Start your 2021 Week 13 with this DraftKings showdown slate Dallas @New Orleans, as we enter the home stretch of the regular season. Both sides played on Thanksgiving, so have had a full week of rest – Dallas lost an overtime thriller at home to Las Vegas, whilst the Saints were well and truly humbled at home to Buffalo. New Orleans are expected to start the one and only Taysom Hill under center and are 6-point home underdogs, with the O/U sitting at 46 points.
DraftKings Showdown 2021– Dallas @New Orleans Captain Picks
Dak Prescott ($17,700)
Dak continues to be one of the more reliable fantasy QBs, despite a rough few weeks for the Cowboys. He’s scored at least 20 DKPTS in 7 of 10 games this year – and one of those saw him put up 19.9. He doesn’t offer as much on the ground as he perhaps did before his injury last year. He’s putting up nice numbers too, averaging 293.2 passing yards per game with a 22:7 TD to INT ratio. This Saints defense has been poor in recent weeks too, allowing an average of 30.25 points per game across their last 4. Josh Allen tore them apart last week, and I can see Dak having a similarly good night tonight.
Taysom Hill ($14,400)
Where to begin with Taysom Hill? He’s yet to start a game this year for New Orleans but looks to be ready to start under centre tonight, and I can’t wait for the latest episode in the Taysom Hill chronicles. He’s attempted just 8 passes so far this year, going for 56 yards and an interception. On the ground is where he does most of his damage though, with 104 yards and 3 TDs so far this year on 20 carries for the Saints. In all fairness, he went 3-1 last year as a starter covering for the injured Drew Brees and averaged 21-209-1 passing in that 4-game stretch. He also chipped in with 4 scores on the ground. He’s relatively cheap for a QB on this slate too, and is certainly a solid play.
Mark Ingram II ($7,500)
Kamara is set to miss his fourth consecutive game, giving Ingram a huge boost in opportunities tonight. He’s priced way down near the defences and kickers but should see RB1 usage in this one. In two games he played prior to Thanksgiving without Kamara, he averaged 18.5 DKPTS, aided by his usage in the passing game – he saw 15 targets across the two games. He looks to be a really safe play and seems to be game script-proof. At his price he’s a lock in either spot in cash games.
DraftKings Showdown 2021 – Dallas @New Orleans Flex Picks
CeeDee Lamb ($10,000)
Lamb has had a very up-and-down season in terms of fantasy production. In his last 4, he’s posted scores of 4.4, 28.6, 4.3, and 20.2 on DraftKings. With Cooper currently being questionable after catching COVID-19, Lamb should command a nice target share, a figure he already leads the team with (18.2%). Even if Cooper suits up, I’m not convinced he’ll see too much usage, meaning Lamb should certainly act as the alpha receiver tonight. Combine that with this Saints defense ranking 1st in run DVOA, and I think we should see a very pass-heavy attack from Dallas tonight.
Michael Gallup ($6,800)
The other Cowboys receiver I’ll mainly be targeting tonight is Gallup, who comes in with a great discount. As mentioned, with Cooper perhaps still recovering from COVID-19, Gallup should still see a solid number of targets, even with Prescott’s top two receivers being back this week. He saw 6 targets in Week 10, just 2 less than Lamb, but 2 more than Cooper. The rapport with Prescott is obviously there, and I would rather drop down to Gallup than pay up for either of the Cowboys RBs.
Juwan Johnson ($1,400)
This is when it really starts to get ugly. I’m finding it hard to trust any of the Saints receivers with Hill under centre, with no wideout really making there case as the true alpha of the group. Johnson put up a goose egg last week but has shown flashes that make him a consideration tonight. His floor is quite literally zero – but TEs on showdown slates this year have been crazy, so you could certainly do worse than him. He caught all 3 of his redzone targets for TDs in the first 4 weeks of the year, so the potential is there.
Noah Brown ($600)
Brown would be a much more intriguing option tonight if there wasn’t already so much value on this slate. That being said, he’s definitely still an option with Cedrick Wilson ruled out. Brown should act as the WR4 tonight but could have an elevated role if Cooper is limited or sits this one out. He had a great outing in the loss last week, catching 6 of his 9 targets for 53 yards. He’s unlikely to produce similarly production tonight, but he doesn’t need to at such a cheap price.
DraftKings Showdown 2021- Dallas @ New Orleans Defenses and Kickers
I’m really high on the Dallas DST ($4,400) tonight. In the 4 games Hill started last year, he was sacked 13 times and fumbled 6 (!) times. New Orleans come into tonight missing Kamara and both of their starting OTs. Dallas should get to Hill on plenty of occasions tonight and should certainly get a turnover or two. New Orleans defence is largely unattractive tonight, especially with Dallas’ solid O-line play and New Orleans’ inefficient pass rush. With tonight’s matchup taking place inside the Caesars Superdome, both kickers are viable as weather won’t be an issue. Maher and Zuerlein have both been solid so far, and have nice floors in this one.
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Image Credit: Bill Streicher – USA TODAY Sports
