NFL Week 13 DFS comes to a close with a classic NFC South match-up as Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. What is interesting about this match-up is that most of the key players we are going to want in our DFS Showdown lineups weren’t active for the teams’ first meeting earlier this season. We did see our usual fireworks between Mike Evans and Marshon Lattimore, but the game lacked the firepower we are used to seeing. Even more important for these teams is what is at stake. Neither team’s record is strong – both are under .500 – but the division is still wide open so a win here should enhance that team’s playoff chances. But wins in reality don’t mean anything for a DFS Showdown lineup. It’s all about the match-ups and it’s all about the roster construction, so let’s get to it.

 

 

Now before we begin, please take a moment to understand what exactly you are getting yourself into by playing single-game Showdown Slates. We love to have some skin in the game, for sure, but these slates are, for all intents and purposes, a lottery ticket. Sure, there are times when the chalk hits and everyone shares in the prizes, but, more often than not, you need to hit on that random dart-throw that differentiates your lineup from that of the herd in order to claim the top prize. As a result, we encourage you to play responsibly and not over-invest. Stick to the GPP contests (single-entry preferred), don’t blow your whole bankroll, and understand that, unless you are a max-entry player, you should prioritize having fun.

OK. Lecture over. Let’s get to tonight’s action.

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Spread: Buccaneers -3.5

O/U: 40.5

Weather: clear skies with temperatures in the high-60’s. Wind blowing NNW at 2 mph

Notable Injuries:

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2022 DVOA Defensive Rankings

New Orleans Saints

  • vs Pass: 12th 
  • vs Run: 21st 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • vs Pass: 6th 
  • vs Run: 14th 

**Please note that players not listed below are not necessarily a complete fade and any player listed can certainly be used as the MVP/Captain. These are merely suggestions for players to use when setting Showdown lineups.

MVP/Captain

Chris Godwin, WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Godwin has established himself as the trusted go-to guy for Brady and is coming off a monster game against the Browns where he caught 12 of 13 targets for 110 yards and a touchdown. In fact, he’s now seen double-digit targets in five of his last six games and is averaging just over 11 targets per game with touchdown grabs in each of his last two. He’s got positive match-ups against all of the Saints corners, but will likely spend most of his night abusing Chris Harris Jr. coming out of the slot.

Mike Evans, WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The big question is whether or not Marshon Lattimore plays because if he does, we may see an early exit for Evans. The two of them have so much bad blood between them, that we’ve seen multiple instances where fights have broken out on the field between the two. If Lattimore plays, it could serve as a distraction. If he doesn’t, Evans should have no problem torching any of the other outside corners.

Taysom Hill, TE New Orleans Saints 

Yes, as disgusting as this might seem, Hill stands out a bit in this match-up given the injuries in the Bucs secondary, most notably to both safeties as nether Antoine Winfield nor Mike Edwards are expected to play this week. If the Saints offensive line can get the better of the Bucs defensive line, that quarterback-draw they like to run with Hill is going to be very effective. We don’t normally support the use of Hill, but in a showdown slate, he can vault you up the standings in a tournament if he pops.

Mid-Tier and DFS Value Picks

Alvin Kamara, RB New Orleans Saints

The Bucs rank 14th in DVOA against the run and are allowing an average of 123.2 rushing yards per game this season. They do handle running back pass-plays pretty well, but if the Saints can feed the ball enough to Kamara and give him the volume he needs, he’s going to wear down that Bucs defense, both on the outside and in between the tackles.

Chris Olave, WR New Orleans Saints

The Saints are going to have to move him away from Jamel Dean, but should find enough success to make Olave a strong option for your lineups. He’s averaging eight to nine targets per game and has 10 catches for 164 yards and a touchdown over his last two. With the injuries to their safeties, the Bucs could struggle in coverage so look for the Saints to try and exploit some one-on-one matchups downfield.

