It's Fantasy Football Championship Week, and Jake Ciely of RotoExperts.com is here to give you all of the key fantasy tips for NewOrleansSaints.com to help you take home the title.
I hope that you are joining the New Orleans Saints in coming off a big win and are now looking to win your league championship. The Saints looked great on Monday night against the Bears and will look to keep that momentum going in an important matchup with the Falcons at noon Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees had another impressive road performance, further proving he's elite no matter where he plays. Brees was efficient and terrific, going 29-for-36 with 375 yards and three touchdowns. Brees topped 300 yards (333) in the first game against the Falcons this year, while also throwing for a touchdown. That gave him 15.52 Fantasy Points (FP) on NFL.com, but you should expect better as Brees does remarkably well against the Falcons at home, averaging 28.81 FPPG the last four years.
Running back Mark Ingram had another good game as his workload jumped back up against the Bears. Ingram finished with 11.9 FP on 59 yards and a touchdown. The Falcons continue to allow the highest amount of FPPG to running backs at 24.16 on NFL.com. That includes a league high 18 rushing touchdowns allowed, and the next closest (TEN) has 15. The FPPG allowed actually increases to 26.25 over their last four games. This is a positive sign for Pierre Thomas, too. Thomas had just two carries, but he saw five targets, caught them all and put up 83 receiving yards. Keep Ingram locked in to your RB2 spot and Thomas in your RB3/Flex position with more potential in PPR for Thomas.
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Kenny Stills and Marques Colston led the way for receivers with seven targets each. Their final stat lines were nearly identical with both catching five and Stills having 67 yards, while Colston had 65. Colston ended up with the bigger fantasy day thanks to a touchdown. Both are low-end WR2/high-end WR3 plays with the Falcons allowing 25.57 FPPG to receivers. In fact, Colston put up 110 yards on five catches in the first matchup. Nick Toon continues to have deep league value. Toon hauled in all four of his targets for 43 yards, and if he can find the end zone, you're looking at a championship x-factor in larger leagues.
Tight end Jimmy Graham was clearly a focus against the Bears. Graham saw seven targets like Stills and Colston did, and he too had five catches but was able to turn his into 87 yards. While Graham didn't find the end zone, it was still a nice output, and Graham put up 82 yards on eight catches in Week 1 against the Falcons. Graham is a no-doubt TE1 and one of the few elite options. Josh Hill surprised many with two touchdowns; however, they came on just two targets. Hill is a high risk/reward deep league play, as the Falcons have given up just two tight end touchdowns.
Shayne Graham had a decent week, and the Saints DST finished as the sixth best unit, thanks to three interceptions. Graham is a K1 this week in what should be a high-scoring affair. Plus Graham had 12 FP against the Falcons the first time. The DST is a bit riskier this week, as Ryan has thrown only 12 interceptions.
Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez has a much better matchup this week, as the Redskins allow the most FPPG to quarterbacks and have given up 31 touchdowns with only five interceptions. Robert Griffin III has plenty of upside in that game too. His rushing ability always makes him a fantasy threat, but the Eagles also allow 19.76 FPPG on NFL.com. The Cardinals' defense hasn't been as dominating as it was early this season, and Seattle QB Russell Wilson put up 19.74 FP on them with 73 rushing yards the first time the teams played.
Fred Jackson just keeps rolling on, even at his age, and he gets a great matchup this week. Even without a touchdown, F-Jax still has 26.7 FP over the last three weeks, and the Raiders give up 23.59 FPPG, including a 24.98 mark over the last four. Hopefully, you have avoided major running back injuries, but if you need a fill in, Toby Gerhart had 63 yards against the toughest run defense last week (Ravens) and now faces the third easiest (Titans).
When RGIII plays, DeSean Jackson's FPPG is 7.7 and 15.0 with everyone else, while Pierre Garcon's is 6.1/10.0. Both Smiths in Baltimore have high potential this week, as Torrey and Steve should take advantage of a Texans defense allowing 26.62 FPPG to WRs on NFL.com, which includes the second most touchdowns (19). Look for Charles Johnson to continue to impress, as the Dolphins pass defense has allowed 29.73 FPPG (fourth highest) over the last four games. The Packers have given up a high number of FPPG over the last four too, as they sit at 26.68 on NFL.com with eight touchdowns allowed. That's great news for Tampa receivers Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson.
The Redskins allow the second most FPPG to tight ends (10.24), the most over the last four weeks (12.88), and that includes the third most touchdowns (11). The Eagles aren't a tight end heavy team, but Zach Ertz brings nice upside in the matchup. The Cowboys have given up the third most tight end points and fourth most touchdowns (10). Dwayne Allen is touchdown reliant, but this is a matchup where you can bet on his scoring.
There are quite a few DST pickups for your championship game. The Bills are still just 66 percent owned on NFL.com, rank second overall and get the Raiders. The Packers are 47 percent owned and head to Tampa Bay. With injuries, the Texans have a new quarterback this week, and the Ravens are only 57 percent owned. The Panthers are a Top 10 defense the past two weeks and get the Browns. Lastly, the Titans and Jaguars face off and both teams give up a lot of DST Fantasy Points, just know that both are risky too.
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