Lions @ Saints
Final Score: Lions 33, Saints 28
Writer: Christian Otteman (@COttemanPL on Twitter/X)
Coming into Week 13, both the Lions and the Saints found themselves in need of a win after a few disappointing weeks at the end of November. Things started very poorly for the home team, as the Saints went down three touchdowns early when the Lions became just the third team to score three times in the first seven minutes of the game this century. The Saints’ defense cracked down for much of the rest of the game, allowing just 12 more points in the final 41 minutes, but it wasn’t enough to fend off the visiting Lions despite a valiant comeback effort led by the QB tandem of Derek Carr and Jameis Winston after the former was forced from the game late following a hard hit. The Lions won the turnover battle 2-0 in this game, which ended up being the difference that took the NFC North leaders to 9-3, just a game behind the Philadelphia Eagles for the 1 seed in the NFC. Meanwhile, the Saints fell to 5-7 but remain just one game out of hosting a playoff game as the division-leading Falcons are at 6-6. The Saints will look to get back on track in Week 14 against the lowly Panthers, while the Lions head to Chicago for a rematch with the Bears.
Three Up
- Sam LaPorta – The rookie TE continues to surpass all expectations and set a franchise record for receiving yards in a game by a Lions TE. In the positional wasteland that is the TE landscape, LaPorta provides refuge and has massive boom potential on any given week in this offense.
- Alvin Kamara – Kamara has one of the safest fantasy floors thanks to his passing game involvement and displayed that he has plenty of upside today with his second multi-score game of the season. He’s a weekly RB1 in all formats and an absolute monster in PPR leagues.
- Chris Olave – Olave was questionable heading into this one as he worked through concussion protocol but managed to clear the league’s benchmarks before Sunday and racked up 119 yards in the contest. If Jameis Winston makes the start next week, Olave may get more downfield opportunities than he normally does.
Three Down
- Jamaal Williams – The former Lion hasn’t enjoyed anywhere near the prolific scoring rate he had in 2022 with Detroit and only tallied six touches in this game. This is Alvin Kamara‘s (and I suppose Taysom Hill‘s) backfield.
- Jahmyr Gibbs – The leading rusher for the Lions on the day, Gibbs was efficient with his touches but only had eight rushes and one reception. After several weeks of solid production, it’s important to remember that he is still a rookie splitting reps with one of the league’s best workhorses in David Montgomery.
- Juwan Johnson – Even in a game where Rashid Shaheed was out with an injury, Johnson failed to record a single catch. With 18 catches for 142 yards on the year, you should be looking almost anywhere else for TE production for the remainder of the season.
Detroit Lions
Quarterback
Jared Goff: 16/25, 213 yards, 2 TD | 2 carries, -2 yards
Goff didn’t exactly light the box score on fire in this one, but he played well enough to keep the Lions in the driver’s seat most of the game. After back-to-back weeks with multiple turnovers, it was a positive to see Goff return to his usual self in which he took care of the football and protected an early lead. Some stagnant play in the second and third quarters kept this from being a more productive fantasy day, but he came in clutch with strikes to Sam LaPorta and Josh Reynolds in the game’s closing moments to seal the win:
JG AND J-REY CALLED GAME#DETvsNO |📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/bpjnV9vc4N
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 3, 2023
Running Back
Jahmyr Gibbs: 8 carries, 60 yards | 1/2 receiving, -6 yards
After a month straight of solid production, Jahmyr Gibbs came back down to earth a little bit in this one and saw much lower usage than we have become accustomed to seeing from the rookie. Of particular concern was the lack of passing game involvement, but it’s more than likely this was an outlier for Gibbs’ usage as a receiver. After averaging more than 17 touches over his past five games, it’s possible the Lions saw it wise to give their stud rookie a lighter workload in a game where they jumped out to an early lead.
Missed Opportunities
- Gibbs did nearly salvage his fantasy day with a touchdown on the first drive of the game, but was tackled just short of the goal line after a nice run and had the score vultured by the next man you’ll read about. Such is life in this backfield, but the Lions have shown a willingness to use Gibbs at the goal line and will certainly do so again soon.
David Montgomery: 18 carries, 56 yards, 1 TD | 1/2 receiving, -1 yard
Montgomery has scored in every single game he has played from start to finish this season, making him one of the most reliable options at the position in the entire league. This was far from Montgomery’s most efficient day on the ground, but he’s a true workhorse back operating in one of the best offenses in the league and is a no-doubt starter every week.
Missed Opportunities
- Monty dropped a duck from Jared Goff late in the fourth quarter that would have gained a first down plus a few more.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Sam LaPorta: 9/9 receiving, 140 yards, 1 TD
LaPorta was easily the Player of the Game for the Lions today, hauling in all nine passes thrown his way for 140 yards and a score. LaPorta was open all day long and showed off his YAC abilities on a nice catch-and-run in the third quarter:
Sam LaPorta wide open for a 48-yard gain to go over 100 yards for the day!#DETvsNO |📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/itZdTBSXNg
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 3, 2023
LaPorta is one of the highest upside players at a position lacking very few exciting options and needs to remain in your lineups through the fantasy playoffs.
Amon-Ra St. Brown: 2/6 receiving, 49 yards, 1 TD
A fairly uncharacteristic stat line for the Sun God, as this was the fewest receptions the star receiver has recorded in a game since Week 7 in 2022. Nevertheless, St. Brown managed to get loose for a touchdown in the first quarter to provide a palatable fantasy line in the Big Easy. Better days are ahead for the target hog as he will certainly remain a focal point of the Detroit offense.
