NFL Week 9 is coming to a close with a rock-solid match-up between the Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. That means we’ve got some DFS Showdown lineups to build and we’ve got a lot of different names from which to choose. The Ravens are going to be without two key components on offense, but have shown the resilience to battle back and maintain their hold atop the AFC North. Meanwhile, the Saints remain ultra-competitive in a weak division, so a win puts them in a tie for first in the NFC South. The Superdome is going to be loud in the Big Easy for Monday Night Football and we’re ready to build some winning DFS Showdown lineups to join in the excitement.

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.

 

 

Baltimore Ravens at New Orleans Saints

Spread: Ravens -2

O/U: 47

Weather: Dome

Notable Injuries:

Baltimore Ravens

New Orleans Saints

2022 DVOA Defensive Rankings

Baltimore Ravens

  • vs Pass: 12th 
  • vs Run: 25th 

New Orleans Saints

  • vs Pass: 11th 
  • vs Run: 12th 

**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

Lamar Jackson, QB BAL – The Saints haven’t faced a lot of mobile quarterbacks this season, but they did struggle a bit against Kyler Murray two weeks ago and should they drive Jackson out of the pocket regularly, he is going to burn them with his legs. The passing may not be crisp given the injuries to his pass-catchers, but we’ve seen him take over games before. No reason to think he doesn’t try to do the same on the big stage.

Alvin Kamara, RB NO – The Ravens are allowing just 97.5 rushing yards per game this season, but they’ve coughed up nine rushing touchdowns on the season and rank 17th in DVOA against running back pass-plays. Kamara showed everyone last week why it is imperative to get the ball into his hands and if the Saints are smart, they will lean on him once again.

Chris Olave, WR NO – We’d love to see Olave take center-stage on Monday Night Football and if he spends his night matched up against a banged-up Marcus Peters, he should be good for a number of big plays. He gets leaned on to move the chains between the 20s and has 21 targets in two games since returning from that crazy concussion he endured. The Saints need to beef up their passing game and leaning on Olave is the way to do it.

Mid-Tier DFS Value Picks

Isaiah Likely, TE BAL – Everyone is in on Likely this week as Mark Andrews sits with a knee injury, but if you want to give him consideration for your captain’s seat, I would not begrudge the move. The tight end is always a focal point of the Ravens passing attack, but just keep in mind that the Saints rank first in DVOA against the tight end, they are allowing an average of just 30.7 receiving yards per game to them and they are allowing the second-fewest fantasy points per game to the position. Great player just in a bad match-up but given his role in the offense, I think he’s still worth using as a chalk play to keep pace with the herd.

Andy Dalton, QB NO – The Ravens are allowing the seventh-most fantasy points per game to the quarterback position, the fifth-most passing yards per game and have coughed up 12 passing touchdowns on the year. Opposing quarterbacks have posted a 90.1 pass-rating against them and Dalton has been hot lately with six touchdowns over the past two games. The only real concern is with how the Ravens handle the run, so be prepared to lose some red zone touches to Taysom Hill. You know that’ coming tonight, for better or for worse.

Devin Duvernay, WR BAL – The Saints will be without Marshon Lattimore and have already lost Bradley Roby and P.J. Williams to IR, so this secondary is going to have its issues. With Rashod Bateman lost for the season and Demarcus Robinson’s status unclear, Duvernay is going to going to be leaned on more heavily. He’s not used to seeing more than five targets per game so he’s going to need to stay on-point all game and that includes his kick returning. The match-up with Paulson Adebo is, fortunately, a favorable one.

Taysom Hill, TE NO – You know it’s coming, so best to stay prepared. I doubt I will have Hill in my primary lineup, but my second or third? Yeah, probably. There’s a reason the Ravens have allowed nine rushing touchdowns and not a lot of rushing yards. Those red and green zone packages should Hill taking a few running shots into the end zone. They always do.

Kenyan Drake, RB BAL – With Gus Edwards doubtful for Monday’s game, the majority of the running back work should fall on Drake. The Saints run defense is always tough and they do handle running back pass-plays pretty well. They key for Drake is the success of Lamar Jackson on the ground. If Jackson is beating the Saints with his legs, they’ll be forced to focus on him more, thus opening the door for more dishes to Drake.

James Proche, WR BAL – Might be a little bit of a gut feel, but also the fact that the Saints rank 29th in DVOA against the opposing slot receiver and Chris Harris isn’t really the cover-corner he used to be. Proche needs to prove himself reliable before Jackson starts giving him regular looks, but these Ravens pass-catchers know this is their time to step up and prove themselves.

Jarvis Landry, WR NO – Welcome back, Jarvis! It’s been far too long. The talent level is there. It’s just a matter of whether he is there mentally or if he, too, is one of these mentally-checked-out veterans who has been nursing an injury because they don’t like the quarterback or the play-calling (yes, that’s Michael Thomas). Landry certainly has the skill-set to best Damarion Williams in coverage, so if he and Dalton are on the same page after finally practicing together, this could be a solid play for the price.

Demarcus Robinson, WR BAL – We’ll have to check on his injury status heading into the game, but if he does play, Robinson is worth a look as the team’s regular X-receiver. The match-up against Alontae Taylor is a physically favorable one, so if he’s out there getting targets, you’re going to want him in your lineups. Just check to see if he’s going to be limited at all. If he is, we’re out.

Juwan Johnson, TE NO – The Ravens rank 21st in DVOA against the tight end, but they are middle-of-the-pack with regard to fantasy points per game allowed to the position. When the Saints are in tradition formations, Johnson has been targeted a handful of times, including two red zone looks over the past two games, but most of the work is between the 20s which serves us better on DraftKings than it does FanDuel.

Tre’Quan Smith, WR NO – The return of Landry should push the targets and opportunities down for Smith, however, if Landry is showing any signs of rust or attitude problems (something rumored out of the Saints a few weeks back), Smith could be used a little bit more coming out of the slot. It’s a favorable match-up if he gets the snaps.

Justice, Hil, RB BAL – He’s going to be mixed into the rushing attack but how much is obviously up in the air. The loss of Gus Edwards certainly helps his chances, but there isn’t much of a reason to have put him here instead of below in the dart-throws.

Dart-Throw DFS Bargains

Marquez Callaway, WR NO – Always unpredictable, but should Dalton lock onto him, he’s got the speed to gain separation from Marlon Humphrey in coverage.

DeSean Jackson, WR BAL – Let’s just see if the Ravens activate him prior to the game on Monday night. He’s been working out on the practice squad and could be an intriguing play if looking for that random long touchdown DJax has given us in the recent past.