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 WR Joshua Palmer.
Is Joshua Palmer Playing in Week 13?
Palmer 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 Joshua Palmer in Week 13?
Joshua Palmer earned a season-high eight targets on Sunday night against the Ravens, but you’d never know it by looking at your fantasy box score (6.8 PPR points; 2024 average: 6.9). Despite pacing the NFL in air yards by 46 last week, it wasn’t enough to unlock him, even in a strong matchup against a vulnerable secondary.
The Falcons are a top-eight defense against the deep pass in terms of pass attempts allowed and yards per completion, leaving me out of the Palmer business this week. Could he offer spike potential against the Buccaneers (Week 15) or Patriots (Week 17)?
It’s within the range of outcomes, and that sort of upside is enough for me to roster him, even if there’s not a situation in which I’m starting him this weekend.
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.
Joshua Palmer’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of 8 AM ET on Sunday morning, Palmer is projected to score 8.4 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 3.1 receptions for 41.7 yards and 0.2 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.
Joshua Palmer’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 WR PPR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (at BAL)
2) Justin Jefferson | MIN (vs. ARI)
3) Nico Collins | HOU (at JAX)
4) Ja'Marr Chase | CIN (vs. PIT)
5) Puka Nacua | LAR (at NO)
6) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (vs. CHI)
7) George Pickens | PIT (at CIN)
8) Mike Evans | TB (at CAR)
9) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at GB)
10) CeeDee Lamb | DAL (vs. NYG)
11) Terry McLaurin | WAS (vs. TEN)
12) Cooper Kupp | LAR (at NO)
13) Tee Higgins | CIN (vs. PIT)
14) Drake London | ATL (vs. LAC)
15) Malik Nabers | NYG (at DAL)
16) Courtland Sutton | DEN (vs. CLE)
17) DK Metcalf | SEA (at NYJ)
18) Khalil Shakir | BUF (vs. SF)
19) Calvin Ridley | TEN (at WAS)
20) Zay Flowers | BAL (vs. PHI)
21) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at NYJ)
22) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at ATL)
23) Jayden Reed | GB (vs. MIA)
24) Jameson Williams | DET (vs. CHI)
25) Jauan Jennings | SF (at BUF)
26) Davante Adams | NYJ (vs. SEA)
27) Deebo Samuel Sr. | SF (at BUF)
28) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at GB)
29) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (vs. SEA)
30) DeVonta Smith | PHI (at BAL)
31) Darnell Mooney | ATL (vs. LAC)
32) Amari Cooper | BUF (vs. SF)
33) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (at NE)
34) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (at MIN)
35) Tank Dell | HOU (at JAX)
36) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. LV)
37) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at KC)
38) DJ Moore | CHI (at DET)
39) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. LV)
40) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (vs. HOU)
41) Keenan Allen | CHI (at DET)
42) Jordan Addison | MIN (vs. ARI)
43) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at ATL)
44) Rome Odunze | CHI (at DET)
45) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (at DEN)
46) Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG (at DAL)
47) Elijah Moore | CLE (at DEN)
48) Christian Watson | GB (vs. MIA)
49) Noah Brown | WAS (vs. TEN)
50) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (vs. SF)
51) Xavier Legette | CAR (vs. TB)
52) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. IND)
53) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (at WAS)
54) Keon Coleman | BUF (vs. SF)
55) Adam Thielen | CAR (vs. TB)
56) Brandin Cooks | DAL (vs. NYG)
57) Ricky Pearsall | SF (at BUF)
58) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs. IND)
59) Alec Pierce | IND (at NE)
60) Devaughn Vele | DEN (vs. CLE)
61) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (vs. LAC)
62) Darius Slayton | NYG (at DAL)
63) Rashod Bateman | BAL (vs. PHI)
64) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (vs. NYG)
65) Mike Williams | PIT (at CIN)
66) Jalen McMillan | TB (at CAR)
67) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at ATL)
68) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at NYJ)
69) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. LV)
70) Michael Wilson | ARI (at MIN)
71) Tre Tucker | LV (at KC)
72) Van Jefferson | PIT (at CIN)
73) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (at NO)
74) Parker Washington | JAX (vs. HOU)
75) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs. IND)
76) Mack Hollins | BUF (vs. SF)
77) Adonai Mitchell | IND (at NE)
78) Tyler Boyd | TEN (at WAS)
79) Calvin Austin III | PIT (at CIN)
80) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (vs. MIA)
81) Justin Watson | KC (vs. LV)
82) Diontae Johnson | BAL (vs. PHI)
83) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (vs. NYG)
84) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (vs. CLE)
85) Lil'Jordan Humphrey | DEN (vs. CLE)
86) John Metchie III | HOU (at JAX)
87) Ja'Lynn Polk | NE (vs. IND)
88) Jalen Nailor | MIN (vs. ARI)
89) Troy Franklin | DEN (vs. CLE)
90) Odell Beckham Jr. | MIA (at GB)
91) Kalif Raymond | DET (vs. CHI)
92) Tim Patrick | DET (vs. CHI)
93) Jahan Dotson | PHI (at BAL)
94) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (vs. TEN)
95) Malik Washington | MIA (at GB)
96) Nelson Agholor | BAL (vs. PHI)
97) Bo Melton | GB (vs. MIA)
98) Tylan Wallace | BAL (vs. PHI)
99) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (vs. TEN)
100) Mecole Hardman Jr. | KC (vs. LV)
101) Tutu Atwell | LAR (at NO)
102) Jalen Brooks | DAL (vs. NYG)
103) Dyami Brown | WAS (vs. TEN)
104) Xavier Hutchinson | HOU (at JAX)
105) DJ Turner | LV (at KC)
106) Tyler Johnson | LAR (at NO)
107) Robert Woods | HOU (at JAX)
108) Jalen Reagor | LAC (at ATL)
109) Jake Bobo | SEA (at NYJ)
110) Jordan Whittington | LAR (at NO)
111) Greg Dortch | ARI (at MIN)
112) Jonathan Mingo | DAL (vs. NYG)
113) Sterling Shepard | TB (at CAR)
114) Parris Campbell | PHI (at BAL)
115) Trey Palmer | TB (at CAR)
116) DeAndre Carter | CHI (at DET)
117) Laviska Shenault Jr. | SEA (at NYJ)
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.