Matthew Freedman highlights the top tight end plays for fantasy football in Week 13. 

It's the week of Thanksgiving, which means it's time for my annual (and highly official and by no means idiosyncratic and arbitrary) pie rankings.

In previous seasons, I have provided rankings and notes for the top 25.

This year, I'm sticking with just the top five: Freedman's favorites (pie edition).

And, of course, I'll provide brief thoughts on some honorable mentions as well as the stone-cold worst pie type in existence.

Worst Pie Ever: Mincemeat

There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who invite others over for Thanksgiving and then proceed to foist upon them the most disgusting culinary concoction ever conceived.

And then there are the normal people. Everyday folks like you and me.

I pray you never find yourself at the house of an acquaintance needing to pretend that mincemeat pie is not, in fact, a crime against humanity.

I myself once had to navigate such dangerous waters. I survived. I'm no hero. Just a guy with a medium-strong stomach and the willingness to lie.

By the way, have I mentioned how great you look today?

Honorable Mentions

• Lemon Meringue: Mom's favorite
• Banana Cream: Above-average palate cleanser between other, better pies
• Peanut Butter: With milk
• Any Non-Strawberry Berry Pie: Standard
• Peach: My go-to high-school favorite

No. 5: Apple Pie

A case could be made for apple as high as No. 1 and low as No. 7. A great apple offering is hard to beat, and even a bad one is average.

It's almost impossible to have too many apple pies at a gathering.

No. 4: Key Lime Pie

You might not think of this as a Thanksgiving dessert—but it is if you pour some cranberry sauce on it.

But really any season of year is a fine time for key lime.

No. 3: Pecan Pie

Easy to get wrong, but perfection if gotten right.

• Pecans from Texas
• Bourbon from Kentucky
• Recipe from Louisiana

Best when baked by a grandmother and accompanied by vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel.

I've recently been informed that I should expect to enjoy a top-tier chocolate pecan pie at one of the Thanksgiving meals I plan to attend this year.

Reader, I am beyond hopefully enthusiastic.

Wish me good fortune.

No. 2: Pumpkin Pie & Sweet Potato Pie

Pumpkin and sweet potato aren't the same … but I can barely taste the difference. An unsophisticated palate I have.

Both are good … but if they were so good then people (other than Mel Kiper Jr.) would be eating them all year long.

And, sorry, as much as I love pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving and Christmas, there's zero chance I'm eating a slice of it during the summer.

But this next pie—I could eat healthy servings of it at any point of the year.

No. 1: Cherry

For too long I have kowtowed to the orthodoxy that insists upon having pumpkin and/or sweet potato at the top of pie rankings.

No more.

If cherry pie is No. 1 outside of the holiday season—and it is—then it should be No. 1 even in the colder months.

I have decided.

In the words of Warrant, “Tastes so good, make a grown man cry: Sweet cherry pie.”

Best of luck with all your pie-eating and fantasy-dominating endeavors this week.

Freedman's Favorites

As of Tuesday afternoon, here's an early look at my (preliminary) favorite Week 13 fantasy plays—the guys who (in some combination) …

• Might be high in my fantasy rankings relative to the industry consensus.
• Need to be started in most season-long leagues.
• Must be added if they are on waivers.
• Possess underappreciated upside.
• Have advantageous matchups.
• Should be considered in daily fantasy.
• Make for desirable dynasty acquisition targets.
• Are on teams with player-friendly betting odds.
• Stand out in our Fantasy Life Player Prop Tool.

Some customary notes.

Updates: After I submit this piece, any changing opinions I have will be reflected in my rankings and my projections (accessible with a FantasyLife+ subscription), which I will update throughout the week.

Scoring & Ordering: All fantasy points are half-PPR scoring unless otherwise stated. Players in separate sections are ordered within position roughly (but probably not precisely) according to my rankings.

Abbreviations: Check out the end of the piece for abbreviations I might use.

Bye Week: This week, we have a full slate of NFL games. No excuses.

Sports Betting Data: Odds are as of 4:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 26, and based on the consensus lines in our Fantasy Life Odds Page.

Freedman's Favorites: Although we publish this piece as four separate articles broken out by position, I think of it as one cohesive whole and write it as such. With that in mind, please be sure to check out the rest of my favorite Week 13 fantasy football plays in the other positional previews.

• QBs for Fantasy Football Week 13
• RBs for Fantasy Football Week 13
• WRs for Fantasy Football Week 13

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Best TEs for Fantasy Football Week 13 

Taysom Hill (Saints) vs. Rams

• Saints: +3
• O/U: 49.5
• TT: 23.25

I have had Taysom Hill in this piece for each of his past three games. I'm not about to terminate that trend now given that he went off as the No. 1 TE in Week 11 before the bye.

