The New Orleans Saints will face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13. We have fantasy football start-sit advice for every fantasy-relevant player for the Saints so you can make the best decisions for your lineups.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Derek Carr, QB
Derek Carr is on a career pace in passer rating, yards per pass, and touchdown rate. Thanks to splash plays from Marquez Valdes-Scantling, his counting numbers have looked great over the past two games:
- 52 pass attempts
- 37 completions
- 517 passing yards
- Four touchdowns
- Zero interceptions
The injuries to the receiver room haven’t impacted Carr in a big way lately, but is that sustainable? The Rams are a top-five pressure defense, and if that makes stretching the field difficult, I’m not sure there’s much of a path to top-15 numbers without versatility or upside. That is why I’m looking elsewhere in all one-QB leagues and DFS contests, even on the fast track.
Alvin Kamara, RB
Alvin Kamara has been among the most consistent performers in our game this season (top-20 back in nine of 11 games, including each of his past four), and it seems that run of production coming off of his bye is slowed by the defense that allows the sixth most points per drive to opposing offenses.
Am I in love with his profile? I’m not. Kamara’s fantasy point total has been below expectations in eight of his past nine, and he doesn’t have a 25-yard rush this season (183 attempts), but the versatility (eight straight games with at least four receptions) and volume mask those concerns.
If you want to use the limited ceiling potential that comes with efficiency as a reason to look elsewhere when constructing your main-slate DFS roster, go for it. When it comes to season-long, you’re playing Kamara without a second thought.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR
Marquez Valdes-Scantling has 101 regular season games on his NFL resume. This is just the second time he’s cleared 15 PPR fantasy points in consecutive games despite spending his career, before these three games with the Saints, playing with Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen. The only other instance came in Weeks 9-10 of the 2020 season — his next three game totals:
- 90 routes
- Eight targets
- Three catches
- 8.5 PPR fantasy points
The word “regression” doesn’t do this profile justice. The tricky part, of course, is settling on when the inevitable cliff comes. MVS has a 65-yard catch in consecutive games and the last player to do that in three straight was Tyreek Hill in 2018 with the Chiefs. I think it’s safe to say that Valdes-Scantling is not in that tier of receiver. But on the bright side, his role is trending in the right direction.
Valdes-Scantling’s snap shares with the Saints:
- Week 9 at Carolina Panthers: 43.2%
- Week 10 vs. Atlanta Falcons: 53.8%
- Week 11 vs. Cleveland Browns: 65.5%
That said, this Rams defense excels at creating pressure, and it doesn’t take a data scientist to tell you that such a matchup makes those deep routes difficult to connect on. He gets the benefit of playing on turf, which can amplify his straight-line speed, but without the benefit of any teams being on a bye this week, the odds of you having four receivers that I rank more favorably are high.
Taysom Hill, TE
You may have heard that Taysom Hill had himself a day the last time his Saints took the field.
Hill’s production in Week 11 vs. the Cleveland Browns:
- 18 passing yards
- 138 rushing yards and three TDs
- 50 receiving yards (36.4% reception share)
Hill ranked second in rushing yards for the week while seeing more targets than Puka Nacua and recording more catches than Tyreek Hill. Hopefully, you cashed in on the historic week. No matter what you think of New Orleans’ unique weapon, weeks like that simply don’t come around.
Forget the production and look at the usage. The fact that Hill was put in a position to post a crazy stat line like that is enough to keep him ranked as a TE1 for me this week, even without the benefit of having any teams on bye.
Over his past four games, Hill has averaged 10.3 traditional opportunities (targets + rushes) per game. Given the proximity of his average snap to the goal line, you’re starting him if you have him against a bottom-five yards-after-catch defense this weekend.
Juwan Johnson, TE
Juwan Johnson scored in Week 11, but it required his first end-zone target since Week 1 and was yet another game with under 50 receiving yards. Anything can happen in New Orleans if they are going to give Taysom Hill as many touches as he’s had recently, but considering that they haven’t trusted Johnson with 25 routes in a game since mid-October, there’s no reason to go this far down the rankings.
The TE streamer tier is underwhelming, but there are a handful of options out there who are either a part of a productive offense (Dalton Schultz and Zach Ertz) or in the midst of seeing their role increase (Will Dissly and Ja’Tavion Sanders).