The Los Angeles Chargers will face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 13. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Gus Edwards.
Is Gus Edwards Playing in Week 13?
Edwards is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Chargers’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Gus Edwards in Week 13?
If you play in some bizarro league where you started Gus Edwards last week, you were rewarded with a late touchdown. Even that was fortunate as the Chargers were in pass mode before a penalty put them at the one-yard line and in need of his services.
While the end result was adequate, he did have two carries (12 yards) on the first drive as Jim Harbaugh continued to give us signs that he wanted a committee backfield over a featured situation.
He might not have that luxury this weekend after J.K. Dobbins didn’t play the second half on Monday night due to a knee injury. For a player who has had his troubles staying healthy (he already has a career-high carry count by 24 this season), asking him to play on short rest for a playoff-bound team feels a bit aggressive, leaving a near bell-cow role available for Edwards to assume on Sunday.
The matchup isn’t a worry (Atlanta allows the fourth-most points per drive this season) and fantasy teams, like the real ones, are battling injuries left and right, so I get it if you are left in a spot where you have no other options. That said, even with a spike in projected work, I just can’t get there with ranking Edwards as an RB2.
Through 12 weeks, he ranks 50th of 54 qualifiers in our elusive rating metric (ahead of two Raiders, a Jaguar who has been borderline benched at times this season, and a Chief who was signed off his couch at the end of September). I don’t see that changing, as defenses know what is coming their way with him on the field.
For his career, Edwards has averaged just over one target every two games, a lack of versatility that is a death sentence if not sufficient on the ground.
You can chase this volume if you’d like – you just need to be aware that the floor remains low.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Gus Edwards’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of 8 AM ET on Sunday morning, Edwards is projected to score 11.8 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 17.3 rushing attempts for 69.7 yards and 0.6 touchdowns. It also includes 0.5 receptions for 6.2 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Falcons' Defense
Raheem Morris' arrival was supposed to build upon the good work of the Atlanta Falcons defense in 2023, not send it back to square one. Unfortunately, that's the case right now, and it's threatening to derail a season that once held so much promise.
If the Falcons slide out of a playoff spot thanks to their defense, Morris could find himself under a lot of pressure.
Atlanta's best finish in a game this year is 11th -- on two different occasions. However, those are two of only three top-15 finishes. One glimmer of hope might be that two of those top-15 weeks have come in the last three weeks, but they were against the Cowboys and Saints offenses, so it's hard to get too excited.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Gus Edwards’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 10:30 AM ET on Sunday, December 1. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 13 RB PPR Rankings
1) De'Von Achane | MIA (at GB)
2) Saquon Barkley | PHI (at BAL)
3) Joe Mixon | HOU (at JAX)
4) Christian McCaffrey | SF (at BUF)
5) Bijan Robinson | ATL (vs. LAC)
6) Derrick Henry | BAL (vs. PHI)
7) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (vs. CHI)
8) Jonathan Taylor | IND (at NE)
9) Kyren Williams | LAR (at NO)
10) Breece Hall | NYJ (vs. SEA)
11) James Conner | ARI (at MIN)
12) Josh Jacobs | GB (vs. MIA)
13) David Montgomery | DET (vs. CHI)
14) Kenneth Walker III | SEA (at NYJ)
15) James Cook | BUF (vs. SF)
16) Alvin Kamara | NO (vs. LAR)
17) Chase Brown | CIN (vs. PIT)
18) Aaron Jones | MIN (vs. ARI)
19) Bucky Irving | TB (at CAR)
20) Najee Harris | PIT (at CIN)
21) Chuba Hubbard | CAR (vs. TB)
22) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (at DAL)
23) Tony Pollard | TEN (at WAS)
24) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (vs. TEN)
25) Rico Dowdle | DAL (vs. NYG)
26) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. LV)
27) D'Andre Swift | CHI (at DET)
28) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. IND)
29) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (vs. HOU)