At 34 years old, Hill is seemingly always at risk of breaking down, and he missed all but 15 snaps of Weeks 3-7 with chest and rib injuries, but he should be rested and refreshed with the extended Week 12 rest, and since returning to action in Week 8 he has functioned as an actual pass catcher within the offense.

• Receiving Utilization (Since Week 8): 50% route rate | 30% target rate | 19% target share
• Receiving Production (Since Week 8): 16-148-0 receiving | 21 targets

I expect his receiving usage to persist given that the Saints are without WRs Chris Olave (concussion, IR), Rashid Shaheed (knee, IR), and Bub Means (ankle, IR), and in his two games this year without Olave he has been especially involved in the pass attack.

• Receiving Utilization (Since Week 10): 61% route rate | 34% target rate | 25% target share
• Receiving Production (Since Week 10): 10-86-0 receiving | 12 targets

That might not seem like a lot, but it's sufficient as the complement to what Hill has done on the ground since Week 8: An outstanding 20-191-4 rushing.

You can knitpick his recent production if you want and say that he won't be able to sustain moving forward the 9.6-yard rushing average he has flashed over his past four games.

Sure. You're right. You're more than just a great-looking face.

But for the season Hill has 7.9 yards per carry. Since 2022, he has 5.9. For his career, 5.6. Regardless of sample, Hill is a superior runner. That's why the Saints have steadily given him 4-6 carries each game this year.

And I expect his rushing usage to continue given that RB KenDre Miller (hamstring, RB) is out and RB Jamaal Williams (groin) last played in Week 8. Without another established runner on the team aside from starter Alvin Kamara, the Saints could once again use Hill as a rushing specialist, especially near the goal line, where he has displayed a nose for the end zone (4 rushing TDs on 6 carries inside the 10-yard line this year).

In the secondary, the Rams are without FS John Johnson (shoulder, IR).

The Hot Route

T.J. Hockenson (Vikings -3.5, TT: 24.25) vs. Cardinals: With 7-114-0 receiving on 9 targets and an 84% route rate, Big Block Hock last week had his best performance of the season since returning in Week 9 from the knee injury that cut short his 2023 season and sidelined him for the first half of 2024. He won't hit the century mark every game, but Hockenson could have similar usage again if No. 2 TE Josh Oliver (wrist, ankle) is out—and the Cardinals could be vulnerable without SS Jalen Thompson (ankle), who has been out since Week 10. 

Noah Gray (Chiefs -12, TT: 27.25) vs. Raiders: Gray's 4-66-2 receiving performance last week was certainly aided by the fact that he was going against the Panthers, who are No. 1 in largest fantasy boost allowed to TEs (+5.5). Here's the thing: This week he's facing the Raiders … No. 2 in fantasy boost (+4.9). In the six games since the Week 6 bye, Gray has a 57% route rate, which he has leveraged into a more-than-respectable 17-196-4 receiving with 19 targets. Since 2022, Gray has averaged an explosive 8.8 yards per target. He's not No. 1 Travis Kelce, but he's now a functional part of his team's passing attack. The Raiders are without SS Marcus Epps (knee, IR).

Tommy Tremble (Panthers +5.5, TT: 20.25) vs. Buccaneers: If you aren't immediately, simultaneously, and equally titillated and revolted by the idea of playing Tremble this week in fantasy, you're not the sicko you think you are. Last week he had an 82% snap rate and 60% route rate in his return from a back injury, and he could have more usage this week if TE Ja'Tavion Sanders (neck) is out. The Buccaneers are No. 29 in defensive pass DVOA against TEs (29.3%) and could be missing SS Jordan Whitehead (pectoral). So what if Tremble had just 5 yards on 2 targets last week? So what if he's destined for a disgusting goose egg this week? It doesn't matter. It's not reality. It's just fantasy. Nothing matters. Except pie.

Abbreviations

• Fantasy Points per Game (FPPG)
• Against the Spread (ATS)
• Over/Under (O/U)
• Team Total (TT)
• Moneyline (ML)
• Return on Investment (ROI)
• Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A)
• Expected Points Added (EPA)
• Success Rate (SR)
• Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)
• Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)
• AirYAC (Air Yards + Yards After Catch)
• Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR)
• Average Depth of Target (aDOT)
• Short Down and Distance (SDD)
• Long Down and Distance (LDD)

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