8 Big-Name Players You May Want to Avoid in Week 13

Jeremy Maclin, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

The Dallas secondary seems to be waning, but this is a big-time call I'm going to make: Jeremy Maclin is a play to avoid in Week 13. We've already seen in two of the past three weeks that he is, in fact, mortal, racking up five or fewer points in those contests. He may seem like a plug-and-play stud starter, but this is Shark Week now: no one is safe.

One of the upsides of Chip Kelly's offense is its adaptability, fitting itself to the skillset of the players in the system and morphing for each new opponent, but at its core it's a vertical passing offense predicated on setting up the deep bomb. Maclin thrives in this system like DeSean Jackson did last year because they fit the role of the speed merchant who blows the top off safety coverage. One big challenge for Philadelphia this week, though, will be to make that same scheme work against a Dallas team that has defended the deep ball fairly well this year. No vertical passing offense besides Arizona has gotten more than 20 points for its receivers against this Dallas secondary. The way to beat this Dallas team is underneath on crossing patterns, which could mean a big boon for slot receiver Jordan Matthews.

This is a tough call, because there are some good signs for Maclin's fantasy potential this week, but there is enough negative that I'd consider breaking any ties away from this speedy Eagle.