The Cincinnati Bengals will face the Pittsburgh Steelers 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 Khalil Herbert.
Is Khalil Herbert Playing in Week 13?
Herbert 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 Bengals’ 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 Khalil Herbert in Week 13?
Herbert, for me, isn’t in the same tier as a Ray Davis or Tyler Allgeier handcuff, and thus he can be cut loose as the value of every single roster spot increases down the stretch.
Chase Brown is being used as a true bell cow, and while Herbert is technically the next man up, his playing just 3.9% of Cincinnati’s offensive snaps since being acquired indicates that, even should an injury occur, this team isn’t ready to unleash the former Bear.
Instead of hanging onto Herbert, I’d rather roster a boom/bust receiver that has access to a weekly ceiling and can thus help me out if I’m in desperation mode.
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.
Khalil Herbert’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of 8 AM ET on Sunday morning, Herbert is projected to score 6 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 6.9 rushing attempts for 32.8 yards and 0.2 touchdowns. It also includes 0.9 receptions for 5.3 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 Steelers' Defense
After a couple of lean years by their standards in 2021 and 2022, when they ranked 15th and 16th, respectively, this will be the Steelers' second straight year ranking inside the top 10 if they carry on at their current pace.
They switched to Teryl Austin as defensive coordinator in 2022. After one season of getting his feet underneath himself after being promoted, he's led Pittsburgh's defense back toward its former glory.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head over to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Khalil Herbert’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.