Texans at Saints
Game Info
Kickoff: Monday, September 9th at 7:10 pm ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA
Betting Odds: NO -7 via Oddsshark
Network: ESPN
Sleeper: Tre’Quan Smith
Houston Texans
Quarterback
- Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson appears to be back to full health and should be ready for another big year. The team has added a lot of new pieces in the past few weeks (and days) so it will be interesting to see how much chemistry there is here. I will get into some of the pieces a little further down but one big non-fantasy piece that could help Watson is new Laremy Tunsil. It always helps to have a solid line and Tunsil is one of the best tackles in the league. It is scary to think of what Watson could do with extra time to throw or scramble.
Running backs
- Duke Johnson
- Carlos Hyde
Two of the team’s newest additions are running backs Duke Johnson and Carlos Hyde. Duke Johnson has proven himself at both the collegiate and NFL levels but hasn’t been a primary back yet in the NFL. He wasn’t expected to be a primary back in Houston either but that changed when Lamar Miller tore his ACL in the team’s third preseason game. Johnson will now be expected the handle the bulk of the teams carries, and his fantasy value is skyrocketing as a result. Hyde was acquired in a trade on the cut day and should contribute some, but I don’t expect him to have a lot of standalone value unless something happens to Johnson. You want Duke in this one.
Wide receiver/Tight End
- DeAndre Hopkins
- Will Fuller
- Keke Coutee
- Kenny Stills
The top receiving option for this team (and arguably for all of the fantasy) is DeAndre Hopkins. He has proven that he can handle high volume and is one of the most dynamic playmakers in the NFL. It will help that he is expected to have a lot of help around him. Will Fuller has stated publicly that he is ready to go for week 1 and Keke Coutee is potentially going to return this week as well. They also traded for Kenny Stills from the Dolphins (and formerly Saints). Hopkins will still see double teams but having other receiving threats would certainly help to free him up some. We will have to wait until Monday Night Football to watch these guys but hopefully, they make it worth the wait.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
- Drew Brees
Drew Brees returns this year for his 19th NFL season and 14th with the Saints. We have seen it all from him during his time in the league, but some feel that his career is nearing a close. Brees will look to quiet the doubters on MNF. The Saints are currently favored to win the division but will need Brees to stay upright to have a shot. One thing working in his favor in this game is that he will no longer need to worry about Jadeveon Clowney who was traded to Seattle this past weekend.
Running back
- Alvin Kamara
- Latavius Murray
There will be two fantasy relevant running backs to keep an eye on when the Saints take the field. The first is being drafted as a top option and understandably so. Alvin Kamara burst onto the scene two years ago and has since been one of the most explosive players in the league. There is no longer a question of whether or not he can handle a large workload and the Saints will lean on him heavily in both the rushing and passing game.
The team also brought in Latavius Murray in the offseason to be a change of pace back. Some people think that he will fill the Mark Ingram role now that Ingram has moved on to Baltimore. I expect him to see between 5-10 touches per game and should be able to give Kamara breathers whenever necessary. Keep an eye on both in this game as the team could be doing a lot of running.
Wide receiver/Tight End
- Michael Thomas
- Jared Cook
The top receiving option for the Saints is a wide receiver, Michael Thomas who just signed a five-year, $61 million extension in July. He earned it following a 2018 campaign in which he eclipsed 1,400 yards and caught nine touchdowns. He will need to post similar numbers if the team is to have success this year.
Newcomer Jared Cook should also have fantasy value this year and is being drafted as TE7. He will try to fill the role in this offense previously held by Jimmy Graham. None have come close to Jimmy Graham numbers since his departure but Cook led the Raiders in yards, receptions, and receiving touchdowns last year and the team will hope that he can impress in his new system as well.
–Dave Lathrop (DaveLathropQBL)