Brees is blowing into town
At some point, everyone needs a knight in shining armor to come to their rescue. Guinevere had Lancelot. Vivian had Edward Lewis. Bran Stark had Hodor. We are all in need of a hero to save us from the outside evils of which we have no control.
Fantasy football owners are no different, so it is beyond fortuitous that, upon his noble steed, in rides Drew Brees.
Just a few days ago, all hope seemed lost as Saints coach Sean Payton lamented over the fact his Pro Bowl gunslinger “still had a ways to go” in his recovery from 11 confirmed rib fractures. Brees had missed four straight games with his injuries, and though the Saints were 3-1 during that time, fantasy owners continued to feel the sting of his absence. The House of Kamara expected to struggle once again as it prepared to follow Taysom Hill into battle with Patrick Mahomes and the invading Chiefs.
Here in Week 15, the return of Brees dramatically alters the fantasy landscape in the fantasy playoffs. Owners of Alvin Kamara finally get the high-quality player they drafted back in August. The more traditional style of Brees caters to Kamara’s strengths as both a runner and a pass-catcher, while backup quarterback Taysom Hill was more inclined to run the ball himself rather than check-down to his running back. The difference, particularly in fantasy scoring, was dramatic — Kamara averaged 27.3 fantasy points per week in PPR formats with Brees and just 14.2 with back-up Taysom Hill.
Though receiver Michael Thomas won’t be catching any passes from the sidelines, Emmanuel Sanders and Tre’Quan Smith will see a steady increase in targets, especially inside the red zone. And look for tight end Jared Cook to start making receptions again instead of throwing downfield blocks.
Those who had been riding the Taysom train are now going to have to find help elsewhere. The late-season surge is coming to a close, and winning fantasy games on Hill’s legs is no longer an option. For some, it was a nice ride, but order in the Fantasy Kingdom has finally been restored.
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at Fantasy-Alarm. com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy football advice.