Who To Start for Fantasy Football in Week 13?

Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt has seen his role decrease over the past few weeks as Chris Rodriguez Jr. saw a season-high 15 carries in Week 11 and ran for a very solid 5.27 YPC. Meanwhile, in that same Week 11 game, Croskey-Merritt had only a 27 percent snap share, and although he carried the ball nine times and caught one pass, it produced only 33 all-purpose yards (3.11 YPC) against a weak Miami Dolphins defense.

Rodriguez appears to have taken over primary duties in this backfield, and at this point, JCM is mostly a shot-in-the-dark option if Rodriguez were to get hurt. JCM broke out in Week 5 against the Chargers with 150 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns and earned the team's first rep opportunities for the proceeding weeks, but failed to capitalize on his opportunities with no game over a 3.59 YPC mark.

His snap percentage and the team's running back opportunities have been dwindling each week in favor of Rodriguez Jr. At this point, JCM is considered droppable, but only for someone on the waiver wire who can provide your team with immediate value or is a high-level handcuff to roster for a playoff run. Week 13's matchup against the Denver Broncos is challenging for all Commander running backs, and neither is considered a start this week.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor carried the ball 16 times for 58 yards and caught two of his three targets for eight yards in a 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime in Week 12. In a rare feat, the Chiefs held Taylor out of the end zone for just the third time all season. On the bright side, Taylor continues to dominate the backfield work in Indy as no other running back logged a carry in the close loss to the Chiefs.

Taylor has rushed for 1,197 yards and has 17 all-purpose touchdowns in 11 games this season. In Week 13, he will take on a quality Houston Texans defense at home.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs caught just two of his six targets for 10 yards in Sunday's overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12. Downs was trending up in fantasy football after recording touchdown grabs in three straight games, but the 24-year-old has had back-to-back duds with three total receptions (eight targets) for just 13 yards the last two games. He has taken a back seat in the Colts' passing game behind receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie tight end Tyler Warren.

While the former third-rounder is still useful depth in most fantasy formats, he'll be hard to trust going into a difficult Week 13 matchup against the league's top defense in the Houston Texans. Downs is up to 38 receptions for 326 yards and three touchdowns on 54 targets in 10 games in 2025 in his third year in the NFL.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey handled another massive workload in Monday night's 20-9 win over the Carolina Panthers, recording 24 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown to go with seven catches (seven targets) for 53 yards in the pass game. McCaffrey now has 298 touches on the season after another 31 in Week 12 against his former team, with Jonathan Taylor being the next closest player at 237.

The superstar running back also leads the league in receptions with 81. McCaffrey continues to be one of the top options in all of fantasy football as the engine of San Francisco's offense and a security blanket for quarterback Brock Purdy, who struggled throwing downfield in this game with three interceptions in the first half. McCaffrey will rank as an elite RB1 in Week 13 against the Cleveland Browns.

Puka Nacua, WR, Rams

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua continues to rank as a top fantasy option ahead of Sunday's Week 13 contest against the Carolina Panthers. Nacua has back-to-back seven-catch games, racking up 97 yards last weekend. He has gone without a touchdown in two consecutive contests but still ranks as the overall WR12 in PPR leagues during that span. For the full season, he has been the overall WR5.

Nacua continues to reward fantasy managers with his high target share, route-running skills, and role in a high-powered passing offense led by MVP candidate quarterback Matthew Stafford. As long as Nacua and Stafford remain healthy, the former will be a must-start receiver in fantasy football. That remains the case in Week 13, despite Carolina allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers in 2025. This week, Nacua ranks as the overall WR5 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy rankings.