New Orleans Saints (7-8) a t Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)

DraftKings Lines

Saints (+120) at Buccaneers (-142); O/U 42 (-112 / -108)
Saints +2.5 (-110) at Buccaneers -2.5 (-110)

Writer’s Record:
Bet: 10-14, -5.41u
Lean: 6-2, -2.21u

This is an NFCS showdown that could very will go a long way in painting the final playoff picture. A win and the Bucs essentially lock up a playoff spot, as NFL.com gives them a 99% chance to make the postseason with a win. The Saints chances aren’t looking as good, and they desperately need a win here, otherwise they will be all but eliminated, with a projected one percent chance at reaching the playoffs. Of course, the Falcons are still involved and get the Saints in week 18 which could shake things up. Tampa Bay draws the Panthers in a game they *should* win, so it’s this weeks matchup that feels most important at determining the outcome of the division, and ultimately the NFC’s side of the bracket.

Main Storylines to Watch

Saints defense sans CB Marshon Lattimore: We’ll touch on this a bit more below, which means you should sign up for our fantasy pass, but Mike Evans is going to have a field day. The Saints are going to have to try and make due without their best cover corner, and arguably the best player on their defense. They could try and shift coverage to Evans to try and slow him down as the focal point of the offense, but that might leave them short in the run game against an undervalued rushing offense. Tampa is playing some good football right now offensively scoring at least 29 points in each of their past three games, so this defensive unit in New Orleans needs to figure out how they are going to stop the Bucs.

Tampa’s pass defense or Derek Carr: Again, we’ll detail this a bit more below for those of you who have access, but this is a moveable force vs a stoppable object. Carr nor the Tampa Bay pass defense have had a good season, so it’ll be interesting to see if either could step up. One side of this equation has been playing relatively well recently, while the other remains suspect. Will the tides turn on Sunday?

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