver Broncos

Kapri Bibbs looked like he might be making moves on Devontae Booker's workload Sunday, only to end up leaving with an ankle injury that's now landed him on IR. Meanwhile, Booker turned in another horribly inefficient game, rushing 18 times for 35 yards and a fantasy-day-saving touchdown – his fifth straight week under 4.0 YPC. The Broncos signed up Justin Forsett to be their new backup; try not to get too excited.

Green Bay Packers

The only rusher the Packers got good results from in Week 13 turned out to be Ty Montgomery – he took six carries for a team-high 40 yards. That's exactly double the total gained by Christine Michael (nine carries for 19 yards) and James Starks (four for one whole yard) put together. When Montgomery was seeing significant workloads, he put up terrific numbers, and considering the ineffectiveness of his competition, it's baffling that he's been marginalized so badly since Starks' return from injury.

Jacksonville Jaguars

With Chris Ivory's hamstring strain keeping him out of action in Week 13, T.J. Yeldon and Denard Robinson took a whole bunch of touches and turned them into mediocre results. Yeldon had the edge in usage with 14 carries and seven targets, but he totaled just 55 yards on the ground and 27 more through the air. Robinson had the edge in carries with 17, but he was a bit less efficient, gaining 53 yards and catching just a single complementary pass for 11. Don't count on Ivory coming back in Week 14, so we should see a similar breakdown of touches against Minnesota.

New Orleans Saints

After being limited all week with a toe issue, Mark Ingram ultimately suited up Sunday, but he didn't see a whole lot of work in a game that found the Saints trailing all the way through. Despite looking hobbled at times, he was relatively effective in his limited carries, turning seven of them into 37 yards accompanied by five catches for 16. Tim Hightower was relegated to a backup's touches.

New York Giants

Rashad Jennings got just six carries Sunday, turning them into 19 yards – but he was also targeted on six passes, and he caught all of them for 34 yards and a touchdown against Pittsburgh. Paul Perkins enjoyed a small carry edge (seven) and was efficient (38 yards), but is still seeing too small of a workload to be usable in most fantasy leagues.

Philadelphia Eagles

When your quarterback throws the ball 60 times (for real) and your team scores 14 points, you know there have to be some ugly stat lines left steaming in the aftermath. That's just the case for Wendell Smallwood, who got another opportunity in place of Ryan Mathews in Week 13, only to crash and burn – eight carries for 19 yards and no catches on three targets. Darren Sproles ran a late touchdown in, salvaging an otherwise terrible day (seven rushes for 14 yards, six catches for 35). Mathews is expected back at practice this week, and he could conceivably return to match up against Washington on Sunday. Considering the ineffectiveness of his competition, he could see a good number of touches, too.

Seattle Seahawks

We finally saw Thomas Rawls bust out Sunday against the once-good Carolina defense, as he racked up 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 15 rushes, adding a 12-yard catch. This is about as healthy as Rawls has been all year, and it couldn't come at a better time. Troymaine Pope returned from his ankle injury and got eight carries for 28 yards working as the backup.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Doug Martin took an awkward hit in the third quarter Sunday and ended up seeing his workload limited because of it, though he still managed to score a touchdown to go with 68 total yards. That left a little extra work for Jacquizz Rodgers in his return from injury – he managed 50 total yards of his own on only eight touches (10 fewer than Martin). The prognosis for Martin's undisclosed injury remains unclear, but at least based on what we know now, I don't expect he'll miss further action. However, Charles Sims (knee) is expected to return from IR this week, and he could pick up extra work quickly if Martin's limited.

WIDE RECEIVER

Chicago Bears

If you bet on Josh Bellamy being the Bears' leading receiver in Week 13, you didn't have to split your prize with anyone. He caught four of six targets for 93 yards, added another 12 on a carry, and could have had a really big day if not for dropping a potential 60-yard touchdown pass. Cameron Meredith was good for three catches and 67 yards, and there wasn't much else to see in the Chicago passing game. One more week remains on Alshon Jeffery's suspension.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals went to their receivers more Sunday (because the Eagles are good against tight ends), leading to a big game for Brandon LaFell – five catches on seven targets for 95 yards and a score. Tyler Boyd had a decent game playing second fiddle, grabbing four of six passes thrown his way for 66 yards. It remains unclear when A.J. Green (hamstring) might return, but don't bet on it happening this week.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Allen Hurns was held out of action Sunday due to a hamstring injury. That may be a blessing, considering how atrocious he's been this year, especially over his last four games (four catches for 34 yards on 20 targets). There was no profit to be found in the passing game for the Jags against Denver, with Allen Robinson's 10 targets resulting in just three catches for 34 yards and Marqise Lee's nine resulting in three for 31.

