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5 fantasy matchups to exploit in Week 13

Pittsburgh Steelers' Martavis Bryant (10) can't hold onto a pass as Seattle Seahawks' Richard Sherman (25) defends in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Welcome to the Matchups Machine, which narrows down ideal matchups from around the league on a weekly basis using the tools we have available at PFF, the Las Vegas odds, and insight from yours truly.

PFF has all the tools to break down each individual matchup. Do you want to know how your wide receiver is going to do? Well, if he lines up as a split end on 90 percent of his snaps, we can pinpoint which cornerback he will be matching up with for those snaps. We can also tell you how that cornerback has performed.

Of course, as was the case in the past, this column will become more accurate as the season goes on and we compile more grades for the players and get a feel for the tendencies and overall strengths/weaknesses of the 32 teams.

The goal of this column is to help you with those tricky decisions in year-long leagues, but also to help you narrow down your best options in daily fantasy leagues. You will see a mix of big-name players and fringe starters. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Carson Palmer at Rams

Just one week after carrying DFS lineups with 317 yards passing and four touchdowns against a tough Bengals defense, Palmer was a bit of a disappointment in Week 12 against the 49ers. His fantasy day was bailed out by a late rushing touchdown, but he couldn’t get much going in the passing game. However, there is reason to believe that Palmer will get back on track in Week 13 in a matchup that is much better than it looks on paper. Palmer should have much lower ownership due to his price tag and recency bias, and that is a good reason to get him going in your lineups.

Prior to throwing for just 271 yards and no touchdowns in Week 12, Palmer had been on a three-game tear where he racked up 1,055 passing yards and 11 touchdowns. During that span, he had all of his weapons firing — Michael Floyd and John Brown played huge roles, in addition to Larry Fitzgerald, who has been dominant all season. Both Floyd and Brown are getting healthier now and rounding back into form. Last week, Floyd was eased back into action, but he should be much healthier with another week removed. Brown racked up 99 yards and five receptions and looked fully healthy for the first time in over a month — his day could’ve been even bigger had Palmer not overthrown him on a long pass.

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Dan Schneier is a staff writer at PFF Fantasy and he covers the NFL for FOX Sports. You can find him on Twitter @DanSchneierNFL. You can also add him to your network on Google+ to find all of his past material.

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