Week 13 Fantasy Football Quarterback Start ‘Em: Joe Burrow Returns as Must-Start
In this story:
Picking the right quarterback every week could be the edge that swings your fantasy football matchup. With that being said, Week 13 of the NFL season offers several favorable matchups and sneaky upside plays at QB. Below are several options to weigh with analysis on each.
Check out our Week 13 quarterback sits.
Joe Burrow (Bengals) @ Ravens
Burrow is on track to return for Thanksgiving, as he practiced fully on Monday, and Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said he anticipates Burrow playing on Thursday night. The veteran still needs to be activated off IR, but looks to make his first start since Week 2. The Week 13 matchup against the Ravens presents a primetime opportunity for Burrow to continue a trend of dominance. In nine career meetings with Baltimore, Burrow has carved them up for 2,699 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He posted absurd numbers in his last two outings against his division rival, which average out to 410 passing yards and 4.5 touchdowns per game: roughly 35 fantasy points per outing.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor says he expects QB Joe Burrow (toe) to play Thursday vs Ravens. pic.twitter.com/8GenTR8lJt
— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2025
Bo Nix (Broncos) @ Commanders
Nix has been up and down during his sophomore season, and many of his fantasy points this season have come late in games. However, his matchup against the Commanders in Week 13 on Sunday night makes him a top 10 play. Washington has allowed at least three passing touchdowns in four of its last five games. It also surrenders the fourth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Nix is a quarterback with a high floor thanks to his rushing ability. But his ceiling is high this week due to the advantageous matchup. Nix, along with his pass-catchers, should see a significant boost.
BO NIX FOR THE LEAD!
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025
NYGvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/AQFJMRMNn4
Jacoby Brissett (Cardinals) @ Buccaneers
Brissett has transformed Arizona’s passing attack since taking over under center. He has completed 67% of his passes for 315 yards and nearly two touchdowns per game in his six starts. Those numbers equate to roughly 21 fantasy points per game. Brissett has also totaled 20 or more rushing yards in three of his last five games. The veteran has finished every week as a top-12 quarterback since being a starter, and that streak should continue in Week 13 against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay’s defense has allowed over 19 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season and has surrendered nearly 28 points per game since their bye week.
Every one of Jacoby Brissett’s record-setting 47 completions 😎 pic.twitter.com/BBibQ1qppS
— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2025
Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars) @ Titans
Lawrence is another quarterback whose play can be best described as “up and down” this season. However, his play is often up and down throughout each game. He threw three interceptions in the Jaguars’ overtime win over the Arizona Cardinals. Still, he recorded over 17 fantasy points, while passing for 256 yards and three touchdowns. Lawrence also has three rushing touchdowns in his last four games since the Week 8 bye. He gets an exploitable matchup against the Titans in Week 13, where he can do damage through the air and on the ground. Tennessee has allowed an average of 237 passing yards, 1.6 touchdowns, and over 17 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this year. Look for Lawrence to have one of his better fantasy outings in this AFC South clash.
Trevor Lawrence throws a DIME to give the @Jaguars the lead back 🎯
— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025
JAXvsAZ on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/V2xxIGSsxp
Check out our Week 13 quarterback rankings.
Read More Fantasy Content
Michael Rovetto previously served as the staff writer for University of Maryland Athletics for nearly two years. There, he wrote, edited and managed all editorial content for all 20 of Maryland's varsity sports on umterps.com. Rovetto is recognized as a College Sports Communicators district award-winning writer. Many of his stories have also appeared on NCAA.org, garnering national attention. Before graduating from Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism in December 2023, Rovetto wrote for PressBox and Terrapin Sports Central, covering Maryland men's basketball and football. He also has experience in broadcasting, previously working as an analyst and camera operator for Big State Sports, and communication, interning for Shell Shock TBT as its Director of Communication & Content Development.