The New Orleans Saints defense has been among the friendliest in the NFL when it comes to allowing fantasy points. They allow more points than average to every offensive fantasy position and are in the Top 5 in points allowed to quarterbacks, running backs, tight ends and kickers.
So when it comes to which Buccaneers you should start in your lineup this week, the answer is simple. Fire everything!
BUCCANEERS
QB Jameis Winston
With an 18-point outing last week, Winston now has 17+ points in five of the last seven games. He is one of four fantasy quarterbacks to have not scored fewer than 12 points in a single game this season. This week, he'll face his best matchup to date against a Saints team that is allowing 24.2 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, more than seven points more than the league average. In three of their last five games, QBs facing the Saints have topped 30 points. With all of Winston's top weapons healthy and the ability to get it done on the ground as well, Winston is a legitimate must-start quarterback this weekend.
RB Doug Martin
Martin needs just 119 rushing yard in this game to pass Adrian Peterson as the leagues most prolific rusher of 2015. He has topped that number three times this season. Ranking fifth in the league in RB fantasy points and going up against a defense allowing the 3rd most points to the position, if you own Doug Martin, he should absolutely be in your lineup this week.
WR Mike Evans
The Saints have allowed a touchdown to a wide receiver in every game this season except one. Twice this year, they have allowed four or more, including last week against the Carolina Panthers. Mike Evans has at least 11 PPR points in six of the last seven weeks. Evans has averaged 62.6 yards per game over the last three, but has found the end zone in two of them. He has number one receiver potential this week.
WR Vincent Jackson
Since returning from injury three weeks ago, Jackson has posted games of 15, 11 and 11 and proven a reliable target for the rookie quarterback. The Saints allow an average of 35.7 fantasy points to receivers each week, two more than average, so there are points to go around in this one. Jackson is a solid flex start.
TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins
ASJ returned last week and hauled in three passes for 31 yards. This matchup could be his real "Welcome Back" game, facing the team that allows the most fantasy points to tight ends in the league. Over the last four games, the Saints have allowed 27.5 points to TEs. The NFL average is 12.2. While Seferian-Jenkins doesn't have the numbers this year to support a must-start designation, his matchup has to inspire enough confidence to put him in the top 12 TEs of the week.
SAINTS
QB Drew Brees
Always start your starters. Brees has the ninth most QB fantasy points this season. He posted just 12 in the first meeting against the Bucs, but his performance last week against a strong Carolina defense (282 yards, 3 TDs, 22 fantasy points) is a confidence booster coming in. The Buccaneers allow slightly above the league average against QBs, 16.7 per game. Bottom line, if you have Brees on your team, it is unlikely you've got a better option.
RB C.J. Spiller
RB Khiry Robinson has been out since Week 9 and RB Mark Ingram was placed on IR this week. That leaves Spiller as the top back for the Saints and he has rushed the ball just 31 times. It is possible that he will see a fairly even split in carries with RB Tim Hightower. Where Spiller thrives is in the receiving game, he has 29 catches this year for 216 yards and two TDs. With a bigger workload, Spiller becomes solid RB2/Flex starter, especially in PPR leagues. Hightower has just four fantasy points this season, with a questionable workload, it is hard to be confident plugging him into your lineup.
WRs Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead, Marques Colston
After being limited in practice Cooks should play this week, he ranks 12th in the league in WR PPR fantasy points. He has 11 points in the first matchup with the Bucs and put up 22 last week against CAR's Josh Norman, one of the leagues best CBs. Start him as normal.
After a few explosive weeks, Snead has cooled down with just nine points over the last three games. He did have 44 yards and a score against the Bucs the first time around. He is a risky flex option due to recent inconsistency.
Marques Colston had his second best game of the season when he played the Bucs, but that was just a 10-point fantasy outing. He has only one other double-digit fantasy performance this season.
TE Benjamin Watson
Watson sits at 8th in the league in TE PPR fantasy points, after starting off the year with just 19 points over four games, Watson has come on strong, averaging 14.4 points per game. He is a strong starting option at the position every week.
