The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Cincinnati Bengals 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 Jaylen Warren.
Is Jaylen Warren Playing in Week 13?
Warren 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 Steelers’ 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 Jaylen Warren in Week 13?
Warren played a season-high 56.7% of the snaps against the Browns and upped his season rate in percentage of carries gaining 5+ yards to 34.7%. With Najee Harris’ production fading, could Warren finally be given the work we’ve been begging for at the exact right time?
I loved that he cashed in a three-yard touchdown last week, and the upcoming schedule figures to put pressure on this offense to throw more than they want.
- Week 13 at Cincinnati Bengals
- Week 14 vs. Cleveland Browns
- Week 15 at Philadelphia Eagles
- Week 16 at Baltimore Ravens
- Week 17 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
That’s the type of schedule that favors Warren over Harris. I have the two ranked next to each other for the rest of the season, both in the Flex tier, a damning move given the edge in volume Harris currently holds.
There’s always a risk involved with a player whose 14 touches last week feel closer to a projectable touch ceiling, and I don’t think that is going to change this weekend or moving forward. That said, if the recent trends are sustained, Warren is positioned to be the most valuable member of this backfield down the stretch.
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.
Jaylen Warren’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of 8 AM ET on Sunday morning, Warren is projected to score 10.7 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 12.4 rushing attempts for 56 yards and 0.3 touchdowns. It also includes 0.8 receptions for 17.6 yards and 0.1 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 Bengals' Defense
Things haven't gotten any better for the Cincinnati Bengals on defense in 2024. Having ranked 27th last year, they are slightly worse this season.
That cannot be a good sign for Lou Anarumo, especially if the Bengals miss the playoffs and Zac Taylor's job is threatened. Anarumo could be the sacrificial lamb to try to buy Taylor another year.
Things looked like they were going to get even worse in Week 11 when the Chargers scored 23 points early, but the defense did at least improve in the second half. Yet, the Bengals have been unable to string together many multi-week stretches of success, so any excitement about their finish in Week 11 should be tempered.
Cincinnati will hope that the bye week can provide some much-needed respite. The offense is so good that if the defense can just be league-average for the remainder of the season, it could have a chance to make the playoffs, despite a 4-7 start.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Jaylen Warren’s 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)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals Trends
Pittsburgh Steelers
Team: The Steelers are 8-3 and held a lead with one minute left in two of their three losses.
QB: The Russell Wilson “moon balls” get a lot of attention, and they are fun, but over 39% of his attempts in all five of his starts have traveled less than five yards downfield (season rate: 45%).
Offense: Scoreless in the first quarter on Thursday night, snapping a 22-quarter scoring streak (it took a missed field goal and a failed fourth down).
Defense: In the Thursday night snowstorm, the Steelers allowed a touchdown on 30% of drives (their worst mark of the season) and 2.4 points per drive (their second-worst mark).
Fantasy: Jaylen Warren played a season-high 56.7% of the snaps against the Browns and upped his season rate of percentage of carries, gaining 5+ yards to 34.7%.
Betting: The Steelers are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 played on short rest (the past five have all gone over the closing total).
Cincinnati Bengals
Team: There have been an average of 67.3 points scored in Cincinnati’s past four home games (they’ve lost three of those contests).
QB: If you remove the weird Week 1 loss to the Patriots, Joe Burrow’s 17-game pace is 4,869 passing yards, 46 touchdowns, and seven interceptions (2011 MVP Aaron Rodgers: 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns, and six interceptions).
Offense: Cincinnati has scored on 32 of 33 red zone trips – that’s a 97% rate, putting them in position to challenge the Rams’ 98.2% rate from last season.
Defense: The Bengals are allowing 8.4 yards per pass and 12.9 yards per completion over their past four games, not intercepting a single pass in those 122 attempts.
Fantasy: Chase Brown has three straight top-10 finishes, a streak not amassed by Alvin Kamara, Breece Hall, Jahmyr Gibbs, or De’Von Achane this season.
Betting: Six of the Bengals’ past seven games coming out of their bye have gone over the total.