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 week in a row that Irving has secured the crown for top spot of the week. Last week he faced the Giants, who allow the most rushing yards per game. New York also ranks in the top five in terms of explosive plays allowed to running backs. Irving made the most of this game, converting 18 touchdowns into a total of 151 yards and a touchdown. He was also tackled twice at the 1-yard line and saw Sean Tucker finish on both subsequent carries at the goal line.

Irving now enters an even better duel. He will face the Panthers, who are allowing 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 a clear focal point of his offense following the bye week.

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

Questionable 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 converted just eight total rushing yards on seven carries. He was able to make his day by catching five passes for 41 yards. It was a loss, but overall Conner was great this season. According to Player Profiler, he averages 5.2 yards per touch and ranks first in broken tackle rate this year. He has played a strong role, averaging over 18 opportunities per game, and Conner ranks eighth in red zone touches this season. These are the cheat code details that lead to big fantasy days.

Conner is considered a league-winning running back due to his strong fantasy playoff schedule. But that strong schedule doesn’t include this week’s sketchy point. Conner faces 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. Conner’s strong role makes it difficult to represent, but if you have better options, consider them.

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Must-see this week: Brian Thomas Jr. vs. HOU

Thomas returns from his bye week to face the Texans. Houston is coming off a game in which Will Levis completed 75% of his passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns. In this game, the Titans had four different pass catchers total at least 11 fantasy points. Calvin Ridley led the way with five catches for 93 yards. This is a good point for Thomas when he comes back from his farewell.

When we last saw Thomas, he totaled 82 yards on five catches in Week 11 against the Lions. This was his best game with Mac Jones at QB and it was encouraging to see Thomas being used more often in the short to intermediate portions of the field. This type of usage better suits Jones, who isn’t known for his consistent ability to make downfield throws.

There’s a chance we could get Trevor Lawrence back this week. That would certainly make Thomas a must-start. But if Lawrence can’t go, I saw enough in Week 11 to be confident about starting Thomas against the Texans, especially with the Jaguars coming off their bye week with an extra week to prepare for that matchup. Notably, Jaguars WR Gabe Davis also suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 11, which could make Thomas eligible for some additional targets.

Sleeper of the Week: Elijah Moore vs. DEN

Moore could be a sneaky play this week if you’re 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 both passers to succeed under the conditions, and this affected Moore’s fantasy day as he turned five targets into just three catches for 21 yards.

It wasn’t a good day by any means, but the bad weather made us overlook this poor performance. Prior to this game, Moore was averaging 9.7 goals per contest with Jameis Winston at center. This is great usage and could get even better in Week 13 with WR Cedric Tillman in the concussion protocol. If Tillman is sidelined or limited, we could see Jerry Jeudy play more on the outside for the Browns in Week 13.

This is important because the Browns face 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 when 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 for FLEX this week.

The fantasy playoffs are just a few weeks away and now is the perfect time to start preparing. One way to set yourself up for success is to stockpile quality running backs. These are guys with good offense who would likely handle a large portion of their team’s backcourt touches if the starter in front of them were to go down.

One of the best running backs currently is Trey Benson (24% on the roster).

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 college football’s broken tackle record, previously held by the likes of David Montgomery and Kenneth Walker III. This success in broken tackles has carried over to the NFL, where Benson ranks in the top 12 of all backs with a broken tackle rate of 26%. He only managed 58 touches this season, but in that limited sample he performed well, averaging five yards per touch. If James Conner were to miss time, Benson would likely take over Conner’s workhorse role in Arizona’s offense. Conner is 29 years old and has missed an average of four games per season in his NFL career.

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

Benson is a priority hiding spot as the fantasy playoffs approach.