To wrap up the Divisional round of the NFL Playoffs, the No. 5 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on the No. 2 seed New Orleans Saints Sunday at 6:40 p.m. ET. New Orleans is looking to beat the Tampa Bay for the third-straight game after sweeping the two-game season series.
The Buccaneers (11-5) are coming into this NFC South rematch off of a Super Wild Card Weekend playoff win over the Washington Football Team. In that game, Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady was in the zone. He completed 22-of-40 passes for 381 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s 31-23 victory.
One of Brady’s touchdown passes went to Antonio Brown, who had two receptions (three targets) for 49 yards. The other went to Chris Godwin, who had five receptions (12 targets) for 79 yards. Along with Brady, veteran running back Leonard Fournette had a tremendous game with 93 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. He also contributed four receptions for 39 yards.
As for the Saints (12-4), they defeated the Chicago Bears 21-9 during Super Wild Card Weekend. New Orleans played well on both sides of the ball, starting with quarterback Drew Brees.
Brees completed 28-of-39 passes for 265 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. One of his touchdown passes went to star wide receiver Michael Thomas, who had five receptions (seven targets) for 73 yards. The other touchdown pass went to running back Latavius Murray.
Superstar running back Alvin Kamara made his return to the football in impressive fashion. Kamara recorded 99 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown. Defensively, the Saints made sure David Montgomery wasn’t a major factor in the game as they held him to 31 yards on 12 carries.
TV Info
Date: Sunday, January 17
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Channel: FOX
Broadcast map
Notable Statistical rankings (Football Outsiders)
Bucs: #2 Overall — #3 offense, #5 defense, #26 special teams
Saints: #1 Overall — #7 offense, #2 defense, #5 special teams
DraftKings Sportsbook odds
Bucs: +3, +148
Saints: -3, -167
Total: 51.5
Fantasy football start/sit advice
Bucs
Antonio Brown, WR, $5,400
If you are looking for a cheap, value play in DFS this week, look no further than Antonio Brown. With Mike Evans healthy and Chris Godwin doing what he does best, Brown should be able to feast against who ever the Saints line up opposite of him. Last week against WFT, Brown recorded scored 15.1 fantasy points, making it the fourth-straight game where he’s reached double digits. On Sunday, he’ll be going up against a Saints’ defense that is only allowing 232.8 yards per game and ranked seventh against WRs (OPRK).
Leonard Fournette, RB, $4,900
Last week, Leonard Fournette became the Bucs’ lead running back as Ronald Jones II left the game with a quadriceps injury. Fournette took the opportunity and did not look back, scoring 23.2 fantasy points in the team’s eight point victory. He was not only a factor in the running but was effective catching the ball out of the backfield. If Jones is not healthy enough to play on Sunday, then that will open up the door for the veteran running back to make another start.
Saints
Michael Thomas, WR, $6,700
After missing the last few games of the regular season due to injury, Saints star wideout Michael Thomas made his presence felt immediately against the Bears last week. Thomas scored his first touchdown of the season, which were apart of his five receptions for 73 yards.
For his efforts, the veteran wide receiver scored 18.3 fantasy points. Thomas will be looking to find his way back into the end zone against a Buccaneers’ defense that is giving up 271.6 passing yards per game. Tampa’s defense did a great job of not giving up the big play to WFT’s wide receiver, but still allowed them to pick up yards and chunk plays.
Alvin Kamara, WR, $7,900
If this was regular season DFS, many users might opt to not play Alvin Kamara against a stout Buccaneers’ defense. However, since its the postseason, you might as well get Kamara in your lineup, who looked fantastic against the Bears. The star running back recorded 99 rushing yards, a touchdown, and two receptions for 17 yards. Kamara ultimately scored 19.6 fantasy points per game.