Sit/Start Week 13: Reviewing All the Fantasy Relevant Players In Every Single Game

Saints@Falcons

 

Game Info

Kickoff: Thursday, November 28th at 8:20 pm EST

Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA

Betting Odds: NO -7, 49 Total via Oddsshark

Network: NBC

Sleeper Spotlight: Russell Gage

 

New Orleans Saints

 

Quarterback:

• Drew Brees (Start/QB1)

 

If anyone has Marty McFly’s number and can put me in touch with him, that would be amazing, because truth be told, I’m not sure what to think of the Falcons’ defense. After shutting down Drew Brees and Kyle Allen in Weeks 10 and 11, they let Jameis Winston throw for 313 yards and three touchdowns. While the Falcons did pick Winston off twice, that’s just Jameis being Jameis. For the year, the Falcons have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to oppose quarterbacks, so I’m going back to the well with Brees. 

 

Running Backs:

• Alvin Kamara (Start/RB1)
• Latavius Murray (Sit)

 

Over Alvin Kamara’s last three games, he’s seen at least nine targets and has caught an average of nine balls in that time. This makes his floor super high and he remains an RB1 moving forward. Latavius Murray has had his moments this year, but it’s usually been when Kamara was out or when the Saints end up in a very positive game script. While this game could end up in that type of game script, at this point in the season, if your fantasy-life depends upon it, I’d rather look to a safer, more projectable workload. 

 

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends:

• Michael Thomas (Start/WR1)
• Jared Cook (Start/TE1)
• Ted Ginn (Sit)
• Tre’Quan Smith (Sit)

 

Michael Thomas is such a monster. For the year, he has a league-leading 124 targets with an 84% catch rate. Thomas has the highest floor of any wideout in the league and is a must-start every week. Over Jared Cook’s last five games, he’s either found the end zone or gone over 70 yards in every game. He also has 20 targets over the last three games. This type of workload and productivity keeps him as a mid-range TE1 moving forward. The good thing about the Saints offense is the targets are very condensed. Over the last three weeks, 70% of the targets have gone to either Thomas, Cook, or Kamara. The downside of that means the ancillary parts of the Saints offense (Ted Ginn and Tre’Quan Smith) cannot be counted on for fantasy purposes.  

 

Atlanta Falcons

 

Quarterback:

• Matt Ryan (Start/QB1)

 

With the Saints defense most likely being without Marshon Lattimore again this week, we should see a Thanksgiving shootout between Brees and Matt Ryan. For the year, Ryan has crossed the 300-yards plateau seven times, while the Saints defense has allowed the 12th-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. In his Week 10 matchup against the Saints, Ryan put up just 14.6 fantasy points, but that was in a game where the Saints only put up 9 points and the Falcons cruised to victory. I don’t expect the Saints to get embarrassed again, which means I expect a better game from Ryan. 

 

Running Backs:

• Devonta Freeman (Start/RB2*)
• Brian Hill (Sit)
• Qadree Ollison (Sit)

 

As of this writing, it appears as though Devonta Freeman is ready to return this week. While Freeman has struggled this year, his presence in the lineup is a huge upgrade over Brian Hill and Qadree Ollison. Freeman comes in as a low-end RB2/flex play this week. While Hill failed to run away with his opportunity, Ollison at least managed to find the end zone in Week 12. Neither backup was impressive and if Freeman was unable to go, both would be considered sits. 

 

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends:

• Julio Jones (Start/WR1*)
• Calvin Ridley (Start/WR2)
• Austin Hooper (Start/TE1*)
• Russell Gage (Start/Flex*)

 

You’ll have to keep an eye on Julio Jones’ status heading into Thursday’s game, but so far he has yet to practice with an injured shoulder that was bothering him during the Bucs game. If he’s good to go, you’re firing him up. With Julio Jones not at 100%, Calvin Ridley saw a team-high 14 targets in Week 12 and he’s managed to find the endzone in back-to-back weeks. Ridley is a high-end WR2 regardless of Jones’ status. The Saints have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to wide receivers and that’s with Lattimore for most of the year. Another Falcon on the mend is tight end, Austin Hooper. As of this writing, it looks like he was just doing work on the side of practice, making his return unlikely for Week 13. If he were to return, he goes right back to his TE1 designation. One player that could step in to a very big workload on Sunday is Russell Gage. If Hooper and Jones are out, I’d expect Gage to see double-digit targets for the second straight week. This type of workload provides a high-floor in PPR leagues for Gage, who took over the Mo Sanu role following his trade to the Patriots. 

 

-Rich Holman