Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 31st at 4:25 PM ET
Location: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Betting Odds: TB -5.5, 50 total via Oddsshark
Network: FOX
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback
Tom Brady (Start, QB1)
Tom Brady is having a great year. No other player has put up more fantasy points in the 2021 season. It will be interesting to see how this week plays out because the Saints are allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. On the other hand, New Orleans is allowing plenty of passing yards for TB12 to work with. The match-up may be enough to affect Brady’s Week-8 projection, but he should still be considered a QB1 against New Orleans.
Running Backs
Leonard Fournette (Start, RB2), Ronald Jones II (Sit)
Leonard Fournette has been a consistent fantasy asset over the last four weeks with two RB2 finishes, two RB1 performances, and four touchdowns over that span. Fournette is clearly the lead back in Tampa and seems like a consistent fantasy starter for the rest of the season. The Saints have allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to running backs this year, but that won’t be enough to take Fournette out of RB2 territory.
Ronald Jones II had season highs in rushing attempts and yards last week and still only ended up with 4.3 fantasy points. Jones can be avoided in most fantasy formats. He’s only a bench stash for fantasy managers with Fournette on their teams.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Chris Godwin (Start, Low-end WR1), Mike Evans (Start, High-end WR2), Antonio Brown (Start, WR2), Tyler Johnson (Sit), O.J. Howard (Sit), Rob Gronkowski (Start-able TE2)
Chris Godwin had a season-high of 111 receiving yards while Antonio Brown was inactive last week. Godwin has a consistent target share, so he should be ranked around the low-end WR1/high-end WR2 tier most weeks. The Saints are allowing about 250 passing yards per game, so there should be enough work to go around this week. I believe Godwin should be in low-end WR1 territory this week, especially if Brown misses another game.
Mike Evans is doing well this year (overall WR7 on the season), but he’s had some inconsistency. Evans went off last week with three touchdowns but had his second performance of 5.5 fantasy points or fewer the week before. Mike is still one of the most talented pass-catchers in this league, so fantasy managers need to keep him in starting lineups no matter what. The Saints are allowing the 12th-most fantasy points to receivers this year, so Evans should be in a good position for another impressive fantasy performance. Mike is a high-end WR2 this week with plenty of upside if Brown doesn’t suit up.
Fantasy managers need to monitor Antonio Brown’s practice status this week because the veteran receiver was inactive last week with an ankle injury. Brown was seen using a crutch on Wednesday, so it doesn’t seem like he’s any closer to playing this week.
Tyler Johnson was the WR3 with Brown inactive last week, but he wasn’t capable of much with the two targets he saw. Johnson should not be trusted on any fantasy rosters considering he couldn’t get four lousy fantasy points with an “increased” role. You can probably find better receiver production on the waiver wire.
Many thought O.J. Howard would do well with Rob Gronkowski inactive the last four weeks, but the former has not been as consistent as we had hoped. Howard had one week with 16.9 fantasy points but failed to tally four or more fantasy points in the other three. I haven’t seen enough consistency to trust Howard even if Gronk is out this week. If Gronk is active, I’m ranking him somewhere in the high-end TE2 category. His ribs could still be pretty tender, and the Bucs could ease him back in with a snap count. Also, the Saints are allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to tight ends. I would wait a week if you have a more reliable option on your team, but I wouldn’t blame anybody desperate enough for tight-end production if they need to start Gronk.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Jameis Winston (Sit, QB2)
Jameis Winston doesn’t have the same fantasy value he once had in Tampa Bay. He’s only had two solid performances this year. Taysom Hill was inactive last week, and Winston still only put up 16.9 fantasy points. Jameis shouldn’t have any fantasy relevance unless you’re in a 2-QB league.
Running Backs
Alvin Kamara (Start, RB1)
Averaging 24.05 fantasy points over his last two games, Alvin Kamara is finally looking like the elite running back we expected him to be. His target share also seems to be on the rise, which is great news for fantasy managers because Alvin must face one of the best defensive lines in the league this week. The Buccaneers are allowing the fewest ground yards in the NFL in 2021, so Kamara will likely need to use his pass-catching ability again this week. The match-up will be difficult, but I still think Kamara is capable of a low-end RB1 performance.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Michael Thomas (Sit), Marquez Callaway (Sit), Tre’Quan Smith (Sit)
Marquez Callaway has been way too inconsistent this year. He had single-digit fantasy points in four of his six games in 2021. He had an opportunity to carve out a big role in this offense but hasn’t done much with it. That opportunity could disappear soon with some talented Saints receivers returning from injuries.
Tre’Quan Smith returned from a lingering hamstring injury that sidelined him for the first six weeks of the season. He had a dud last week in his first game back, but Smith could still be the WR2 behind Thomas once the latter is healthy. Smith may be worth monitoring but doesn’t belong in any starting lineups for now.
It could still be another week before Michael Thomas is ready to go. Fantasy managers need to monitor his practice status over the next couple of days.
-Ryan Kruse (@ryanpkruse)