The Chicago Bears will face the Detroit Lions 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 Keenan Allen.
Is Keenan Allen Playing in Week 13?
Allen is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play on Thursday.
We’ll continue to monitor the Bears’ 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 Keenan Allen in Week 13?
Woah. There were plenty of surprises last week, but a 15-target outing from Keenan Allen was up there with anything we saw in Week 12.
I don’t think the overall volume of the passing game in Chicago is going to look like that very often (even as a double-digit underdog on Thanksgiving), but last week featured Allen seeing six of Caleb Williams’ first 12 targets (five catches for 70 yards), and that makes me think that this a diagnosed matchup more than anything.
The 23.6-point outing was Allen’s best of the season — it was also just his second top-30 performance of the season. I would love to tell you that this is a sign of things to come, but I’m not going to lie to you. DJ Moore has caught all 14 of his targets over the past two weeks, and while Rome Odunze has yet to break out, his ability to earn targets is trending in a positive direction.
Detroit is the top-ranked defense in terms of opponent passer rating, fueling my ranking of Allen as more of a WR4 than anything. I understand that seeing the points pile up on your bench last week was irritating, but I’d caution against turning one mistake into two by locking him into your starting lineup on Thanksgiving.
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.
Keenan Allen’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of Thursday morning, Allen is projected to score 11.4 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 4.5 receptions for 49.6 yards and 0.3 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 Lions' Defense
This season, the Lions have reaped the rewards of their defensive rebuild under head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. When they took over in 2021, they inherited the worst defense in football. It took them a couple of years, but last season, we saw Detroit improve from near the bottom of the pile to the middle of the pack. This year, they've completed that development.
They have fully capitalized on a soft-ish run of games, finishing inside the top three defensively against the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Indianapolis Colts over the past three weeks.
After a mediocre start to the season, they have now been in the top 10 in five of their 11-game weeks. However, those strong performances all came against below-average offenses, so it will be intriguing to see how they fare against some higher-caliber units in the coming weeks.
The biggest improvements this season have come in their passing defense, which has gone from being below-average to above-average. As a result, they are forcing more turnovers, performing better on third down, and improving their red-zone efficiency.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Keenan Allen’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)
Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions Trends
Chicago Bears
Team: The Bears last won in the United States in Week 5 (vs. Panthers) and this streak might not end any time soon (Lions, 49ers, Vikings, Lions, Seahawks, and Packers to end this regular season).
QB: Are the Bears protecting Caleb Williams? He hasn’t thrown an interception during this losing streak, but he also has seen the majority of his throws over that stretch travel no more than five yards downfield.
Offense: Chicago is averaging 2.1 points per drive at home and 1.1 on the road this season.
Defense: Over the past three weeks, the Bears have allowed just seven touchdowns on 17 red zone trips.
Fantasy: Roschon Johnson now has six one-yard touchdown runs this season, a number that leads the position.
Betting: The Bears are just 1-4 ATS in their past five games played on short rest.
Detroit Lions
Team: Three of Detroit’s next five games do not come on a Sunday (Thursdays in each of the next two weeks and a Monday Nighter in San Francisco to conclude Week 17).
QB: In Weeks 1-7, Jared Goff averaged 13 yards per blitzed pass attempt, a rate that has dropped to 5.2 since.
Offense: After running for three scores on Sunday against the Colts, Detroit now has 22 straight games with at least one rushing touchdown.
Defense: Opponents have picked up under 30% of their third down opportunities against the Lions in four of their past five games (last two weeks: five-of-22, 22.7%).
Fantasy: Jahmyr Gibbs was great last season and produced 7.7% over PPR expectations – he’s +40.1% through 12 weeks this season!
Betting: The Lions have covered six of their past eight games when playing on short rest.