Matchups to target for Week 13 in fantasy football

We still have one more game before Week 12 of the NFL season is officially in the rearview mirror, but it can’t hurt to start looking ahead to fantasy football in Week 13, right?

And of course, that’s especially true if you faced Leonard Fournette in any of your leagues this weekend. So let’s look ahead at some of the key matchups to be aware of in Week 13.

Alexander Mattison @ Detroit Lions

Dalvin Cook suffered both a torn labrum and a dislocated shoulder in Week 12, and while it doesn’t appear to be season-ending, he will certainly miss some time. That will start in Week 13 against the Lions, paving the way for Alexander Mattison to operate as the clear lead back for the Vikings, as well as an RB1 for fantasy rosters everywhere. Mattison has played in four games without Cook since the start of the 2020 campaign — in those contests, he is averaging just over 20 carries and four receptions per game. And that includes a Week 10 game against the Falcons in 2020 where the Vikings fell behind early and Mattison was scripted out of the game. During that season, Minnesota had Ameer Abdullah as a capable third-down/pass-catching back but they really don’t have anyone after Mattison. 

Mattison got the start for Cook against the Lions in Week 5 and the results were fantastic, as he rushed for 113 yards on 25 carries, adding seven grabs on seven targets for an additional 40 yards and a touchdown. Against a Detroit defense allowing opposing offenses to score points on 44.9% of drives this season (fourth worst), Mattison should be able to flirt with top-five running back numbers this weekend.

Elijah Mitchell @ Seattle Seahawks

As long as he is healthy, Elijah Mitchell is pretty clearly the lead back in San Francisco. Mitchell has 27 carries Sunday, the second straight game the rookie back has had 27 carries (sandwiched around an inactive in Week 11). Perhaps most impressive, however, is the fact that he caught five passes in Week 12, while running 15 pass routes. If he is suddenly an every-down back in one of the best running schemes in football, look out. Meanwhile, Deebo Samuel — who has actually been averaging 6.3 carries per game over his last three outings — left Sunday’s game with a groin injury. If he sits out, Mitchell has even less competition for touches against a Seattle run defense that, prior to the Monday night game, is allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing backfields on the season.

Marquise Brown @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Marquise Brown is coming off a bit of a down game Sunday night, but the volume has been fantastic for him all season. He saw 10 more targets against the Browns in Week 12, giving him double-digit targets in four consecutive games and five of his last six contests. He’s still getting plenty of shots down the field, as his 23 deep targets are tied for the second-most in the NFL, but Brown is getting more looks all over the field, giving him a much higher floor this season. In Week 13 he faces a Pittsburgh secondary that can give up the deep ball, ranking bottom-10 in completion percentage allowed off deep passes this season. 

Jack Doyle @ Houston Texans

Jack Doyle is quietly coming on a bit as of late, scoring three touchdowns over his last five games. He is coming off his best game of the season, hauling in 6-of-7 targets for 81 yards and a touchdown against the Buccaneers and now gets an even better matchup with a Texans defense that is coughing up the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends on the season (13.67). Doyle is definitely still a risky streaming option/DFS play this week because he only ran four more pass routes than Mo Alie-Cox on Sunday but if you are going to take a chance on a tight end, it might as well be against this Houston defense.

Myles Gaskin vs. New York Giants

While the efficiency hasn’t been anything to write home about, Myles Gaskin has been getting it done for fantasy over the last two weeks, scoring three total touchdowns during that span. Since Malcolm Brown was placed on injured reserve after Week 7, Gaskin is averaging a very healthy 23 touches per game and has been very involved in the passing game. During that same span, Gaskin has also dominated the short-yardage work for the Dolphins, ranking third in the entire NFL with seven carries from inside the five-yard line. He sets up nicely against a Giants defense that is allowing 4.6 yards per carry and the sixth-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs on the season.