Justin Jefferson, Saquon Barkley and other concerning Week 13 Fantasy Football bad beats

It’s already Week 13 of the NFL season, and yet we’re still getting surprised by how players perform in fantasy football. Some of these surprises have been nice for fantasy owners: players that broke out midseason due to circumstances around their team. For every surprising boom, though, there are always a few players who bust every week.

That being said, there are a few players who have not been performing up to par over the last few weeks. Some of these fantasy football bad beats can be chalked up to a coincidence, a minor blip on what is otherwise going to be a good season. However, these three players’ underperformance is more likely a symptom of a bigger problem that should put managers on edge.

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

We first head to Minnesota, where arguably the best wide receiver in the league has not been playing well over the last few weeks. Justin Jefferson is always in contention for the best wide receiver in the league. Even with a revolving cast of quarterbacks throwing to him, the Vikings WR has always performed well in fantasy leagues.

Not this season, though. Jefferson hasn’t been the fantasy monster in 2025 that he’s been over the course of his career… or even early this season. He’s yet to score more than 11.1 fantasy points through the last four weeks, culminating in a 2.4 FP performance in Week 13 where he was held to just two catches and four yards.

Now to be fair, Jefferson had undrafted rookie Max Brosmer as his quarterback in Week 13 against the Seahawks. Brosmer looked lost in his first NFL start, and he was also up against the ferocious Seahawks defense. JJ McCarthy should be back under center for the Vikings in Week 14 against the Washington Commanders.

McCarthy should be better than Brosmer, but that’s an incredibly low bar to clear. McCarthy was also playing terribly before suffering a concussion, with his misfires having a big impact on Jefferson’s production. For the first time in what feels like ages, sitting Jefferson in your fantasy football team doesn’t sound too crazy.

Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

After Saquon Barkley’s historic 2,000-yard season in 2024, many expected the Eagles star’s fantasy football performance to drop off the following season. That wasn’t necessarily a knock on Barkley: it was just a little foolish to expect the same historic performance from Barkley two seasons in a row, especially after a Super Bowl run.

Barkley had a few duds before the bye week, but a 33.8 FP explosion in their Week 8 game against the Giants right before the bye week gave fantasy football managers hope that he’d be back to his explosive and consistent self. Instead, though, Barkley has been consistently underperforming in the four games since the Eagles’ bye week. Against the Chicago Bears, in particular, Barkley was terrible, rushing for just 56 yards and failing to find the endzone against the Bears’ shaky defense.

The 5.6 FP game in Week 13 was the latest in a string of Barkley busts over the last few weeks. He’s failed to reach the endzone in the last four games and has been limited to just 2.7 yards per carry before the Bears game. You can place the blame on a myriad of reasons, but the truth of the matter is that the Eagles running back isn’t as reliable as he was last season. Philly has a game against the Chargers (13th in rushing yards allowed) coming up, which could prove to be tough for Barkley.

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Something isn’t right with Lamar Jackson. The Ravens quarterback returned a month ago after a lengthy absence due to a lower-body injury. While he had a decent first two games after the injury (25.6 FP against the Dolphins and a modest 16.6 against the Vikings, things haven’t looked well in the last three games.

Jackson has failed to eclipse 7.5 points in his last three games, even though he was facing teams like the Browns, Jets, and Bengals. One of the biggest reasons for his underperformance is his sudden turnover issues. The Ravens quarterback has thrown three interceptions and had two fumbles over the last three games, severely lowering his fantasy football score.

The Ravens offensive line’s struggles to protect Jackson have certainly affected his performance. So has his injury, which has clearly limited his mobility and his potential to score points in fantasy. With games against the Steelers, Patriots, and Packers coming up, Jackson’s fantasy potential is incredibly limited.

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