Saints @ Panthers
With a win, the Saints clinched the number two seed in the NFC and had a chance for the number one seed with help. After one quarter, the teams were tied at seven. After that, it was all New Orleans, thanks to their defense getting five interceptions. The Saints outscored Carolina 26-0 in the final three quarters en route to a convincing 33-7 victory. The Saints will have the two seed and host Chicago in the wildcard round.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Drew Brees: 22/32, 201 yards, 3 TDs, 2 sacks
Taysom Hill: 7 carries, 41 yards, 1 TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards
It was a pretty easy day at the office for Drew Brees. His defense got five interceptions to set him up in favorable field position multiple times. Brees threw three red-zone touchdowns. He hit Jared Cook, Emmanuel Sanders, and Austin Carr for the scores. Brees did a lot of checking down in this one. Only one pass was completed past 20 yards. It remains to be seen if Brees will return for the 2021 season, but reports are that he will in fact retire. Brees would be just a QB2 option in drafts if he returns for another season. Taysom Hill seemed to get his normal complement of snaps. He had a 15-yard run and followed that up with a three-yard touchdown run. This Saints QB situation is an interesting one to watch going into 2021. Taysom’s short score can be seen below.
Taysom’s 8th rushing score of the year.#FantasyFootball | #Saints pic.twitter.com/oGXz1Bdltu
— QB List (@TheQBlist) January 3, 2021
Running Backs
Ty Montgomery: 18 carries, 105 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 2 yards
The Saints were missing their top-four running backs due to COVID protocols. That left Ty Montgomery (primarily a wide receiver now) to get the bulk of the running back work. He topped 100 yards and looked good in doing so. The Saints running backs will likely be back for the playoffs so Montgomery will go back to a reserve role. Alvin Kamara will be an RB1 next year. How high depends on who the QB is for the Saints. He was not very productive with Taysom Hill under center, especially in the passing game. Latavius Murray is a good handcuff and has a bit of standalone value. He should be back in 2021 for the Saints.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Emmanuel Sanders: 13 targets, 9 receptions, 63 yards, 1 TD
Jared Cook: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 43 yards, 1 TD
Marquez Callaway: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 51 yards
The Saints were very shorthanded in their skill position group on Sunday. Emmanuel Sanders and Jared Cook were their only two players active that usually garner playing time. Sanders needed eight receptions in this game to reach some sort of performance bonus (TD can be seen below in GIF form). Drew Brees fed him with more than double the targets of any other player and he had nine receptions with a touchdown. Sanders is clearly on the backside of his career but he can still be a solid real-life fantasy player more so than a fantasy player. Jared Cook caught an easy red zone touchdown on the first drive. He has largely disappointed this year and been a middling TE2. He is an unappealing TE2 option for 2021. Target-hog Michael Thomas might be back for the playoffs next week after missing the past three games. Thomas should be a solid WR1 in 2021 drafts next year.
Brees zips one into Emmanuel Sanders.#FantasyFootball | #Saints pic.twitter.com/v2jjfasGAg
— QB List (@TheQBlist) January 3, 2021
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback
Teddy Bridgewater: 13/23, 176 yards, 2 INTs, 1 sack | 3 carries, 7 yards
P.J. Walker: 5/14, 95 yards, 3 INTs, 2 sacks
Teddy Bridgewater really struggled on Sunday. He was moving the ball okay on the Saints’ defense but threw two brutal passes in the endzone that were both intercepted. Neither pass gave his receiver a chance to catch the ball. Bridgewater left with an ankle injury in the third quarter and he did not return. Teddy was a middling QB2 for fantasy purposes this season. He is still under contract for the Panthers going into 2021. He isn’t an attractive option for standard fantasy leagues. P.J. Walker struggled in his limited action on Sunday. He threw three interceptions and completed much less than 50% of his throws.
Running Backs
Rodney Smith: 10 carries, 40 yards, 1 TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards
The Panthers were without both running backs Christian McCaffrey and backup Mike Davis. Rodney Smith took over lead-back duties on Sunday. Smith looked pretty good on his carries and had a goalline touchdown run as well. The Panthers got into a negative game script pretty early on in this one. Smith is a rookie and should be back in some sort of reserve role next year. McCaffrey should be a high-end RB1 next year in drafts.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Robby Anderson: 7 targets, 3 receptions, 40 yards
DJ Moore: 11 targets, 5 receptions, 101 yards
Curtis Samuel: 11 targets, 7 receptions, 118 yards | 3 carries, 3 yards
Curtis Samuel had his second straight 100-yard game on his way to free agency. He had multiple catch and runs that went for decent yardage. He also tied for the team lead in targets and chipped in a couple of carries. Keep an eye on where he lands in free agency; he can have decent fantasy value in the right situation. DJ Moore almost had a much bigger game but still had a nice final line. He had a beautiful 44-yard grown man catch over two defenders. He will finish 2020 as a high-end WR3 and will make a solid WR2/3 in drafts next year. Robby Anderson had a quiet game. He had a nice long catch of 31 yards but his other two receptions were for nine yards. He finished the year as a WR3 in PPR leagues. He only had one game (his first) over 20 PPR points and four games under 10 PPR points (all four in the last 9 games). Anderson makes for a fine WR2/3 in drafts next year. This group could get a nice boost if the Panthers’ QB situation improves.
— Kevin Taylor (@ktbeast918 on Twitter)