The Cleveland Browns will travel to take on the Denver Broncos in Week 13. Here’s the final injury report and start-sit advice for every skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy football impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
And if you’re looking for all the latest injury updates around the league, our Final Week 13 Injury Report is live and updated with the very latest for all 32 teams.
Jameis Winston, QB | CLE
Winston’s Injury Status for Week 13
Winston is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Winston
Even in the snowy conditions and against an elite defense, Jameis Winston continued to inch up his in-pocket completion percentage on Thursday night against the Steelers (58.1% in Week 9, 61.9% in Week 11, and 63.6% in Week 12).
The exciting plays are fun, but if Winston is improving his production in these on-script spots, we might be onto something. The problem, of course, is the schedule. I’m not going to have him ranked as a fantasy starter in any of the next three weeks, and that includes Week 14’s rematch with Pittsburgh, a week in which six teams have their bye.
With the scheduling being what it is and Winston’s mobility limited at best, he’s going to need to be close to perfect to return top-15 numbers. I don’t see that happening (3-of-11 passing in the red zone in November), and that means that I’ll be enjoying the Winston experience from a distance as opposed to trusting him with the fate of my fantasy season in his hands.
Nick Chubb, RB | CLE
Chubb’s Injury Status for Week 13
Chubb is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Chubb
The two touchdowns, including the game-winner, were nice to see from Nick Chubb on Thursday night, but be careful. This season, just 4.1% of his carries have gained 10+ yards, far below his career norm entering this season (15.8%).
He’s not at the peak of his powers, but to my eye, he is running hard. That said, how far can a profile like Chubb’s go when he is picking up just 0.4 yards per carry before first contact?
The Browns have nothing but brutal matchups or explosive offenses left on their schedule, a concern for a script-dependent back like Chubb who has, checks notes, negative three receiving yards over the past month. There’s low-end Flex value here for as long as he holds the RB1 role in this offense, a role I don’t see leaving him — there’s just not much upward mobility in terms of my projections.
Jerome Ford, RB | CLE
Ford’s Injury Status for Week 13
Ford is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Ford
Jerome Ford continues to work behind Nick Chubb, and if there was ever a chance for him to see his usage increase, it would have been last week in a poor-weather game with an elite defense on the other side. If there was a situation to start Chubb, that was it.
Browns RB usage, Week 12:
- Chubb: 63.6% snaps, 20 carries, and one target
- Ford: 36.4% snaps, four carries, and one target
It didn’t happen. If you want to roster Ford as a Chubb handcuff, knock yourself out. In an instance where he takes over the RB1 role, I think this offense is better positioned now for him to succeed than it was back in September, so there’s merit to hanging onto him for depth purposes.
Until that injury/rest situation, however, Ford doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near starting lineups.
Cedric Tillman, WR | CLE
Tillman’s Injury Status for Week 13
Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol after going down last Thursday night (Nov. 21), head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters on Wednesday. He did not practice on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday ahead of Week 13’s Monday night trip to Denver. As a result, he’s been ruled out for the game.
Tillman suffered a third-quarter brain injury after hauling in his second of the night in an eventual win vs. the Steelers. Most players need at least one week to clear the protocol. Tillman has a few extra days to work with because the Browns are coming off a TNF game and playing on Monday night, but it still appears he won’t be able to go right away.
No Browns pass catcher benefitted more from Amari Cooper being traded than Tillman, who ranked top-20 league-wide in yards per route run and on-field target share from Weeks 7 through 10.
Jeudy and Elijah Moore will be Jameis Winston’s top two wideouts with Tillman sidelined, while sixth-round rookie Jamari Thrash or October addition Jaelon Darden could have an expanded role.
Tillman’s Fantasy Outlook
Tillman saw four targets before being ruled out for the game with a concussion. In the small sample of Week 12, his on-field target share was his best of the season, a positive sign for those holding this stock, but I’m operating as if we will not have his services this weekend.
I found it somewhat interesting that Tillman was being used underneath to open last week (7.3 aDOT, his first game with an aDOT under 10.9 yards this season). That could increase his weekly stability via efficiency (2024: 59.2% catch rate), a net positive given the volume in which this team is throwing the ball with Jameis Winston under center.
I prefer Jerry Jeudy to Tillman, but there’s more than enough food at the table for both to eat when fully healthy.
Elijah Moore, WR | CLE
Moore’s Injury Status for Week 13
Moore is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Moore
Elijah Moore disappointed on Thursday night (5.1 PPR points) and was hardly used in the slot, something that was previously his calling card.