30) Gus Edwards | LAC (at ATL)
31) Rachaad White | TB (at CAR)
32) Nick Chubb | CLE (at DEN)
33) Tank Bigsby | JAX (vs. HOU)
34) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (vs. TEN)
35) Jaylen Warren | PIT (at CIN)
36) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. LV)
37) Javonte Williams | DEN (vs. CLE)
38) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (vs. LAC)
39) Audric Estimé | DEN (vs. CLE)
40) Roschon Johnson | CHI (at DET)
41) Justice Hill | BAL (vs. PHI)
42) Ray Davis | BUF (vs. SF)
43) Jaylen Wright | MIA (at GB)
44) Jerome Ford | CLE (at DEN)
45) Ameer Abdullah | LV (at KC)
46) Cam Akers | HOU (at JAX)
47) Trey Benson | ARI (at MIN)
48) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at GB)
49) Devin Singletary | NYG (at DAL)
50) Braelon Allen | NYJ (vs. SEA)
51) Emanuel Wilson | GB (vs. MIA)
52) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at NYJ)
53) Jonathon Brooks | CAR (vs. TB)
54) Jordan Mason | SF (at BUF)
55) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. LV)
56) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (vs. CLE)
57) Tyjae Spears | TEN (at WAS)
58) Blake Corum | LAR (at NO)
59) Antonio Gibson | NE (vs. IND)
60) Keaton Mitchell | BAL (vs. PHI)
61) Dylan Laube | LV (at KC)
62) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (at BAL)
63) Sean Tucker | TB (at CAR)
64) Khalil Herbert | CIN (vs. PIT)
65) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (at JAX)
66) Ezekiel Elliott | DAL (vs. NYG)
67) JaMycal Hasty | NE (vs. IND)
68) Jamaal Williams | NO (vs. LAR)
69) Isaac Guerendo | SF (at BUF)
70) Will Shipley | PHI (at BAL)
71) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (at BUF)
72) Chris Brooks | GB (vs. MIA)
73) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (at CIN)
74) Ty Chandler | MIN (vs. ARI)
75) Trey Sermon | IND (at NE)
76) Emari Demercado | ARI (at MIN)
77) Carson Steele | KC (vs. LV)
78) Dameon Pierce | HOU (at JAX)
79) Hassan Haskins | LAC (at ATL)
80) Tyler Goodson | IND (at NE)
81) Patrick Ricard | BAL (vs. PHI)
82) Hunter Luepke | DAL (vs. NYG)
83) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (at DEN)
84) Julius Chestnut | TEN (at WAS)
85) Craig Reynolds | DET (vs. CHI)
86) Dalvin Cook | DAL (vs. NYG)
87) J.J. Taylor | HOU (at JAX)
88) Michael Burton | DEN (vs. CLE)
89) Sione Vaki | DET (vs. CHI)
90) C.J. Ham | MIN (vs. ARI)
91) Ronnie Rivers | LAR (at NO)
92) Travis Homer | CHI (at DET)
93) Kenny McIntosh | SEA (at NYJ)
94) Blake Watson | DEN (vs. CLE)
95) Eric Gray | NYG (at DAL)
96) Tyreik McAllister | LV (at KC)
97) Joshua Kelley | NYG (at DAL)
98) Alec Ingold | MIA (at GB)
99) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (at MIN)
Los Angeles Chargers at Atlanta Falcons Trends
Los Angeles Chargers
Team: Los Angeles embarks upon its third two-game road trip of the season. In the previous two trips, they've won the first game and lost the second one (Week 14: at Kansas City).
QB: There have been 50 instances this season in which a QB has thrown 3+ touchdown passes in a game -- Justin Herbert's name is not on that list.
Offense: In Weeks 8-12, Los Angeles has picked up just 32.8% of their third downs (Weeks 1-7: 42.5%).
Defense: The Chargers have allowed more than three points in only two first quarters this season, something that has allowed this team to function from a position of power (7-3-1 record in first quarters).
Fantasy: During Los Angeles' first two drives on Monday night, JK Dobbins was involved in 11 of 24 plays (six carries and five targets).
Betting: The Chargers have seen under tickets cash in seven of their past eight games against the NFC.
Atlanta Falcons
Team: Five of the Falcons’ six home games this season have been decided by a single possession.
QB: Atlanta’s recent struggles have been the result of Kirk Cousins not living up to expectations. In Weeks 10-11, he completed just 60.4% of his passes with zero scores and two interceptions when not blitzed (Weeks 8-9: 82.1% with six touchdowns and zero interceptions).
Offense: The Falcons scored 3.1 points per drive in Week 8 against the Bucs – in Week 9 their rate fell to 2.5, in Week 10 to 1.6, and in the Week 11 disaster against the Broncos, just 0.6.
Defense: Atlanta hasn’t forced a turnover in three straight games (they only had two such games through the first eight weeks this season).
Fantasy: Drake London has twice as many top-20 finishes this season (six) as last.
Betting: The Falcons have covered five games this season, four of which came by four or fewer points.