Our daily fantasy sports experts are here to provide you with the best player to build lineups around in Week 13. This week’s column features picks from ESPN’s Tristan H. Cockcroft, Field Yates, Eric Karabell, Matt Bowen, KC Joyner and Jim McCormick.
Joel Embiid Kids Jersey For more daily fantasy advice for this week, check out Scott Kacsmar’s best and worst DFS matchups using Football Outsiders’ metrics.
Field Yates — Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
No need to overthink this one, as Brees at home is almost always a great bet. He shredded the Rams for five total touchdowns in Week 12 and faces an equally enticing matchup in the Lions this week. Brees has not scored fewer than 20 points in a home game this season and has topped 30 points on two occasions. The Saints have innumerable options to distribute the football to and Brees shouldn¡¯t face significant pressure from a Lions defense that has just 20 sacks this season (only four teams have fewer). Don¡¯t be surprised if he pushes for another 30 points this week.
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“I know he’s frustrated with [his place in the offense], but I know he’s a professional and he works hard,” Snead said. “I expect him to have a great game this week and bounce back.”
The Saints’ offense has long been known for spreading the ball around to a variety of receivers in the Payton-Drew Brees era. Tight end Jimmy Graham is the only pass-catcher who has made the Pro Bowl in that 11-year span.
“We’ve had a lot of real good football players here. But I don’t think we’ve ever been in a position where, ‘Man, they’re doubling such-and-such,’ and it’s panic,” Payton said. “So guys are gonna get doubled. Or it’s not doubled so much, specifically, as you see a better corner travel [to match up against Cooks no matter where he lines up]. Sometimes Cooks is gonna draw some of those matchups, sometimes he’s not. It depends on the team.
“But I think it was more of just the way the game unfolded [versus the Rams]. Like I said, the first play of the game was actually a down-the-field-shot play intended for Brandin. We got man-to-man coverage, different than what we were hoping to get. Things happen during the game, a progression takes you off a read high, and you end up underneath. It happens. I wouldn’t have known [tight end] Josh Hill was gonna have [six] catches in that game, and yet that’s the way it unfolded.”