Having only two weeks left in the fantasy football regular season, it becomes more crucial now than ever to set the best lineup and pick the right flex players. With so many players to choose from, it can become challenging for an owner to narrow down who’s the best. If you are an owner in this position, here are three players who are must-starts if rostered in week 13.
If you’re the lucky fantasy owner who managed to pick up Michael Wilson off waivers after dominating the San Francisco 49ers, hopefully, you started him. If you were too nervous to trust Wilson after one great week, you missed out on him having another huge game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the last two weeks combined, he has scored 55.3 fantasy points, surpassing his total from the previous 10 weeks. It’s not too late to trust him and put him in your lineup at your flex in a favorable matchup in Week 13.
This week, Wilson and the Arizona Cardinals face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense, which has been struggling the majority of the year. In total, the Buccaneers defense has given up 34 touchdowns and allows over 340 yards per game. More specifically, of these 34 touchdowns allowed, 19 have come from the air, and 12 have come from the rushing game. As the Cardinals’ number one passing target after Marvin Harrison Jr. underwent an appendectomy, Wilson will look to have another huge game and is a must-start in the flex position.
Some fantasy owners will argue that with many games happening on Thanksgiving and Friday, they could miss out on another player to start if Harrison Jr. plays. This is definitely a possibility and may come true, but with many reports indicating Harrison Jr. will be inactive for another week, it’s worth the risk to start Wilson.
Even if Harrison Jr. plays, the Buccaneers have such an awful pass defense ranking 27th in the league, Wilson will still have 10+ fantasy points. If Harrison Jr. doesn’t play, the sky is the limit, and Wilson will destroy his projection of 11.5 fantasy points per ESPN. He has proven over the past few weeks that he can make big plays and be more than fantasy-relevant. With another opportunity to be the number one target and with a favorable matchup, starting Wilson is a no-brainer.
After five excellent fantasy performances before the Denver Broncos’ bye, Troy Franklin aims to keep his success going in week 13 against a weak Washington Commanders defense. Since a poor game against the New York Jets in week six, when Franklin scored only 3.1 fantasy points, he has been on fire. In that five-week time frame, he has scored a high of 26.9 fantasy points against the Dallas Cowboys and has an average of 15.1 points per game. In week 13, it will be no different against the Commanders, making him a must-start.
Of all of the teams defensively this year, the Commanders are among the worst. Ranked 31st in total defense, they have given up over 380 yards per game and have surrendered 33 total touchdowns. In passing defense, they rank 29th, allowing over 240 yards per game, and have allowed 22 touchdowns. This creates the perfect opportunity for Franklin and the Broncos’ offense, which relies heavily on the pass game, ranking sixth in attempts per game in 2025.
The Broncos’ ranking sixth in passing attempts, averaging just over 35 per game, gives their receivers every opportunity to get the ball and have a huge fantasy performance. Franklin has been the one to take advantage of this more recently, with quarterback Bo Nix targeting him on average nine times per game in the past five weeks. Having nine targets per game, he has been able to find the endzone four times and average over 50 receiving yards per game in that time frame. The best is yet to come, and if you’re an owner with Franklin on the roster, take advantage of this matchup with the Commanders and start him in the flex.
The last flex player an owner must start, if rostered, is Stefon Diggs, who has a favorable matchup against the terrible New York Giants defense. In five out of the last six weeks, Diggs has been a huge contributor in fantasy scoring over 10.4 points with a high of 19.5 against the Jets. The one poor fluke week came last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, when he had only two receptions for 20 yards. This week against the Giants, he will get back on his hot streak and destroy his 13.5 projection per ESPN.
The Giants and their defense have had quite a story in 2025. With one of the best defensive lines on paper and one of the top sack leaders in Brian Burns, you would think they would be dominating on defense. In fact, it’s the opposite. They currently rank 30th in total defense, allowing over 380 yards per game and 39 touchdowns. When you dig deeper, they are ranked 23rd in pass defense, allowing over 220 yards per game and 21 touchdowns, setting up Diggs for a big game.
While playing against the 23rd-ranked passing defense might be great on its own, the Giants also offer opponents the worst rush defense in the NFL. With this in mind, an owner might think the New England Patriots will focus on attacking their weak rush defense instead of passing to Diggs.
This could come true, but with him averaging over six targets in the last six games, he will still get plenty of opportunities to catch the ball. Drake Maye, having a phenomenal season being a front-runner for MVP, will always find his stars on the field, and Diggs is the best a quarterback can ask for. Don’t overthink it and start him in the flex for week 13 and expect over 15 fantasy points.
If you’re the lucky fantasy owner with any of these three receivers on your roster, you need to start them in the flex if you don’t already. All three have great matchups against poor defenses and have an opportunity to boom past their projections. The best of the bunch is Diggs facing the awful Giants, but Wilson and Franklin are still both great options. With time running out before fantasy playoffs, don’t be the fantasy owner who leaves one of them on the bench and misses a huge game.
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