Do you remember the last time these two teams faced off in the playoffs? Saints fans do. With the expected point total being as high as 50 on some sportsbooks, this game is perfect for our Champion Mode.
If you aren’t familiar with this, you get a choice of five players regardless of position with considerably higher multipliers AND you get to select a Champion that gets an extra 50% on their multiplier.
Quarter Back
Drew Brees (1x) or Kirk Cousins (1.55x)
This should be an easy decision but I am having so much trouble with it that I have made a pros and cons list.
I trust Drew. I don’t trust Kirk.
Drew should be up big and lean on the running game. Kirk will have to sling it.
Both guys went to Big Ten schools that I can’t stand and both have generic middle names.
Should I take both?
After mulling over my astute analysis I decided that I don’t want to be the guy that fades Brees over Cousins. I said it in my main slate analysis – Brees is on fire and don’t let the 1x scare you because he has a floor of 22 points.
Running Back
Alvin Kamara (1.75x) or Dalvin Cook (1.75x)
With both players having the same multiplier, game script is a good way to make your decision. Although you can take both, I want to fade Cook here. The Saints being 7.5-point favorites this game having blowout potential and with the total hovering around 50 points, all things point to Kamara.
Although the Vikings lean heavily on the run, they might not have a choice but to fire up their passing game if they are consistently down in this one. It doesn’t help Cooks’ case that possibly two other running backs could see carries in this one with Alexander Mattison (2.15x) coming back from injury and Mike Boone (2.2x) running like a mad man.
I think the Saints get up early with the help of Kamara’s versatility and lean on him to chew out some clock down the stretch.
Wide Receiver
Stefon Diggs (1.85x) or Adam Thielan (2.15x)
Michael Thomas (1.2x) should obviously be considered in this and will most likely make my lineup, but what of the Vikings’ wideouts? With all of the targets I expect these two to see I actually don’t hate a lineup with both in them given their larger multipliers. If I had to chose one, though, it would be the former Golden Gopher Adam Thielan.
With Stefon Diggs likely drawing attention from stud-corner Marshon Lattimore, Thielan has a better chance to draw lesser coverage and see more looks from Cousins.
It has been a very down year for Thielan due to injury but he is reportedly healthy now and perhaps can catch the Saints off guard.
Tight End
Kyle Rudolph (2.2x) or Jared Cook (1.85x)
Despite my belief that the Vikings will be trailing and need to pass, I’ll take Jared Cook here. The receivers will moist likely be the ones to benefit in the passing attack and I don’t love Kyle Rudolph’s chance for a high volume as he has not seen more than three targets in a game over his last four.
Although Cook’s target rate has been similar in that span, he is turning those targets into touchdowns regularly. In his past four games he only has 12 catches but five of those have gone for six and has multiple scores in two of his last four games.
You won’t need a high usage to get value out of Cook with his multiplier of 1.85x.
Kickers
Dan Bailey (2.25x) or Wil Lutz (2.2x)
If you haven’t tried your hand in our single game contests you might not know that kickers can hold huge value. Both kickers have similar value so let’s take a look at what their averages would have been this season with their current multiplier.
Lutz has had the better fantasy year by averaging 22.5 FPPG and 23.9 FPPG at home this season. However, if we expect this game to be a convincing win from the Saints, we need to look at his average when his team wins by 10 or more points. There is a slight drop off to 19.4 FPPG in those contests so there is still value there and his numbers are far better than Bailey’s.
Bailey would average 18.56 FPPG if he had this 2.25x multiplier all season and had five games where he would have failed to reach double digit fantasy points while throwing one goose egg into the mix. It doesn’t help his case that he is averaging a lowly 12.38 FPPG in losing efforts.
Some game scripts can call for both kickers being played but not this one. Lutz is the way to go.
My Champion
Alvin Kamara (2.65x)
Since this isn’t Game of Thrones I can’t call in the Kingslayer as my champion so I suppose Kamara will have to do.
I said before that I think Kamara will leave his mark on this game. He has had a lackluster season in terms of touchdowns when it comes to his standards but he is trending in the right direction. He has put up multiple touchdowns in consecutive weeks and would be averaging over 59 FPPG in that span with this 2.65x multiplier.
Look for Kamara to continue rolling through the competition.
This article expresses the personal views of the writer and does not reflect the view(s) of SuperDraft in any way.
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