NFL Week 13 DFS wraps up with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting Alvin Kamara and the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. While neither team boasts an impressive record, the NFC South is wide open and the division title is very much up for grabs. The 40.5 over/under doesn’t exactly make this game sound like it will be an explosive one, but you have some very strong options to go with for your DFS Showdown lineups. We say it all the time – it doesn’t matter how much scoring there is, just as long as you have the right guys in your lineup. Based on the matchups and data, we have exactly what you need to win.
Please note that players not listed below are not necessarily a complete fade and any player listed could certainly be used as the MVP/Captain. These are merely suggestions for players to use when setting showdown lineups.
Be sure to check out our full New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers predictions
MVP/Captain
Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Godwin has established himself as the trusted go-to guy for Brady and is coming off a monster game against the Browns where he caught 12 of 13 targets for 110 yards and a touchdown. In fact, he’s now seen double-digit targets in 5 of his last 6 games and is averaging just over 11 targets per game with touchdown grabs in each of his last 2. He’s got positive matchups against all of the Saints’ corners, but will likely spend most of his night abusing Chris Harris Jr. coming out of the slot.
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The big question is whether or not Marshon Lattimore plays, because if he does, we may see an early exit for Evans. The two of them have so much bad blood between them, that we’ve seen multiple instances where fights have broken out on the field between the two. If Lattimore plays, it could serve as a distraction. If he doesn’t, Evans should have no problem torching any of the other outside corners.
Taysom Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints
Yes, as disgusting as this might seem, Hill stands out a bit in this match-up given the injuries in the Bucs secondary, most notably to both safeties as neither Antoine Winfield nor Mike Edwards are expected to play this week. If the Saints’ offensive line can get the better of the Bucs’ defensive line, that quarterback-draw they like to run with Hill is going to be very effective. We don’t normally support the use of Hill, but in a showdown slate, he can vault you up the standings in a tournament if he pops.
Lock in our Saints vs Buccaneers Same Game Parlay at +1472 odds
Mid-Tier and DFS Value Plays
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
The Bucs rank 14th in DVOA against the run and are allowing an average of 123.2 rushing yards per game this season. They do handle running back pass-plays pretty well, but if the Saints can feed the ball enough to Kamara and give him the volume he needs, he’s going to wear down that Bucs defense, both on the outside and in between the tackles.
Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
The Saints are going to have to move him away from Jamel Dean, but should find enough success to make Olave a strong option for your lineups. He’s averaging 8-9 targets per game and has 10 catches for 164 yards and a touchdown over his last two. With the injuries to their safeties, the Bucs could struggle in coverage so look for the Saints to try and exploit some one-on-one matchups downfield.
Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
We’ve seen Brady recapture some vintage moments and reach that 300-yard plateau, but he’s been more of that “250 and 2” guys lately. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. He does have the upside to do more and if Lattimore is out and he’s got both Godwin and Evans running freely through that secondary, we could see some that magic. But we need to keep those expectations in check, especially with the injuries to the Bucs’ offensive line.
Leonard Fournette, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
He’s questionable coming into the game with a hip injury and we may not know what to expect from him until pre-game warmups. He did put in full practices throughout the week so there is a reasonable expectation that he plays. What his workload will be might be a different story. Even if we get word that he is suiting up, he comes off more as a contrarian play given the injury and his recent level of performance. The Saints have allowed an average of 153.7 rushing yards over their last three games and they’ve allowed 11 rushing touchdowns, so the match-up is definitely favorable.
Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Even if Fournette plays, we still expect White to take some of the work off his teammate’s plate in this game. He serves as a decent change-of-pace back and should handle plenty of third-down work as well. The Saints do rank 11th in DVOA against running back pass-plays, so it could be slow at first for White. But if the Bucs grab a lead, they could lean on White to chew up the clock and give him more work between the tackles.
Julio Jones, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
He wasn’t active for the first game between these two teams, but should play a role in this one as he’s seen four or five targets per game over the last four with six red zone targets and two touchdowns in that span. Depending on whether Lattimore plays or not, Jones will see a lot of either Alontae Taylor or Paulson Adebo and both are considered favorable match-ups for him. Should Evans be preoccupied by his hate for Lattimore, Julio could see even more work than usual.
Jarvis Landry, WR, New Orleans Saints
With the likelihood that Jamel Dean will be working on Olave and the injuries to the Bucs secondary, Landry could actually be an intriguing sleeper for this game. With Sean Murphy-Bunting doubtful, Landry could see Dee Delaney, Zyon McCollum or some slow-footed linebacker in coverage which would likely free him up for some extra targets in this one.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers D/ST
While yes, there may be some injuries on Tampa’s defense and no, they don’t generate a huge number of turnovers, but the Saints actually have 21 giveaways this season which is the second-most in the league. Should New Orleans get a little sloppy or careless, the Bucs might be able to generate some points off if them.
Andy Dalton, QB, New Orleans Saints
It can be tough to put your showdown faith into Dalton when his coaches take the ball out of his hands so often once inside the red zone. Still, we’ve seen him have those games where he does break out the efficiency and actually has a productive night. Last week against the 49ers was a tough one, but he did have multi-touchdown efforts in three of the five games prior. It’s a contrarian play should you not buy into the Taysom Hill talk from above.
Rashid Shaheed, WR, New Orleans Saints
He’s a deep threat who always seems to find himself downfield for a couple of shots downfield. The target share isn’t abundant, but if we are looking at inexperienced safeties struggling in zone coverage downfield, things could really open up for him.
Cameron Brate, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Brate is officially listed as questionable with an illness, but after missing practice both Thursday and Friday, he put in a full session on Saturday, indicating that he would play. The Saints actually rank first in DVOA against the tight end and allow the fewest fantasy points per game, but he is still a favorite target for Brady once the Bucs get into the red zone.
Get Prop Holliday’s Saints vs Buccaneers best player prop bets
Dart Throw DFS Plays
Adam Trautman, TE, New Orleans Saints
Hill might be listed as the team’s lead tight end, but we know what his role is. That will put Trautman on center stage with Juwan Johnson out with an ankle injury. The Bucs rank 19th in DVOA against the tight end and with the injuries to their safeties, things could open up nicely for Trautman this week.
Cade Otton, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The ultimate dart-throw as Otton isn’t going to be targeted heavily if Brate plays. However, once the Bucs get inside the red zone, Brady likes to look for his tight ends and really doesn’t have a preference as to which one he throws to for the touchdown.
For additional NFL DFS Week 13 coverage, check out our full coverage on Fantasy Alarm
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