NFL Week 13 inactives and fantasy tips: Cedric Tillman out for Monday Night Football

Welcome to the Week 13 NFL fantasy and betting cheat sheet, a one-stop shop for The Athletic’s game previews, injury and weather updates, and expert analysis. Bookmark this page and check back often, as we offer regular updates to assist with fantasy lineups and betting decisions.

Player rankings referenced in this article are current as of Dec. 1. For updated rankings, see the “Fantasy football player rankings” section.

The latest NFL news and headlines

Last updated: 8:30 a.m. ET, Dec. 2

Injury news | Weather report
Featured games | Week 13 takeaways
Flex fliers | Fantasy football player rankings

Injury news

Updated through 8:30 a.m. ET, Dec. 2

Monday Night Football

Cedric Tillman, WR, Browns (concussion) — Out
Tillman was diagnosed with a concussion during Thursday Night Football in Week 12 and has been ruled out for Week 13. But Jerry Jeudy has been the surging Browns receiver lately. In Weeks 8-12, Jeudy has averaged 17 PPR points, with a 26.2-point performance in Week 11. If Tillman sits, Jeudy is an even better fantasy option.

Weather report

Outdoor games only. 

In Jake Ciely’s fantasy football strategy guide to weather, he notes that the passing game is impacted when temperatures drop below 35 degrees, which is illustrated in the table below.

According to Rotowire’s aggregated NFL-related forecasts, the Browns-Broncos Monday Night Football matchup has a 0 percent chance of precipitation with calm winds and will be played at 44 degrees, meaning gameplans shouldn’t be impacted by weather.

Jake Ciely’s Week 10 fantasy football player rankings

Find out Jake’s top QB, RB, WR and TE for the week!

• There is no perfect widget out there, sadly, still. I know many view this on your phone, but 1) use the rankings widget on a PC/laptop/etc. if possible or 2) open in your phone’s browser, especially for Android users, to get the scrolling to work (or Android people can try a two-finger scroll).
• ECR = “Expert” Consensus Ranking (which isn’t updated by everyone consistently, so take with a grain of salt).
• Updated regularly, so check up to lineups locking.

Get Ciely’s full Week 13 analysis. Plus sleepers and projections.

Featured games

Game-specific previews and live updates are available on the day of the game.

Monday night

Cleveland Browns (3-8) vs. Denver Broncos (7-5)

• Venue: Empower Field at Mile High — Denver, Colo.
• Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
• Streaming: Fubo (try for free)

On the shoulders of Bo Nix’s improved play and a tough defense, the Broncos are favored over the Cleveland Browns. I was big on Nix entering the season. His college career contained few errors, and I thought he’d fit into Sean Payton’s system well. But the first few weeks of his play had me cowering in a corner. But persistence has brought vengeance! Nix has thrown zero interceptions in the past three weeks while scoring eight touchdowns. From Weeks 10-12, his passer rating is 118.6, and he has a 71.4 percent completion rate. Courtland Sutton has been buoyed because of it. During that span, he averaged 81.67 receiving yards per game on nine targets. The Broncos running game is an entirely different story. Payton seems to be using the hot-hand approach to Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime, making none of them viable fantasy plays.

The Browns have some fight in them with Jameis Winston under center. They aren’t winning games, but they’ve become more fun to watch, and Jerry Jeudy has become flex-relevant in deep leagues. Jeudy has scored 12 or more PPR points since Week 8, and in Week 11, he had 26.2. Denver has a stout pass defense, allowing only 199.8 passing yards per game (ninth in the NFL), so while I think Jeudy deserves flex consideration, temper expectations.

Read the full preview (coming Monday).

Statistics in this section come from TruMedia. 

Fantasy football Week 13 takeaways

Michael Salfino recaps the Week 13 slate.

Azeez Al-Shaair should be suspended for multiple games for this cheap hit on Trevor Lawrence. It’s more accurately described as a criminal act.

Replacing Lawrence, Mac Jones was good and finally had it going with Brian Thomas Jr. (at least measured by targets). Evan Engram now has 58 targets for 333 yards (5.74 yards per target). That ranks in the 11th percentile among TEs this century.

Joe Burrow is basically Jacob deGrom. He’s having a Cy Young season with a losing record. He goes for 300-plus yards and three touchdowns against the Steelers and his defense gives up over 500 yards to an offense that is hardly imposing. Burrow is 3-5 with a passer rating of 100+. The league entered action on Sunday 102-34 when producing a passer rating of at least 100.

You do have to tip your cap to Russell Wilson — 414 passing yards divided among 10 different receivers.

Check out all of Salfino’s insights.

—Salfino

Flex fliers

Scott Engel discusses last-minute free agency options to fill roster holes. 

Devaughn Vele, WR, DEN (18 percent): This sizable pass-catcher (6-foot-5, 210 pounds) is emerging as the No. 2 WR for Bo Nix. In the last three games, Vele has posted double-digit fantasy point totals and delivered his best stat line of the season last week (six receptions, nine targets, 80 yards). He is not showing upside yet, but the rookie looks like a big TD target, and scoring receptions may be ahead. For Week 13, Vele is sporting an 86.8 WR/CB matchup grade on Pro Football Focus against the Cleveland Browns cornerbacks, which qualifies as “Excellent.”

—Engel

See all of Engel’s Week 13 flex fliers.

(Photo of Cedric Tillman: Jason Miller/Getty Images)