What We Saw: Week 9 2018

Rams vs. Saints

Rams

It’s only one loss, but did it reveal more?

I’d say if you haven’t been able to watch the Rams, then yes, it did reveal a whole bunch. For someone who has been fortunate to cover this team all season, it’s only been a matter of time before they lost. I’m not taking away anything from their season, as a whole, but their defense has been pretty awful compared to what they were supposed to be. Considering all the off-season moves to acquire big-name players, the expectations were raised quite high. Two things stand out every week: one is their inability to generate much of a pass rush, with exception to DT Aaron Donald and the second is that the absence of CB Aqib Talib is certainly being felt. They routinely give up big chunks and struggle to tackle. Last night, RB Alvin Kamara got a toss to the near side and, sure, the Saints had a nice lead block, but then three Rams converged on Kamara. Seconds later, he’s spiking the ball through the earth’s core – just awful fundamental tackling. They are in a great spot still, obviously, at 8-1 and have plenty of time to get these things fixed, but the playoffs are about who makes the most stops.

Kupp looks good in return

I was hesitant about starting WR Cooper Kupp due to the type of injury he was coming back from, but obviously, HC Sean McVay knows better. Kupp looked like his old self, racking up 89 yards on five grabs, including one that went for six. I’m just really glad he was able to cut and speed up after the catch – you hate to see anyone suffer knee injuries. Continue to roll him out there against Seattle, who gave up big plays to San Diego this past Sunday. The same applies to his counterparts, WRs Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods, who continue to put up great numbers.

TEs get a nice uptick in usage

Both TEs Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett were involved in this game (3 catches for 48 and 2 catches for 40, respectively), albeit not in a huge way. I only wanted to cite this because it may be something to monitor as the Rams’ offense continues to evolve.

-Joe Hanretty

Saints

Has a new team finally taken the top spot in the NFL? The Rams were undoubtedly the best team in the NFL for the first eight weeks and until now there has not been a challenger. This completes a string of huge wins for the Saints as they have toppled the Ravens, Vikings and Rams in consecutive weeks. The Rams are still the more complete team but this game proved that in the Superdome the Saints are nearly unbeatable.

Drew Brees for MVP

This game went as expected. The Rams offense forced the Saints to rely heavily on QB Drew Brees and he did not disappoint. Brees is currently the highest graded QB according to Pro Football Focus and should be the front-runner for MVP. He is playing some of the best football of his career and Sunday afternoon was one of his best games yet. Brees made countless tight window throws, missing only a few passes the entire game. His first three touchdown passes were all impressive, nearly perfect throws, that showcased his incredible accuracy and feel for the game. When Brees plays like this, the Saints are basically impossible to beat.

Michael Thomas’s HUGE Week

Every hero needs his a supporting cast and even though Brees was the star of this show, Thomas was also impressive. The Rams plan was to shadow WR Michael Thomas with CB Marcus Peters and that did not go well. Thomas dominated Peters all afternoon catching seven of nine targets for 146 yards and a touchdown. A lot of that production came on the late touchdown but Peters had trouble covering Thomas no matter what the scenario was. Thomas caught another five passes when he was not covered by Peters finishing with a whopping 12 catches for 211 yards.

Benjamin Watson the Sleeper

This week I identified TE Benjamin Watson as a sleeper this week and he came through with a touchdown and 62 yards. This production only came on 3 targets as Brees has many other options to throw to. Watson has been a great safety outlet for Drew Brees and has made some very important catches the last few weeks but his fantasy value remains low. In the end, volume is key and Watson will never have enough volume to consistently produce.

Alvin Kamara loves playing the Rams

RB Alvin Kamara clearly enjoys playing against the Rams. Last year Kamara gashed the Rams and it happened again this year. The shifty running back used some of his magic on his first touchdown, somehow walking past four defenders into the endzone. He added another rushing touchdown later in the game on a goal line carry. This is the second consecutive week that Kamara scored in a short yardage which is very encouraging. The return of Mark Ingram has not dampened Kamara’s production as much as many people thought, especially with Kamara getting goal line carries. Kamara also excelled as a receiver (what’s new?) and was even able to beat the Rams corners in one on one coverage. With ability like this, Kamara is unstoppable

Tre’Quan the Number Two

The ascension of  WR Tre’Quan Smith and virtual disappearance of WR Cameron Meredith has been swift and surprising. Smith is emerging as a bonafide fantasy asset as any player receiving regular targets from Drew Brees should be. Smith is a must add in any keeper or dynasty format and should be owned in almost all redraft leagues as well. It is apparent that Brees trusts the young receiver and that Smith has enough talent to make big plays.

-Stephen Dudas