Josh Reynolds: 1/3 receiving, 12 yards
Reynolds’ only catch of the day came at a great time, as he made a fantastic grab on a pass at his knees to seal the game for the Lions. Barring an injury to a player ahead of him on the depth chart, Reynolds is still just a desperation flex play in deep leagues.
Jameson Williams: 1/1 receiving, 11 yards | 1 carry, 19 yards, 1 TD
The good news is that Ben Johnson and company are continuing to draw up plays specifically to get Jameson Williams involved. The bad news is those plays are few and far between, and until he can log more snaps and touches he’s too risky of a start. Jamo still possesses ludicrous speed and is ridiculous to watch whenever he gets in space:
Jamo out of a CANNON!#DETvsNO 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/dPnUZYYOvL
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 3, 2023
Brock Wright: 1/1 receiving, 8 yards
The Lions’ backup tight end has not eclipsed 3 catches or 23 yards in a game yet this season.
Kalif Raymond: 1 carry, 9 yards
After posting a season-high 90 yards in Week 12, Kalif Raymond wasn’t targeted once today. He’s too far down in the pecking order on this offense to be worth a roster spot for the time being.
Donovan Peoples-Jones: 0/1 receiving, 0 yards
DPJ has two targets in his first three games with his new team. It’s likely the Michigan native needs more time to learn the playbook following last month’s trade, but he shouldn’t be owned right now unless you’re in a Dynasty league with deep benches.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Derek Carr: 17/22, 226, 1 TD, 1 INT | 2 carries, -1 yard, 1 fumble lost
Carr left this game in the fourth quarter following a titanic hit by 36-year-old Bruce Irvin in his first game action of the season. Before the injury, it was the typical pedestrian play we’ve come to expect from Carr and the New Orleans offense this season, meaning few exciting plays or downfield shots despite the playmaking ability of players like Chris Olave. Carr will likely miss time with this injury, leaving Jameis Winston to be the team’s quarterback whenever human Swiss army knife Taysom Hill is on the sidelines.
Jameis Winston: 2/5, 41 yards
The Jameis Winston experience was in full effect from the moment the veteran QB took the field. In one of the more bizarre plays of the Sunday slate, Winston had a horrid pass tipped by Brian Branch that made its way right into the hands of Chris Olave:
TIP DRILL
📺 @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/BIVxbmtER7
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 3, 2023
The play set up Alvin Kamara‘s second score of the day, but the comeback effort would fall short following a few poor passes on the Saints’ last drive of the day. Say what you will, but this team is more fun to watch when Fameis Jameis is on the field, and it likely raises the fantasy prospects of Saints pass catchers.
Taysom Hill: 0/2 passing | 13 carries, 59 yards, 1 TD | 2/2 receiving, 15 yards
The most unique player in football once again delivered in the fantasy department by punching in a touchdown from one yard out after Alvin Kamara was ruled to be down just short of the goal line. If he’s available to be started as a TE in your league, it’s probably worth it, especially since he will likely take more snaps in the immediate future with the injury to Derek Carr. He simply gets too much usage as a “Tight End” to ignore.
Running Back
Alvin Kamara: 14 carries, 51 yards, 2 TD | 6/8 receiving, 58 yards
Kamara continues to see elite usage in the Saints offense and punched in a pair of short scores today in an effort to keep pace with the visiting team. Dennis Allen did his absolute best to stop Kamara from scoring all day by giving Taysom Hill plenty of goal-to-go carries, but Kamara managed yet another great day by fantasy managers. His day could have been even better had another touchdown not been reversed. Kamara remains a locked-in RB1 and has a couple of excellent matchups against the Panthers and Giants in the next two weeks.
Jamaal Williams: 5 carries, 10 yards | 1/1 receiving, 6 yards
Williams possesses very little upside at the moment with the lion’s share of carries going to Kamara and Hill. He’s worth a spot on your bench as a handcuff if you own Kamara, but shouldn’t be trusted in fantasy lineups for now.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Chris Olave: 5/8 receiving, 119 yards
Despite not finding the end zone, it was a productive day for Chris Olave as he posted a season-high yardage total and broke the century mark for the fourth time in 2023. Olave figures to have more upside with Jameis Winston throwing the ball and will look to get back in the scoring column in Week 14 when the Saints host the Panthers.
A.T. Perry: 1/3 receiving, 30 yards
A popular late-round rookie pick in Dynasty leagues this season, Perry recorded his fourth reception of the season today. With injuries to the likes of Michael Thomas and Rashid Shaheed, Perry still has a chance to prove himself over the next few weeks but should be left on waivers or benches for now. If you have the room for a stash in Dynasty leagues, he’s worth an add to see how things shake out.
Foster Moreau: 2/2 receiving, 28 yards
We love rooting for Foster Moreau as one of the feel-good stories of this NFL season, but it’s hard to recommend him as a fantasy asset for the time being.
Jimmy Graham: 1/1 receiving, 6 yards, 1 TD
This was Graham’s second catch of the season. Both have been touchdowns. Both times I was left speechless by the reminder that he is still in the league.
Lynn Bowden, Jr.: 1/1 receiving, 5 yards | 2 carries, -6 yards
Even in a depleted receiving room, Lynn Bowden, Jr. is struggling to carve out a role in the New Orleans offense. He should remain on waivers.
Juwan Johnson: 0/3 receiving, 0 yards
It was a tough day at the office for Johnson, who had a couple of tough drops early in the day en route to a donut in the box score. Johnson has done little to inspire confidence in terms of his value as a streaming option at the TE position this season.