When searching for a running back to start for your team in a crucial Week 13, where fantasy football playoff berths are won and lost, there are two things you should be looking for. The first is opportunity, or how often the player is going to touch the ball. The second is the matchup and whether it is exploitable for the player you are thinking of starting.
In the case of Tre Mason, both of these factors line up perfectly this week against the Oakland Raiders, and he is a must start.
Mason has been a workhorse for the St. Louis Rams over the past six weeks since he assumed the starting running back role, averaging just over 17 rushing attempts per game over that span for an average of 67.5 yards and a touchdown. He hasn’t been involved much in the passing game, as that role has mostly fallen to Benny Cunningham, but that shouldn’t scare you away from starting him, especially against a pedestrian Oakland run defense.
The Raiders have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs, and are allowing just under four yards per rush. In two games against two of the league’s top six rushing defenses (the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks), Mason rushed 47 times for 198 yards and a touchdown. Both of these performances also happened to be Mason’s top rushing yardage totals for the year and both took place at home, where Mason will play this weekend.
With a struggling pass offense and facing a porous rush defense, the Rams will feed Mason the ball continuously this weekend, and you need to start him as a RB2 and ride him to victory.
Phillip Jacques is a Pac-12 Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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