Dominate your fantasy football leagues in Week 13 with these keys to victory.
Best RB Spot of the Week: Bucky Irving vs. CAR
This is the second week in a row that Irving has taken the crown for best spot of the week. Last week, he faced the Giants who allow the most rushing yards per play. New York also ranks in the top five in explosive plays allowed to running backs. Irving made the most of this game by turning 18 touches into 151 total yards and a touchdown. He was also tackled twice at the one-yard line and saw Sean Tucker wallow the next two carries at the goal line.
Irving now enters an even better game. He will face the Panthers who allow the most rushing yards per game and the second most rushing touchdowns this season. The Bucs rookie is on the rise at the right time and was clearly a focal point of their offense coming out of the bye week.
Irving and the Bucs enter this game as six-point favorites. Expect even more hits if the Bucs can play with a lead, just like we saw in Week 12 against the Giants.
RB summary spot of the week: James Conner against MIN
Conner is coming off one of his worst matches of the season. In Week 12, Conner turned seven carries into just eight total rushing yards. He managed to save his day by catching five passes for 41 yards. It was a draw, but overall this season Conner has been great. He averages 5.2 yards per touch and ranks first in broken tackle rate this year. according to Player Profiler. He’s played a big role, averaging over 18 chances per game, and Conner ranks eighth in red zone touches this season. These are the cheat code keys that lead to the big fantasy days.
Conner profiles as a league-winning running back because of his strong fantasy playoff schedule. But this busy schedule doesn’t include this week’s sketchy spot. Conner must face the Vikings’ No. 1 run defense according to PFF. Minnesota is allowing the fewest rushing yards per game and the second fewest rushing touchdowns this year. It’s difficult to sit Conner due to his important role, but if you have better options, you should consider them.
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Must-see of the week: Brian Thomas Jr. vs. HOU
Thomas returns from his bye week to face the Texans. Houston is coming off a game where it allowed Will Levis to complete 75% of his passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns. In this game, the Titans had four different pass catchers totaling at least 11 fantasy points. Calvin Ridley led the way with five catches for 93 yards. This is a solid place for Thomas as he returns from his bye.
The last time we saw Thomas, he had 82 yards on five catches against the Lions in Week 11. It was his best game with Mac Jones at QB and it was encouraging to see Thomas being used more in the short to intermediate parts of the terrain. . This type of usage pairs best with Jones, who is not known for consistently being able to make throws downfield.
There’s a chance Trevor Lawrence returns this week; this would certainly cement Thomas as a must-start. But if Lawrence can’t go, I saw enough in Week 11 to feel confident starting Thomas against the Texans, especially since the Jaguars are coming off their bye week with an extra week to prepare for this match. Jaguars WR Gabe Davis also suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 11, which could put Thomas in line for additional targets.
Sleeper of the Week: Elijah Moore vs. DEN
Moore could be a sneaky play this week if you struggle to find a solid FLEX option. The last time we saw Moore was on Thursday Night Football in Week 12 – the crazy weather game against Pittsburgh. It was difficult for either passing play to be successful given the conditions, and that impacted Moore’s fantastic day as he turned five targets into just three catches for 21 yards.
It was by no means a good day, but the gloomy weather allowed us to overcome this poor performance. Before this game, Moore was averaging 9.7 targets per game with Jameis Winston under center. That’s a great usage, and it could get even better in Week 13 since WR Cedric Tillman is in the concussion protocol. If Tillman is out or limited, we could see Jerry Jeudy playing more on the outside for the Browns in Week 13.
This is important because the Browns play the Broncos this week. If Jeudy were forced to play more on the outside, he would likely face standout cornerback Patrick Surtain II. This could put Moore in an advantageous position working out of the slot against Denver. Moore is currently available in over 80% of Yahoo leagues and is worth picking up if you’re desperate at FLEX this week.
The Fantasy Playoffs are only a few weeks away and now is the perfect time to start preparing. One way to set yourself up for success is to hide high-value running backs. These are guys who run good offense and would likely take over a lot of their team’s backfield touches if the starter in front of them went down.
One of the best running back reserves right now is Trey Benson (24% of players).
Benson is the Cardinals’ third-round rookie out of Florida State. He is best known for his elite combination of size, power and speed. In 2022, Benson broke the college football broken tackle record that was previously held by guys like David Montgomery and Kenneth Walker III. This broken tackle success has carried over to the NFL, where Benson ranks top 12 among all backs with a 26% broken tackle rate. He’s only gained 58 touches this season, but he’s looked good in this limited sample averaging five yards per touch. If James Conner missed time, Benson would likely assume Conner’s workhorse role in Arizona’s offense. Conner is 29 years old and has missed an average of four games per season during his NFL career.
What makes Benson an even better reserve is the Cardinals’ fantastic playoff schedule. Arizona will face the Patriots, Panthers and Rams in the fantasy playoffs. The Patriots rank 25th in run defense according to PFFthe Panthers are currently allowing the most rushing yards per game and the Rams have already given up 124 yards and a touchdown to James Conner this season in Week 2.
Benson is a priority reserve heading into the fantasy playoffs.
