“Thursday Night Football” is back to kick off another week of fantasy football. Week 13 brings an intriguing showdown between the Cowboys and Saints at New Orelans (8:20 p.m. ET, Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime Video). As always, you’ll want to make the right decisions to start and sit in fantasy, whether that’s deploying players who can give you a good early lead for Sunday, or avoiding players who are destined to go out of business at prime time.

The Cowboys offense will gear up to have its best wide receivers (Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup) return, while the Saints offense is not yet ready to restore its familiar 1-2 hitting to running back (Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram).

MORE TNF: DK Lineup | FD lineup | Cooper update

Cooper (COVID), Lamb (concussion) and running back Ezekiel Elliott (knee) should be ready, while wide receiver Cedrick Wilson (shoulder) will drop out of the lineup. The Saints are opening Taysom HIll (foot) at quarterback, hoping to get a complementary boost from the return of Mark Ingram (knee) with RB Alvin Kamara (knee) ready to miss another game.

Here’s a breakdown of the entire start ’em sit’ em image for TNF, including some DFS alignment suggestions for FanDuel and DraftKings:

WEEK 13 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Get started, feel them

Cowboys: who to start or sit in in fantasy football on Thursday night

Start: QB Dak Prescott

Rayne Dakota rallied well from the pot against the Chiefs, finishing as QB3 in a week 12 loss Thursday afternoon to the Raiders with 375 yards and two TDs. He has finished below the top 10 in just four games. Expect him to turn it on with his dynamic comeback trio. The Saints’ passing run has come down to Marcus Davenport, and their secondary coverage hasn’t been good away from Marshon Lattimore. Another thing in Dak’s favor is the fact that the Saints are strong against the run, so the Cowboys will need to pitch frequently to win.

WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS:
Field marshal | Running backwards | Wide receiver | Tight end | D / ST | Kicker

Start: RB Ezekiel Elliott | Sit down: RB Tony Pollard

There were initial reports on Thanksgiving that the Cowboys were thinking about giving Zeke a break from load control so his knee is completely healthy. But with a week not short, he practiced in full. Even though the matchup is tough, the Cowboys will continue to feed Elliott and make sure he’s involved in the passing game at times. The script of the game in the second half can also play in your favor. Pollard scored on special teams last week for decent RB2 / flex numbers, but that has been more of the exception than the rule despite recent favorable results. When facing a Saints defense that allows 3.2 yards per carry, it’s difficult to extend to Pollard when you don’t know exactly how many touches he or Zeke will get.

Departure: WR Amari Cooper

Cooper has missed two games and is expected to return. He’s admitted he’s not feeling very well after COVID, but the issue here is Lattimore’s coverage too, given that CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup should see much more favorable coverage. There are games where Dak hasn’t forced Cooper on, and he’s only had four WR3 finishes or better this season, believe it or not. You might get stuck starting it in deeper leagues, but in a shallow league and all DFS you should go in a different direction.

WEEK 13 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo!

Start: WR CeeDee Lamb

Lamb should come back rested and ready to roll in big numbers in the slot drawing PJ Williams often. Lattimore might be on top of him when he’s out, but Lamb is simply the most skilled and versatile receiver Cooper is right now. Lamb will jump back to lion status and march into a great night of yards over the Saints with a good shot at least one TD.

Start: WR Michael Gallup

Gallup exploded as No. 1 in Week 12, without the help of Cooper and Lamb. He has had 30 healthy goals in his four games and finished as a strong WR2 last week. With Cooper not and in full force and Gallup having the most favorable matchup against Paulson Adebo, it feels like a game for him and Lamb to dominate Dak’s production and goals.

WEEK 13 STANDARD RATINGS:
Field marshal | Running backwards | Wide receiver | Tight end | D / ST | Kicker

Site: TE Dalton Schultz

Dawson Knox, with his name that sounds similar, left for two TDs against the Saints last week, but has been treated more like a hybrid slot catcher with former Cowboy Cole Beasley getting old and hurt. Schultz is not that type of player and he won’t be as necessary with wide receivers and loaded with Dak. It’s a touchdown or bust play. The Saints have only allowed three tight end touchdowns in total.

Departure: Cowboys D / ST

The Cowboys have enough playmakers with Trevon Diggs and Micah Parson leading the way to get some sacks and takeout. New Orleans’ offensive line is hurt and Taysom Hill will be in trouble in obvious passing situations.

Start: K Greg Zuerlein

The Cowboys aren’t always as good in the red zone as they should be, and Zuerlein appears to be back on track after a midseason losing streak and a lost game. He’s been an easy K1 in seven games, and there’s no concern about the weather at the Superdome.

WEEK 13 DFS: Best values ​​| Best Stacks | Lineup Creator

Saints: who to start or sit on in fantasy football on Thursday night

Start: QB Taysom Hill

Hill, when he started for Drew Brees four times last season, averaged these numbers: 209 passing yards, 10 rushing attempts and 52 rushing yards. He also compiled eight total TDs, exactly two per game. He averaged nearly 26 fantasy points per game in six-point touchdown leagues. It is a hybrid of Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson given its high running track. He helps his cause by serving as an underrated downfield passer when necessary.

Start: RB Mark Ingram

Ingram will re-start for Kamara (knee) in his own return from a knee injury and can do so by playing Hill in running and passing games, even if Hill could be positioned to receive vulture TDs. The Cowboys’ running defense has been solid, but it failed against Alabama product Josh Jacobs last week. However, it cannot be extended to Tony Jones Jr.

Start: WR Tre’Quan Smith | Sit: the rest of the WR and TEs

He had a good WR3 / flex play for four straight games until he hit a 31-yard dribble and four receptions against the tough passing defense of the Bills. The Cowboys are burnable in the secondary and Smith appears to be Hill’s most reliable target. Everything else has gone through committee without Michael Thomas and now Adam Trautman as well. Hill should also drop the passing volume in a big way from Trevor Siemian.

Sit down: K Brett Maher

In real time, it would be politically incorrect to start the latest replacement for Wil Lutz.

Sit: Santos D / ST

There will be no Fat Thursday here. “Laisse la defense s’asseoir!”

Cowboys vs. Saints: FanDuel Single Game Lineup

  • MVP (1.5X): QB That Prescott $ 16,500
  • AnyFLEX: WR CeeDee Lamb $ 13,000
  • AnyFLEX: RB Mark Ingram $ 12,000
  • AnyFLEX: WR Michael Gallup $ 10,500
  • AnyFLEX: QB Taysom Hill $ 7,000

Are we taking full advantage of the fact that Hill is very cheaply priced as a starting quarterback and saving ourselves a bit of money knowing that Kamara will miss the game? Yes, we are. On the other hand, we also have Dak and his wide receivers with the juiciest matchups. Boom!

Cowboys vs. Saints: DraftKings Showdown lineup

  • $ 14,400
  • FLEX: QB Dak Prescott $ 11,800
  • FLEX: WR CeeDee Lamb $ 10,000
  • FLEX: WR Michael Gallup $ 6,800
  • FLEX: WR Tre’Quan Smith $ 5,600
  • FLEX: WR Noah Brown $ 600

Here he is doubling down the QBs and creating a mega stack of Dak and a combination of Hill with his best receiver. Hill should also run longer than expected without Kamara.