Kansas City Chiefs

Jeremy Maclin (groin) sounded like he had a good chance to return in Week 13, but ultimately sat out. Accordingly, his prognosis looks positive for this week, although the Chiefs do draw a Thursday game. If he returns, it'll more than likely be Albert Wilson (and not Tyreek Hill) who sees a cut in his targets. In fact, Maclin's return might be good for Hill, letting him get open more easily against opponents' No. 2 corners.

Los Angeles Rams

I guess I'm obliged to note that Tavon Austin didn't play due to a chest injury Sunday, so Brian Quick and Kenny Britt were the busiest bees in his place. Britt caught a 66-yard pass and a one-yard touchdown, while Quick reeled in five of eight targets for 48 yards.

Minnesota Vikings

Stefon Diggs (knee) got back in there from another one-game absence to play in the Vikings' second straight Thursday tilt, and he caught all eight of his targets for 59 yards. Adam Thielen edged him out with nine targets, catching seven for 86 yards, but he lost a fumble. The values of Cordarrelle Patterson and Charles Johnson have withered on the vine.

New York Jets

With Petty's promotion to starting quarterback came increased focus on a receiver he's worked with a lot, Robby Anderson, who caught a late 40-yard touchdown and very nearly delivered some other big plays. He ended up leading the Jets in all the receiving categories, for what that's worth – Anderson bested Brandon Marshall's eight targets easily with 12, catching four for 61 yards. No other wide receiver saw more than two targets. Remember when it seemed like Quincy Enunwa was breaking out? Ah, the good old days.

Philadelphia Eagles

With no Jordan Matthews (ankle) or Nelson Agholor (being terrible) on Sunday, we saw a very different look in the Eagles' passing game – one we never want to see again for fear it might induce voluntary blindness. As mentioned earlier, Carson Wentz unleashed 60 passes, which is the only reason he ended up with 300 yards (and oh, he was intercepted three times). Fully 24 of those passes went to tight ends Zach Ertz and Trey Burton. Of the other 36, 10 went to Dorial Green-Beckham, who caught four for 23 yards – the sort of performance that ensures you'll never see double-digit targets again. (DGB also picked up a minor rib injury that knocked him out of the game.) But the breakout star of the show – such as it is – was Paul Turner, who turned eight targets into six catches for a team-leading 80 yards. At this point, you have to think the Eagles will turn to whatever works, which may mean we see Turner start in tandem with Matthews (who has a good chance to return) in Week 14.

San Diego Chargers

Philip Rivers had a rough Sunday, but he was able to find Dontrelle Inman and Tyrell Williams for touchdown passes, which is good because they didn't do much otherwise. At least they managed yardage totals in the 40s; Travis Benjamin put up just 24 yards on two catches.

TIGHT END

New England Patriots

With Rob Gronkowski having been placed on IR last week, Martellus Bennett is now the sole owner of the Pats' No. 1 TE slot. The result: two catches for four yards on four targets in Sunday's win over the Rams. Just like the week before, all the extra looks went to wide receivers Julian Edelman and Malcolm Mitchell.

New Orleans Saints

A week after his best game of the year, Josh Hill broke his leg Sunday and is now out for the year. Meanwhile, Coby Fleener delivered one of his better efforts, reeling in five catches for 86 yards. Now that Hill's out, Fleener should see his snap count rise again, with the consistency of his production improving accordingly.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Most fantasy waiver wires – at least in 12-team formats – are pretty barren right now, so when Ladarius Green comes out and racks up 110 yards and a score on six catches, we're obliged to pay attention. Despite being a huge disappointment for fantasy owners over the years, Green (and not Jesse James) is now Pittsburgh's top tight end, and he could see more chances to shine in the coming weeks.

San Diego Chargers

Antonio Gates took the workload edge back from Hunter Henry in Week 13, but his four grabs for 37 yards don't even make the fantasy needle twitch a little. Hunter Henry's single grab for 14 certainly isn't doing it either. However, next week's opponent is Carolina – one of the most generous defenses against opposing tight ends this season. If I had to pick one of these two to use against the Panthers, I'd choose Gates, but it's clear that this could go in either direction.

Washington Redskins

With Jordan Reed (shoulder) on the sidelines, Vernon Davis got another taste of starting duties, but he delivered modest production – five grabs on six targets for 47 yards. Not too bad in PPR, but not great, although he gets brownie points as Arizona has an awfully tough defense. Reed's status for Week 14 remains unclear, but considering last week's progress (or lack thereof), I don't feel extremely optimistic about it.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Fiorentino
Andrew is a former RotoWire contributor. He was a managing hockey editor, talent wrangler, football columnist, FSWA's 2015 fantasy hockey writer of the year. Twitter: @akfiorentino
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