New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Final Score: Saints 24, Buccaneers 20
Writer: Pranav Babarjung
A rainy NFC South showdown ended with an upset win for the New Orleans Saints. Turnovers were what won the day for the Saints, with the Bucs unable to convert on five fourth-down attempts, along with a Baker Mayfield interception. Despite running less plays and having less total yards, the rookie duo of Devin Neal and QB Tyler Shough capitalized on their opportunities to score three touchdowns on the ground and secure the win.
Two Up
- Devin Neal — Neal found the end zone early and dominated touches in this backfield.
- Tyler Shough — Shough has his best fantasy outing yet with two rushing touchdowns.
Two Down
- Emeka Egbuka — Multiple drops caused an abysmal 15-yard game for Egbuka.
- Baker Mayfield — Mayfield completed less than half of his passes and threw an interception to boot.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Tyler Shough: 13/20, 144 Yards, INT | 7 Carries, 55 Yards, 2 TDs
From a passing perspective, Tyler Shough was mediocre. He spread the ball out, looked confident in the pocket, but panicked passing when the pocket broke down. Low yards and an interception on a play where he meant to just throw the ball away. However, Shough’s rushing was impressive. He broke off a 34-yard rushing touchdown, and broke two tackles to turn a potential sack into another 13-yard rushing touchdown. This rushing upside and relatively weak schedule makes Shough an interesting streaming option for playoffs.
Running Back
Devin Neal: 19 Carries, 70 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 14 Yards
Devin Neal had a decent fantasy performance. He wasn’t particularly efficient, but his usage was encouraging and he got in the end zone early. If Alvin Kamara continues to miss time Neal will be a solid flex play with TD upside.
Audric Estime: 1 Carry, 11 Yards
Evan Hull: 1 Carry, 4 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Devaughn Vele: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 40 Yards
Devaughn Vele led the team in yards and targets (tied), not that it meant much. Shough was content to spread the ball around, though it should be noted that all of Vele’s targets were at least 10 yards deep.
Juwan Johnson: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 38 Yards
Juwan Johnson was still the premier option in this tight end room. In such a low passing volume game, no pass catcher had a usable score.
Chris Olave: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 30 Yards
Chris Olave being the most talented receiver on the team did not earn him more targets in this contest. It’s possible his back injury from earlier in the week was affecting him more than he let on.
Foster Moreau: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 16 Yards
Taysom Hill: 2 Targets, 0 Receptions | 2 Carries, -1 Yard
Jack Stoll: 1 Target, 0 Receptions
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield: 14/30, 122 Yards, TD, INT | 6 Carries, 42 Yards
Baker Mayfield did not have a good day. Some drops and some bad decisions combined to cause a less than 50% completion rate and an interception. He would have had a second one, but it was negated due to DPI. As Mayfield does, though, he can scramble to keep plays and drives alive. With more weapons coming back soon, he may return to early season form.
Running Back
Bucky Irving: 15 Carries, 55 Yards | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 26 Yards, TD
Rachaad White: 11 Carries, 53 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 2 Yards
Sean Tucker: 7 Carries, 29 Yards, TD
Although Bucky Irving is the primary option, Tampa Bay has seemingly returned to a full RB by committee. Rachaad White recorded only five less touches and Sean Tucker was the goal-line option. This is in stark contrast to Irving’s first game back from injury, where he saw a the vast majority of work. A checkdown from Mayfield with a defender in his face resulted in a 24-yard house call for Irving, which saved his fantasy day. Although he is still the most explosive back in this committee, the usage should concern managers heading into the fantasy playoffs.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Chris Godwin: 8 Targets, 5 Receptions, 55 Yards
Chris Godwin was the leading receiver in a low-volume passing day. He was second in targets, but had a couple brutal drops on third and fourth down. The imminent return of both Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan does not bode well for Godwin managers.
Cade Otton: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 19 Yards
Cade Otton had an unimpactful game for the most part. He had one (unsuccessful) end-zone target. On the final drive, Otton wasn’t able to get one more yard to keep the Bucs’ hopes of winning alive. His already low target share will surely be diluted further in the future.
Emeka Egbuka: 9 Targets, 2 Receptions, 15 Yards
Another week, another abysmal stat line for Emeka Egbuka. To say the rookie has cooled off since his Offensive Rookie of the Year-esque start would be an understatement. He has had problems with drops in the past few weeks, and the rain didn’t help. He dropped a wide-open touchdown in the fourth quarter, and had another touchdown called back due to OPI heading into the half. Egbuka gets such an insane target share, but just does absolutely nothing with it.
Sterling Shepard: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
Kameron Johnson: 1 Target, 0 Receptions