- Week 6 at Philadelphia Eagles: 71.4% slot rate
- Week 7 vs. Cincinnati Bengals: 69.4%
- Week 8 vs. Baltimore Ravens: 66%
- Week 9 vs. Los Angeles Chargers: 67.8%
- Week 11 at New Orleans Saints: 67.3%
- Week 12 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 30.8%
Was this the result of the wintery weather? Was it a reaction to the Cedric Tillman concussion? I tend to think this usage will be an outlier as opposed to the beginning of a pattern, and that keeps me optimistic. I don’t love the idea if it means he’s competing for perimeter looks with Jerry Jeudy/Tillman, but if the slot role returns, he can be a viable PPR option on a weekly basis.
In terms of completion percentage against, Denver is more vulnerable in the slot and that is why I think PPR managers can get away with Flexing Moore this week, even if the upside isn’t all that impressive.
Jerry Jeudy, WR | CLE
Jeudy’s Injury Status for Week 13
Cleveland Browns WR Jerry Jeudy (knee) is fully practicing this week and will play in Week 13.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Jeudy
Jerry Jeudy has established himself as the most consistent Cleveland receiver as he has cleared 70 receiving yards in all four Jameis Winston starts, averaging 116 air yards per game in the process.
Does this mean he draws Patrick Surtain this week? Likely, but if there’s a corner in this league who scares Winston from throwing where he is most comfortable, I’ve yet to find him. The matchup comes with an underwhelming implied point total for the Browns, but the usage is strong enough to Flex Jeudy, whose on-field target share has increased in each game during the Winston era.
David Njoku, TE | CLE
Njoku’s Injury Status for Week 13
Njoku is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Njoku
The weather last Thursday night ended up hurting David Njoku as much as anyone, a touch of irony for a player who insisted on warming up in the elements without a shirt on. He caught just one of five targets in the upset win over the Steelers, a level of inefficiency that included a dropped touchdown that had the potential to bail out fantasy managers from a very underwhelming performance.
I’m not reading into the bad game. Njoku caught all nine of his looks the week prior in a weather-proof game against the Saints, so the connection with Jameis Winston isn’t something I fear. It’s worth noting that his average depth of target is up 66.7% with Winston under center compared to when Deshaun Watson was calling the shots.
The schedule isn’t pretty, and nothing but potential weather spots loom. I’m still not worried.
Njoku, in my opinion, remains the most stable force in Cleveland’s passing game and is deserving of your trust for the remainder of the season.
Bo Nix, QB | DEN
Nix’s Injury Status for Week 13
Nix is dealing with a back injury ahead of his club’s Monday night matchup against the Browns. Nix was limited for Thursday’s practice (the first of the week) but returned to a full session on Friday and Saturday.
As Underdog’s James Palmer noted, Nix appeared to be in pain during Week 12’s win over the Raiders and received attention from Denver’s medical staff.
The good news is that the upgrade in practice availability at the end of the week indicates there’s not much to be concerned about for Monday. As long as Nix isn’t downgraded on Saturday, he should be ready to play on MNF.
Jarrett Stidham is the Broncos’ backup quarterback and would start if Nix were unexpectedly sidelined.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Nix
Bo Nix has three straight games with multiple passing touchdowns and 30 pass attempts with zero interceptions. No rookie has ever done it in four straight games (Daniel Jones and Lamar Jackson authored such games against the Browns this season).
Could this be a historic spot for the rookie? Could Nix take over the Rookie of the Year betting board?
Nix has seven QB1 finishes this season and has been at his best when his best is needed — 12 completions on 14 red-zone pass attempts over the past three weeks (six touchdowns).
This high-pressure defense gives me some concerns, which is why I’ve cautiously ranked Nix as my QB15 this week, a respectable ranking in a matchup that isn’t great and with all 32 teams in action.
Audric Estimé, RB | DEN
Estimé’s Injury Status for Week 13
Estimé is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Estimé
In Week 10 against the Chiefs, we thought we saw a changing of the guard in Denver. In Week 11, we were less sure, but Audric Estimé did catch three passes, and that at least allowed us to retain some hope that the fifth-round rookie could carve out a niche in this creative Sean Payton offense with a breaking out Bo Nix.
Those hopes, however, were dashed against the Raiders on Sunday — three carries and zero targets. Payton pretty clearly has commitment issues when it comes to the hierarchy of his backfield (six different players had a carry), and with Nix moving the ball around (nine players saw a target in Week 12), I can’t imagine a world in which you’re feeling confident enough to plug in Estimé at any point moving forward.
