4 Keys to a Week 13 fantasy football victory (and one RB stash for the future)

Dominate your fantasy football leagues in Week 13 with these keys to victory.

Best RB spot of the week: Bucky Irving vs. CAR

It’s the second straight week where Irving has claimed the crown for the best spot of the week. Last week, he faced the Giants who allow the most rushing yards per play. New York also ranks top-five in explosive plays allowed to running backs. Irving made the absolute most of this matchup by turning 18 touches into 151 total yards and a touchdown. He was also tackled twice on the 1-yard line and saw Sean Tucker vulture both of the following goal-line carries.

Irving now enters an even better matchup. He’ll take on the Panthers who allow the most rushing yards per game and second-most rushing touchdowns this season. The Bucs rookie is trending up at the right time and was a clear focal point of their offense coming out of the bye week.

Irving and the Bucs come into this game as six-point favorites. Expect even more touches if the Bucs can play with a lead, just like we saw in Week 12 against the Giants.

Sketchy RB spot of the week: James Conner vs. MIN

Conner is coming off one of his worst games of the season. In Week 12, Conner turned seven carries into just eight total rushing yards. He was able to salvage his day by catching five passes for 41 yards. It was a down game but overall this season Conner has been great. He’s averaging 5.2 yards per touch and ranks first in broken tackle rate this year according to Player Profiler. He’s seen a strong role, averaging over 18 opportunities per game, and Conner ranks eighth in red-zone touches this season. Those are the cheat-code touches that lead to big fantasy days.

Conner profiles out as a league-winning running back due to his strong fantasy playoff schedule. But that strong schedule doesn’t include this week’s sketchy spot. Conner has to face the Vikings' No. 1-ranked run defense according to PFF. Minnesota allows the fewest rushing yards per game and second-fewest rushing touchdowns this year. It’s difficult to sit Conner due to his strong role, but if you have better options, you should consider them.

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Must-start of the week: Brian Thomas Jr. vs. HOU

Thomas returns from his bye week to face the Texans. Houston is fresh 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 spot for Thomas as he returns from his bye.

The last time we saw Thomas he was totaling 82 yards on five catches against the Lions in Week 11. This 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 field. This type of usage pairs better with Jones, who isn’t known for consistently being able to hit downfield throws.

There’s a chance we get Trevor Lawrence back this week; that 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 out of their bye week with an extra week to prepare for this matchup. Jaguars WR Gabe Davis also notably suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 11, which could put Thomas in line for some extra targets.

Sleeper of the week: Elijah Moore vs. DEN

Moore could be a sneaky play this week if you are struggling 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 game to find success given the conditions, and this impacted Moore’s fantasy day as he turned five targets into just three catches for 21 yards.

It was not a good day by any means, but the context of poor weather allows us to look past this down performance. Before this game, Moore was averaging 9.7 targets per contest with Jameis Winston under center. This is great usage, and it could get even better in Week 13 as WR Cedric Tillman is in the concussion protocol. If Tillman is out or limited, we could see Jerry Jeudy play more on the outside for the Browns in Week 13.

This matters because the Browns face the Broncos this week. If Jeudy was forced to play more on the outside, he’d likely line up against standout cornerback Patrick Surtain II. This could put Moore in a beneficial spot working out of the slot against Denver. Moore is available in over 80% of Yahoo leagues right now and he’s worth a pickup if you are desperate at FLEX this week.

The fantasy playoffs are just a few weeks away and right now is the perfect time to start preparing. One way to set yourself up for success is by stashing high-value running backs. These are guys on good offenses who would likely take over a large portion of their team's backfield touches if the starter ahead of them were to go down.

One of the best running back stashes right now is Trey Benson (24% rostered).

Benson is the Cardinals' third-round rookie out of Florida State. He’s best known for his elite combination of size, power and speed. In 2022, Benson broke the college football broken tackle record which was previously held by guys like David Montgomery and Kenneth Walker III. This broken tackle success has carried over into the NFL, where Benson ranks top 12 among all backs with a 26% broken tackle rate. He’s only earned 58 touches this season but he’s looked good on this limited sample averaging five yards per touch. If James Conner were to miss time, Benson would likely step into Conner’s workhorse role in the Arizona offense. Conner is 29 years old and he’s missed on average four games per season in his NFL career.

What makes Benson an even better stash is the Cardinals' fantasy playoff schedule. Arizona will take on the Patriots, Panthers and Rams in the fantasy postseason. The Patriots rank 25th in run defense according to PFF, the Panthers currently allow the most rushing yards per game and the Rams gave up 124 yards and a touchdown to James Conner already this season back in Week 2.

Benson is a priority stash as the fantasy playoffs approach.