Week 13 Monday Night Football New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting and DFS Preview
This week Monday Night Football gives us an NFC South Showdown when the New Orleans Saints (4-8) travel to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6). At the beginning of the year, we thought this could be a huge matchup with major playoff implications. Despite both teams being below .500 it somehow still is and this game could legitimately determine who hosts a home playoff game in the NFC playoffs.
We’re going to take a deeper look at this Week 12 Monday Night Football matchup and get you caught up on everything you need to know for DFS and betting purposes. We will look to hit on this game and the DFS Showdown and win you some big money this week.
Week 13 NFL Best Bets
This game shockingly has massive playoff implications for both the NFC South leading Bucs and improbably the 4-8 Saints. The Saints aren’t just a tanking team with no hope that’s going to lay down on the road on Monday Night. If New Orleans wins this game they have a legitimate shot to be in first place in the South as soon as next week. In week 14 the Saints have a bye and the Bucs have to take on the 49ers. A win this week would put these teams half a game apart. The woeful NFC South is still wide open for all four teams.
The Bucs are the favorites in this game and should be, however, since Tom Brady has arrived in Tampa no team has given him a tougher time than the Saints. This likely is going to be a hard-fought game. The Bucs’ defense isn’t quite as good as expected, and the offense has been a disaster. They currently rank 27th in points per game this season despite Brady leading the league in pass attempts and ranking fourth in the league in passing yards. This team has struggled mightily in the red zone and it’s the primary reason why their record is what it is.
As bad as the Bucs have been this season the Saints have been worse. The defense has failed to live up anywhere close to expectations and the quarterback situation has been a disaster. The only true silver lining on this team has been the emergence of rookie wideout Chris Olave. However, they could be getting reinforcements on defense this week. Both cornerback Marshon Lattimore and linebacker Pete Werner are looking like game-time decisions and are major impact players on the defensive side of the ball. When Werner went down he was leading the league in tackles and Lattimore has a long history of shutting down and frustrating Mike Evans.
When these teams faced off early in the season it was the Bucs who went into New Orleans and won by double digits. In no way is Tampa a lock nor should this be a walk in the park. Nevertheless, they should be considered the clear favorite in this game. Nonetheless, the Saints will be up for this game and it should be a fun one.
Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers -3.5 (-110)
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DFS Showdown: Most Intriguing Plays
We will be giving you insight into the most intriguing players this week on MNF. You generally won’t see superstars in this section. All prices are based on DraftKings.
Adam Trautman, New Orleans Saints $1,800
The Saints have been utilizing their tight ends heavily this season, especially in the second half of the season. Juwan Johnson has been the beneficiary to the point that he is currently the TE6 on the season in points per game. However, Johnson is not going to play on Monday Night Football opening up a huge opportunity for Trautman. Based on the price he should undoubtedly be in your lineup for this DFS slate.
Julio Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers $8,100
As we mentioned earlier, Evans is essentially useless when matched up against Lattimore and it sounds like he will return to action this week. Somebody will have to pick up the slack for Evans and every pass can’t go to Godwin. Plus Godwin is the most expensive player on this slate even ahead of Brady. The man to benefit if Evans struggles is Jones who has looked excellent lately physically. He’s coming off his two best games of the year catching three passes in each game for a combined 93 yards and a TD. This game has a real chance to be his best game as a Buccaneer.
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints $9,600
Why Hill? Because Hill is always the most intriguing DFS play in almost every DFS slate he’s in. He’s particularly more intriguing on a limited slate like this because he can win it for you on his own. You can stick him in your lineup and by the middle of the first quarter potentially have a starting quarterback or running back on the cheap if things fall in place. The Saints have also been making an effort to get him more involved lately. Expect him to catch a pass or two, throw a few passes, and push for 10 carries in this game. As always he’s a threat to find the end zone.
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