Sit/Start Week 11: Reviewing All the Fantasy Relevant Players In Every Single Game

Saints@Buccaneers

 

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, November 17 at 1:00 pm EST

Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL

Betting Odds: TB +5.5, 51 Total via Oddsshark

Network: FOX

Sleeper Spotlight: Ted Ginn Jr. 

 

New Orleans Saints

 

Quarterback:

• Drew Brees (Start/ QB1)

 

Many expected Brees and co. to annihilate the Falcons’ porous pass defense last week, but he put up only about 11 fantasy points instead. The Bucs’ pass defense is even worse than the Falcons’. Tampa Bay is dead-last in passing yards allowed per game and I would imagine the Saints will want to establish their offense with some high consistency throws in this one. The Buccaneers are also 23.2 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks per game. I’m expecting a nice bounce-back week for Brees in a game that could easily turn into a shootout in Tampa. 

 

Running Back:

• Alvin Kamara (Start/ RB2 with upside)
• Latavius Murray (Sit)

 

Alvin Kamara’s upside was capped last week with limited groundwork, especially when the Saints found themselves playing catchup and abandoning the run. Luckily, his limitations may turn into a silver lining this week. The Buccaneers have been fantastic against the run this year and are first in the league in rushing yards allowed per game. Be that as it may, the Buccaneers are equally terrible against the pass. If Brees and Kamara can consistently connect through the air then the latter should be capable of RB2 numbers in PPR leagues. Latavius Murray was fantastic in Kamara’s absence, but will likely need a touchdown to offer you any fantasy relevance now that Alvin is back. Murray is mainly trusted in tough-yard ground-work situations which don’t bode well in this matchup. Murray’s a sit for me this week but Kamara owners should keep the former as a handcuff if they’ve already earned a spot in the fantasy playoffs. 

 

Wide Receiver/ Tight End:

• Michael Thomas (Start/ WR1)
• Jared Cook (Start/ TE1)
• Ted Ginn Jr. (Sit)

 

Michael Thomas has been one of the only viable weekly receiving options on this team for most of this season. He’s made the most of that opportunity and is now the overall WR1 on the season. As I mentioned before, the Bucs are dead last in passing yards allowed per game. Start Thomas with confidence this week. After sitting for two weeks with an ankle injury, Jared Cook made his return last week and continued to put up good numbers (for a tight end). The TE position is such a wasteland that Cook is still in TE2 territory on the season even after missing two whole games and having a bye week. If he continues to get 12 to 14 fantasy points (as he’s done the past three games) then Cook should remain a viable TE1 option. Even with the juicy matchup, I can’t bring myself to trust Ted Ginn Jr. He’s had seven games this year where he scored less than seven points. I know most of his upside is tied to the deep ball, but I still don’t want to rely on a big play from him (even if it’s against the Bucs). 

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 

Quarterback:

• Jameis Winston (Start/ QB1)

 

Although it was difficult predicting Jameis Winston’s performances earlier in the season, he has turned into a pretty reliable fantasy quarterback over the past few weeks. Winston has not thrown for less than 300 yards since Week 5. The Buccaneers have quickly become a pass-first offense and the sheer volume alone should keep Winston fantasy relevant for the foreseeable future, even though he’s bound to turn over the ball once or twice in almost every game. That being said, New Orleans (top ten in passing yards allowed per game) could make things difficult for Winston. 

 

Running Back:

• Ronald Jones (Start/ RB2)
• Peyton Barber (Sit)

 

Ronald Jones was finally trusted with the lead-back work and put up a great 22-point fantasy performance in reply. Although his running efficiency was average, Jones has proved he’s a great pass catcher and incredibly shifty in open space. Jones has run 5, 18, and 24 routes respectively over the past three weeks. His usage in the passing game is encouraging especially when the Saints’ defense is still top 5 in rushing yards allowed per game. I think Jones should be capable of and RB2 performance with upside if the Bucs continue to give him targets through the air. 

 

Peyton Barber is going to be difficult to trust. The only times he’s reached double-digit fantasy points were because he found the end zone in all three games. He’s not going to put up a respectable fantasy stat line without a touchdown, and even then his performance will likely be mediocre at best. 

 

Wide Receiver/ Tight End:

• Mike Evans (Start/ WR1)
• Chris Godwin (Start/ WR2)
• O.J. Howard (TE2)
• Cameron Brate (Sit)

 

Last week, Mike Evans had his worst fantasy performance since his goose egg in Week 5. To make matters worse, that goose egg game was also against the Saints. On the other hand, the Saints could be without Marshon Lattimore this week which should help the Bucs throw the ball. Evans is a weekly set-and-forget type of player anyway. Chris Godwin had another mediocre performance last week but I wouldn’t worry. He had a massive target share with 12 looks last week, the problem is that he was only able to come down with half of those targets mainly due to Winston’s inaccuracy. Nothing has fundamentally changed with Godwin’s situation and he should bounce back soon enough. 

 

Quick! Somebody check if hell has frozen over! O.J. Howard was actually fantasy relevant last week. He scored a touchdown and had a season-high seven targets. That being said, Cameron Brate put up a goose egg and was completely unused. I don’t want to be the guy who tells you to pick up Howard only for Brate to become the tight end target leader next week. We simply don’t know what the Bucs have planned for their tight ends right now. That being said, I’ll admit that Howard’s usage last week is certainly encouraging, especially if you’re hurting in the tight end department.

-Ryan Kruse (@ryanpkruse)