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Thomason: Sleepers & Daily Fantasy Value Plays For Week 13

By Jack Thomason--

(CBS) Let's check out the Week 13 sleepers and daily fantasy value.

Quarterback

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jets (vs. Colts)  This would've been a joke two weeks ago, but after coming off the bye and showing signs of life against the Patriots, Fitzpatrick presents value at his price. He threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions Sunday and could have the benefit of trailing against the Colts.  Currently Vegas has the Colts as one-point favorites and the Jets' team total at 24.25. (FanDuel: $7000; DK: $5200)

Matt Barkley, Bears (vs. 49ers) This might be overzealous, but Barkley played well Sunday and put up some nice fantasy numbers. If you're feeling risky, there's upside in this price point.  Barkley posted 316 yards passing and threw three touchdowns against two interceptions. He also had a potential game-tying scoring pass dropped by Josh Bellamy. The 49ers defense is notoriously bad against the run, but they're also 24th in pass DVOA. Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill just torched them for 285 yards and three scores. (FD: $6000; DK: $5000)

Running back

LeGarrette Blount, Patriots (vs. Rams)  You know the routine by now. If an opponent boasts a great run defense, the Patriots will typically play spread and you'll see more James White and Dion Lewis. We saw that last week, as White and Lewis combined for 68 percent of the snaps while Blount played 37 percent of them. The Rams were just torched by Mark Ingram and Tim Hightower to the tune of 29 carries for 197 yards and a touchdown on the ground and another 75 yards and two scores through the air. The Patriots are 13.5-point home favorites, with a 29-point team total. (FD: $6600; DK: $5500)

Theo Riddick, Lions (at Saints) — Riddick has been playing the bulk of the snaps for the Lions, and he gets a juicy matchup in New Orleans this weekend.  In a game that holds the highest over/under of the week at 53.5 points and the Lions being five-point underdogs, Riddick should have plenty of work in both the running and passing game. The other positive here is the Saints rank 32nd to opposing running backs in DVOA in the passing game, and we know Riddick makes his money there. Look for this game to be a shootout and for Riddick to be heavily involved. (FD: $6500; DK: $5800)

Receiver

Sammy Watkins, Bills (at Raiders) We know Watkins is an elite player, and he's back from his foot injury. The only thing stopping him right now is conditioning. He played 45-percent of the snaps Sunday, saw three targets and caught them all for 80 yards.  Tyrod Taylor hasn't had much in the way of offensive weapons outside LeSean McCoy, so you better believe he's going to find Watkins when he's on the field. I'd expect his usage to increase this week, and the Raiders are 22nd in pass DVOA and 22nd against No. 1 receivers. It's better to be early then late to the party. (FD: $6300; DK: $5500)

Tyreek Hill, Chiefs (at Falcons) Hill has nine or more receptions in two of his last three games and since Week 9 has played at least 58 percent of the snaps, topping out at 68 percent the last two games. He's added some much-needed firepower to the mundane Chiefs offense and gets a sweet matchup against a Falcons defense that just lost its best cornerback for the year to a pectoral injury. Hill is the type of explosive playmaker who can score from anywhere on the field any time he touches the ball, and the Falcons are 21st in pass DVOA. (FD: $5800; DK: $4600)

Tight end

Vance McDonald, 49ers (at Bears)  McDonald has seen at least six targets in each of the last five weeks and has seven or more fantasy points in four of those games. The Bears are going to be without both starting inside linebackers, Danny Trevathan (injury) and Jerrell Freeman (suspension), which can only bode well for McDonald to exploit the middle of the field as Colin Kaepernick continues to provide fantasy owners with QB1 production. The Bears were 24th against tight ends in DVOA prior to missing both inside linebackers. (FD: $4900; DK: $2900)

Vernon Davis, Redskins (at Cardinals) This will depend on where Jordan Reed falls on the injury list, but for the meantime, Davis looks to be a great play at his current price. Kirk Cousins is on fire, and the Redskins offense is moving the ball regardless of opponent, with the tight ends heavily involved. Even though the Cardinals are fourth in DVOA against the tight end position, this means Davis has plenty of potential. (FD: $4600; DK: $3300)

Just missed: Tyrod Taylor, Alex Smith, Rashad Jennings, Tim Hightower, Marvin Jones, Malcolm Mitchell, C.J. Fiedorowicz and Ladarius Green.

Jack Thomason is 670 The Score's fantasy football expert and co-host of "Chicago's Fantasy Football Today," which can be heard every Sunday during football season from 8-9 a.m. CT on WSCR-670 and 670thescore.com/listen. Follow him on Twitter @jthomason77 and feel free to ask fantasy questions.

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