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Saints @ Cardinals
By: Matt Morrison (@dynastyjerk)
Tonight’s game will feature the Arizona Cardinals hosting the New Orleans Saints. Both teams are surprisingly 2 – 4. In addition, the Cardinals have not won a home game yet this year. They will look to end that losing streak tonight. They are the favorite by two points, and the game currently has an average Over/Under of 44.5. I have been abysmal at picking the Over/Under this year so I’m not going to even try for this one. All I have to say is that if you have any players on these teams, you are obviously hoping for a high scoring game.
What To Watch For
This week we get to witness the return of DeAndre Hopkins ($27,250,000). Not only is he playing this week, but it happens that this will be the first week that Arizona is without Marquise Brown ($2,946,835). Brown suffered a foot injury that will sideline him for at least the next month. I want to see how this Cardinals’ passing attack will shape up. I anticipate Hopkins to finish this game as the targets and target share leader for this team. The Brown injury will also keep the target share potential open for Zach Ertz ($10,550,000) and Rondale Moore ($1,731,060).
Value of the Game Recap
Last week I picked Darnell Mooney ($894,262) as my Value of the Game (VOTG). Here is the stat line I predicted.
| Week 6 Projection | Salary | Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs | DOFP |
| Darnell Mooney | $894,262 | 3 | 64 | 1 | 15.4 |
This one was a tough loss to take. Despite not having a touchdown, Mooney was set up to receive the VOTG award.
- He led all players in this game in targets (12) and receptions (7).
- He came in second in receiving yards (68).
- He had his hands on the game winning touchdown pass that would have catapulted him to the winner’s circle.
In the end, he could not corral the final pass of the game. The VOTG award went to Dante Pettis ($1,035,000) instead. He finished with four receptions, 84 yards and one touchdown (16.4 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). Almost all of his fantasy production came on a 40-yard touchdown reception. Here is how Mooney finished the day versus Pettis.
| Week 6 Actual | Salary | Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs | DOFP | DD/PT |
| Darnell Mooney | $894,262 | 7 | 68 | 0 | 13.8 | $64,802 |
| Dante Pettis | $1,035,000 | 4 | 84 | 1 | 18.4 | $56,250 |
I’m 2 – 4 on the season.
Overall Record: 2-4
Starters
All the players on this list are ones who I would feel comfortable starting in Dynasty Owner this week.
Kyler Murray ($8,914,504)
Kyler has underperformed this season, yet he is still QB8 thanks to his rushing baseline. New Orleans is a fine opponent for Kyler. They do have a solid defense, but they are giving up more points to the quarterback position than two-thirds of NFL teams.
Alvin Kamara ($15,000,000)
Eno Benjamin ($849,428)
Alvin Kamara is an obvious start and someone who should be started regardless of matchup.
Eno Benjamin is a start for me this week because it appears as if James Conner will miss his second consecutive game. At the time of this writing, he is a game-time decision. Eno had a poor start in Week 6 (9.5 Dynasty Owner fantasy points), but I’m hoping for a rebound. I’m also looking for more receiving work for him this game.
Chris Olave ($4,817,969)
DeAndre Hopkins ($27,250,000)
Both of these wide receivers are the “number ones” on their team despite not starting the season that way. Olave should have over 7 targets tonight given that Michael Thomas ($19,025,000) has been ruled out. He is a very fine volume play, who could also beat Arizona over the top for a long touchdown.
DeAndre Hopkins is a little harder to predict. If Marquise Brown was healthy and playing in this game, I wouldn’t be expecting much from Hopkins. However, Brown is not playing, and Hopkins is all of a sudden a necessity for this offense. I don’t know what the target share or total routes run will be for Hopkins, but I’m betting on a touchdown for him.
Zach Ertz ($10,550,000)
Ertz is TE3 on the season. He may not be dominating the way Mark Andrews ($14,000,000) and Travis Kelce ($14,312,500) are, but he is still a must start each week.
Bench
Here at Dynasty Owner, you not only get points from your Starting lineup, but also from your Bench. Your Dynasty Owner teams get 25 percent of the points scored from players on your Bench added to the total final score. This means that Bench scoring could (and often does) affect the outcome of individual matches as well as championships. Here are the players I would be okay putting on my Bench.
Andy Dalton ($3,000,000)
I don’t trust Dalton enough to be my starter this week, but any starting QB in the league has the potential to be a Bench player.
Mark Ingram ($1,800,000)
Ingram will occasionally spell Alvin Kamara. He is not a high upside player, but he should be good for between 4 – 6 Dynasty Owner fantasy points.
Tre’Quan Smith ($3,000,000)
Rondale Moore ($1,731,060)
Both of these wide receivers would be considered desperation starts. I like Moore better than Smith, but both belong on the Bench for this game.
Taysom Hill ($10,000,000)
And finally, we come to Taysom Hill. I completely understand if you want to put Hill into your Starting lineup. Honestly, there isn’t much I can say to persuade you otherwise. You know what you’ll get (attempt wise) from Taysom each game. He is going to rush a handful of times, and he may attempt a couple of passes. Is there a chance some of those rushes or passes go for one or multiple touchdowns? Of course, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Safer to leave him on your Bench.
Value Of The Game
I’m picking Eno Benjamin this week for my Value of the Game. This week is set to be another one without James Conner and Darrel Williams ($1,187,500). New Orleans has been pretty stout against the run this year, so I have more than half of Benjamin’s total yards coming via the passing game. A single touchdown and some receptions for Benjamin should be enough to make him the Week 7 Value of the Game.
| Week 7 Projection | Salary | Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs | DOFP |
| Eno Benjamin | $849,428 | 3 | 83 | 1 | 16.3 |
I briefly considered Rondale Moore, but his salary mixed with the return of Hopkins made me look elsewhere.
Thank you all for reading. Take care and be safe.
TheJerk