There are players on your waiver wire that have more scoring equity than Estimé.
Javonte Williams, RB | DEN
Williams’ Injury Status for Week 13
Williams is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Williams
Think all the way back to Sunday’s Broncos game. You probably remember Bo Nix making plays, a Courtland Sutton touchdown or two, and maybe even the chunk play from Marvin Mims Jr.
Think really hard.
Do you remember anything from Javonte Williams?
I had him on a DFS roster and got paid to watch this stuff, and my answer is “no”. A look back at the stats confirms — nope, nothing of note.
Nothing positive at least.
From Week 18 of 2021 through Week 12 of 2024, there have been 2,032 instances in which a player had at least eight carries in a game, and none of them averaged fewer yards per carry before contact than Williams on Sunday against, of all teams, the Raiders.
Minus 2.13 yards.
The average distance a running back lines up behind the line of scrimmage is roughly seven yards. That means that, with zero resistance and a designed dive, you’d expect him to meet the defenders 3.5 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
What Williams did on Sunday wasn’t much better than that, and that’s with an offensive line of full-grown men blocking for him with full knowledge of where the play is going, an advantage that the defense clearly doesn’t have.
Entering Week 12, the Raiders ranked 12th in preventing running back yards per carry before contact, a nice ranking, but it’s not as if this is an all-time defense or anything like that. What the Broncos put on tape last season was a problem. A big problem. Williams was the victim on Sunday, but I can’t imagine starting any of their running backs in even the deepest of formats right now.
Sean Payton involves the running backs in the passing game, and that’s great, but with three mouths to feed and only one viable outlet to do so — you’re asking for trouble if you invest in any capacity here.
Courtland Sutton, WR | DEN
Sutton’s Injury Status for Week 13
Sutton is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Sutton
This Bo Nix experience has been fun for fantasy managers, and it’s been an even more enjoyable run for Courtland Sutton, the proud owner of three top-six finishes at the position over the past month.
Everything has been encouraging in terms of his profile lately, and that includes a season-high in slot usage a week ago (33.9% of his routes), a development that could give him a strong floor to complement a ceiling that we’ve had access to lately.
But could it all come crashing down this week?
The Browns are not the intimidating matchup that we expected them to be three months ago, but even in a disappointing season, they sit atop the league in pressure rate (43% of opponent dropbacks). Nix has been great, but like most rookies, when you apply pressure, the game tends to move faster than can be processed confidently.
Broncos’ passing success in Weeks 6-12, 2024:
- Nix when not pressured: Fourth in passer rating (better than Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert)
- Nix when pressured: 23rd in passer rating (worse than Cooper Rush)
I bet the Broncos’ team total to go under 24.5 points when the lines first dropped this week with that thought in mind, and that has me lower on all members of this offense than consensus. That doesn’t mean I’m benching this alpha receiver, but it does mean I have him as a low-end WR2 while I’ve seen others putting him in the WR1 conversation.
Josh Reynolds, WR | DEN
Reynolds’ Injury Status for Week 13
Josh Reynolds (hand) has been sidelined since Week 5. He’s fully practicing this week, but he’s also fully practiced over the past two weeks — before eventually being ruled out for games.
The Broncos designated Reynolds for return on Nov. 13. They’ll have three weeks from that date to formally activate the veteran wideout to their active roster. His continued full participation would seem to suggest that a return is imminent but is officially questionable heading into Monday night’s game.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Reynolds
Josh Reynolds (finger) was activated from injured reserve two weeks ago and has been practicing, but he was ultimately inactive for Week 12. The surprise Broncos are a better team now than the one Reynolds left injured in Week 5, but Denver has yet to unlock the secondary pass-catcher role next to Courtland Sutton.
Broncos receiving yardage leaders, 2024:
- Courtland Sutton: 744 receiving yards (T-9th in the NFL)
- Devaughn Vele: 361 (89th)
- Lil’Jordan Humphrey: 267 (123rd)
- Javonte Williams: 256 (129th)
- Josh Reynolds: 183 (166th)
Could Reynolds be the answer to that question? Do the Broncos need to answer this question?
This is a wait-and-see situation in my eyes. I like Reynolds to fill that role, but with Denver yet to go on bye, you’d be adding Reynolds now to potentially cut him ahead of Week 14 without ever having played him.
I’ll be tracking all the needed rates, so check back weekly for an update — but at the moment, I’m leaving Reynolds on waiver wires.