Tom Brady, QB Tampa Bay Buccaneers

We’ve seen Brady recapture some vintage moments and reach that 300-yard plateau, but he’s been more of that “250 and 2” guys lately. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. He does have the upside to do more and if Lattimore is out and he’s got both Godwin and Evans running freely through that secondary, we could see some that magic. But we need to keep those expectations in check, especially with the injuries to the Bucs offensive line.

Leonard Fournette, RB Tampa Bay Buccaneers

He’s questionable coming into the game with a hip injury and we may not know what to expect from him until pre-game warm-ups. He did put in full practices throughout the week so there is a reasonable expectation that he plays. What his workload will be might be a different story. Even if we get word that he is suiting up, he comes off more as a contrarian play given the injury and his recent level of performance. The Saints have allowed an average of 153.7 rushing yards over their last three games and they’ve allowed 11 rushing touchdowns, so the match-up is definitely favorable. 

Rachaad White, RB Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Even if Fournette plays, we still expect White to take some of the work of his teammate’s plate in this game. He serves as a decent change-of-pace back and should handle plenty of third-down work as well. The Saints do rank 11th in DVOA against running back pass-plays, so it could be slow at first for White. But if the Bucs grab a lead, they could lean on White to chew up the clock and give him more work between the tackles.

Julio Jones, WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers

He wasn’t active for the first game between these two teams, but should play a role in this one as he’s seen four or five targets per game over the last four with six red zone targets and two touchdowns in that span. Depending on whether Lattimore plays or not, Jones will see a lot of either Alontae Taylor or Paulson Adebo and both are considered favorable match-ups for him. Should Evans be preoccupied by his hate for Lattimore, Julio could see even more work than usual. 

Jarvis Landry, WR New Orleans Saints

With the likelihood that Jamel Dean will be working on Olave and the injuries to the Bucs secondary, Landry could actually be an intriguing sleeper for this game. With Sean Murphy-Bunting doubtful, Landry could see Dee Delaney, Zyon McCollum or some slow-footed linebacker in coverage which would likely free him up for some extra targets in this one. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers D/ST

While yes, there may be some injuries on Tampa’s defense and no, they don’t generate a huge number of turnovers, but the Saints actually have 21 giveaways this season which is the second-most in the league. Should New Orleans get a little sloppy or careless, the Bucs might be able to generate some points off if them. 

Andy Dalton, QB New Orleans Saints

It can be tough to put your showdown faith into Dalton when his coaches take the ball out of his hands so often once inside the red zone. Still, we’ve seen him have those games where he does break out the efficiency and actually has a productive night. Last week against the 49ers was a tough one, but he did have multi-touchdown efforts in three of the five games prior. It’s a contrarian play should you not buy into the Taysom Hill talk from above.

Rashid Shaheed, WR New Orleans Saints

He’s a deep-threat who always seems to find himself downfield for a couple of shots downfield. The target share isn’t abundant, but if we are looking at inexperienced safeties struggling in zone coverage downfield, things could really open up for him. 

Cameron Brate, TE Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Brate is officially listed as questionable with an illness, but after missing practice both Thursday and Friday, he put in a full session on Saturday, indicating that he would play. The Saints actually rank first in DVOA against the tight end and allow the fewest fantasy points per game, but he is still a favorite target for Brady once the Bucs get into the red zone.

**Both kickers should be in-play for tonight’s action as both offenses have routinely stalled throughout the season. Ryan Succop is the preferred kicker given the number of attempts he’s had this season, but Wil Lutz is a perfectly acceptable alternate.

Dart-Throw DFS Bargains

Adam Trautman, TE New Orleans Saints

Hill might be listed as the team’s lead tight end, but we know what his role is. That will put Trautman on center-stage with Juwan Johnson out with an ankle injury. The Bucs rank 19th in DVOA against the tight end and with the injuries to their safeties, things could open up nicely for Trautman this week.

Cade Otton, TE Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The ultimate dart-throw as Otton isn’t going to be targeted heavily if Brate plays. However, once the Bucs get inside the red zone, Brady likes to look for his tight ends and really doesn’t have a preference as to which one he throws to for the touchdown.

 

 

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