As we head into the crunch time of the NFL regular season and the fantasy football playoffs, every little detail doesn’t matter. Even in daily fantasy tournaments and sports betting, we’re trying to do all we can to make lasting wins before the hourglass runs out. Here, we’ll focus on seven of the biggest storylines that could shape outcomes in the real and all lines of fake football for Week 13.

Browns offense stock watch

It’s Week 13 and the Cleveland Browns offense is still well worth watching. That in and of itself is a win. The unit has been an ascendant bunch in the three games since Hue Jackson and Todd Haley were shown the door. Based on public statements, it sounds like this group has utter confidence in its players and in Freddie Kitchens as the play caller. It shows in the results.

Baker Mayfield has been notably fantastic. He had passer ratings of 95.0, 151.2 and 143.9 over the last three weeks and chucked nine touchdowns to a single pick. Fellow rookie Nick Chubb has also been right there with Mayfield on the action. He had 20-plus carries in all three games and stacked up six catches for 77 yards and a pair of scores in Weeks 11 and 12. This duo has been as red-hot as any offensive core in the NFL right now, as wild as that is to say.

The rookie cornerstones for the Browns will face a tough test this week. The Texans aren’t discussed as one of the elite defenses in the NFL but they are a stout group, especially in the front seven. Houston hasn’t allowed more than 275 passing yards since Week 4 and rank sixth in sack rate (7.9). While Mayfield will fight uphill against this unit, Chubb won’t have a much easier task on the ground. Houston gives up a mere 3.8 yards per carry, fifth-lowest on the year. If this Browns offense strolls into Houston and hangs another big game on this defense, we can officially say they’ve arrived.

View photos Baker Mayfield and the new-look Browns offense will have fully arrived if they pass a tough test in Houston. (AP Photo/Gary Landers, file) More

The Panthers receiver rotation

After looking like a locked-in NFC playoff team, the Carolina Panthers now find themselves fighting for their playoff lives in Tampa Bay this week. Dropping three straight games makes the Panthers a difficult team to project. Offensively, this is still a team playing some of their best football. Devin Funchess (back) missed last week’s loss to Seattle and while he didn’t practice Wednesday, he was back out there on Thursday. Without Funchess in Week 12, we saw D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel both play season-highs in snaps at 91.5 and 92 percent, respectively.

It’s easy to make the argument that having Moore and Samuel on the field as the top-two receivers gives this team their most dynamic offense. If they dock Samuel, especially back to the bit player role, we should all scream. However, veteran deference is a hard substance for this Panthers coaching staff to quit. Funchess is the lone pass-catcher on the roster who truly profiles as an X-receiver on a full-time basis.

One of these three will see a dip in their playing time. While Carolina throws 78 percent of their passes out of 11-personnel, Jarius Wright should remain a 35-to-45 percent snap player. While we may not get clarity on who of Funchess, Moore and Samuel sees less playing time, all of them are worth pursuing in a juicy matchup against the Buccaneers pass defense.

Kenny Golladay’s place at the wide receiver table

With Golden Tate long gone and Marvin Jones now on IR, Kenny Golladay stands alone atop Detroit’s passing pecking order. We’re all hoping the exodus of wide receiver talent, sans Bruce Ellington, will push more volume toward Golladay. Honestly, he hardly needs the help. The dynamic pass catcher has already ruled the roost there for a while now.

Over the last three weeks, Golladay leads all offensive players with a 60 percent share of his team’s air yards. His 12.2 average depth of target shows he’s been used as more of a full-field threat rather than just a vertical target. At this point, Golladay is a must-start in fantasy. He should see a bump in raw targets with Detroit likely needing to throw this week to try to keep up with the Rams.

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