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Raiders at Saints: 5 best fantasy options

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 1, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) scrambles away from pressure during the first quarter of the game against the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Saints host the Oakland Raiders for a Week 1 matchup on Sunday. Here are the five best plays for your fantasy team.

Potentially one of the more exciting games on the Week 1 slate in the NFL has to be between the Oakland Raiders and the New Orleans Saints down in the Big Easy. The Saints are a one-point home favorite over Oakland. There is a good chance that this game could become off of those good, old-fashioned Drew Brees shootouts at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The Saints still have a top 10 quarterback in the league in Drew Brees, but will have needed to make huge strides defensively to hang in the NFC this fall. Oakland has been tabbed as one of the biggest on-the-rise teams in the NFL this upcoming season. With fantasy football getting underway this week, here are the five players in the Raiders/Saints game that could start for your team.

5. Latavius Murray

Raiders running back Latavius Murray is coming off his first 1,000-yard rushing season and his first trip to the Pro Bowl in 2015. Murray has been key in the Raiders climb back to relevancy, as he has provided balance to an offense that had been predominantly pass-heavy.

Murray is a tricky play on a fantasy team because while he averaged a respectable 66.6 yards per game in 2015, he only got into the end zone six times as the Raiders primary running back. While he should be a decent flex player in the early weeks until we really know what Murray is all about this fall, he’s a must-play in Week 1 versus the Saints.

New Orleans has had an atrociously bad defense the last few years. The Saints finished last in the NFL in points allowed (476), first downs (380), passing touchdowns allowed (45), and yards per rushing attempt (4.9).

The Saints looked to upgrade their putrid run defense by drafting Louisville defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins at No. 12 this spring, but he is now on IR with a broken fibula. New Orleans allowed 20 rushing touchdowns last season. Murray should do better in Week 1 than the 8.30 points and 9.8 points NFL.com and ESPN.com are projecting him to earn, respectively against the Saints.

Aug 27, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper (89) rushes against the Tennessee Titans during the first half at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

4. Amari Cooper

If second-year pro Amari Cooper can get his drops under control in 2016, he should have a fine season for the AFC Playoffs bound Raiders. His first big opportunity to assert himself as one of the league’s best wideouts is to put on a show against a historically bad Saints secondary.

NFL.com projects Cooper to have 11.60 points on Sunday, while ESPN.com has him at 10.1 points against the Saints. Should this game go to a shootout, expect Cooper’s Week 1 numbers to shatter these thresholds. If the Raiders defense mitigates the damage by Brees, Cooper should at least reach these totals in a surprising low-scoring affair in the Crescent City.

Cooper will have to grow in year two with third-year quarterback Derek Carr for the Raiders to push for playoff relevancy in a wide-open AFC West. The Denver Broncos will take a step back with the worst quarterback situation in football. Kansas City is a playoff-caliber team, but are the Chiefs a division winner or a wild card team. San Diego could be good or terrible depending on how the offense looks with a reunited Philip Rivers and Ken Whisenhunt.

Either way, Cooper should have a great Week 1 performance against a weak Saints secondary. He’ll be playing in a dome with ideal field conditions, not having to deal with the tumultuous winds associated with the Bay Area. A 100-yard, one-touchdown game is definitely on the table for Cooper in Week 1.

Aug 26, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) runs against Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt (91) in the second quarter of the game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

3. Mark Ingram

As the Saints have fallen to the middle of the pack in the NFC these last few years, one player that his improved his play significantly for them is star running back Mark Ingram. Ingram has achieved over 1,000 yards from scrimmage the last two seasons for the Saints and is poised to do the same thing in 2016.

Ingram is projected to have 18.90 points in NFL.com leagues and 11.9 points in ESPN.com leagues. With the Saints’ high-octane offense, Ingram has evolved into an effective rusher and pass catcher in the New Orleans backfield. His ability to collect Brees check downs should extend his NFL career a few years longer than his Alabama contemporaries.

Oakland had the No. 22 defense in football. While the Raiders were better at stopping the run (13th) than the pass (26th), the 2016 defense might be talented but is still unproven. Having a tailback that can get into the end zone in multiple ways like Ingram only aids in his ability to collect fantasy points this week.

While Brees may elect to go no-huddle and pass religiously if the Saints are down to the Raiders in a shootout, that actually bodes well for Ingram. He’d be the tailback that head coach Sean Payton will want out there in pass protection and open to receive check downs should nothing manifest down field.

Sep 1, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) throws the before the game Seattle Seahawks at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

2. Derek Carr

Fantasy football really likes Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr this week and it should. Carr will be going up against the remnants of a historically bad 2015 Saints defense in 2016. The Raiders have themselves a franchise quarterback in Carr and he should have a terrific Week 1 against New Orleans.

Carr is projected to garner 19.02 points on NFL.com fantasy and 18.1 points in ESPN.com fantasy. He’s one of those players that can still be effective in low-scoring games as well as shootouts because Carr is an accurate passer. Carr has a plethora of weapons to work with behind the best offensive line in the AFC in 2016.

Given how terrible the Saints have been in pass defense the last few seasons, Carr is likely to throw for over 300 yards with a couple of touchdown passes in Week 1. That would put him at around 18 points in Week 1 should his stats against the Saints reflect that notion.

Crowd noise will be an issue inside of loud Mercedes-Benz Stadium. If the Raiders weren’t elite up front, this would be a huge issue for Oakland in this game. Yes, penalties are going to be a thing in Week 1 for the Raiders, but that won’t stop Carr from having a great day on the fantasy football front.

Sep 1, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) scrambles away from pressure during the first quarter of the game against the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

1. Drew Brees

Was there any doubt who was the best player to play in the Raiders/Saints game Week 1? It’s Drew Brees at home and that’s all you need to know. Brees and head coach Sean Payton will devise a game plan that will have its star quarterback throw for over 300 yards and three passing touchdowns.

NFL.com projects Brees to have 18.54 points on the Raiders Sunday afternoon. ESPN.com has him at 17.5 points. The best thing that can happen for Brees is the worst thing that can happen for the Saints as a team: terrible pass defense.

If the Saints stink in pass coverage in Week 1, this will force Brees into running an up-tempo, pass-heavy, no-huddle offense. This is a huge reason that he is a no-doubt first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer, as few have been as dynamic in these come-from-behind situations as Brees has been for the Saints.

In a low-scoring game dictated by an improved Raiders defense, Brees should have no trouble getting to 15-18 fantasy points, as long as he limits the interceptions. If this becomes a shootout, there is nobody better to have as your fantasy starting quarterback than Brees. Eli Manning for the New York Giants is solid in those situations, but Brees isn’t as turnover prone.

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