Atlanta Falcons vs New Orleans Saints Picks,Odds, Lines & Predictions
The biggest news ahead of Sunday’s game between the NFC South rivals New Orleans (7-2 SU, 4-5 ATS) and Atlanta (3-4 SU, 4-5 ATS) is that the Saints will be without their starting quarterback, veteran Drew Brees, with Jameis Winston stepping up to fill the role leading the attack. The Saints won six consecutive games and find themselves in a similar situation as they were ahead of the last year’s matchup when Atlanta managed to end their six-game winning streak.
Atlanta Falcons vs New Orleans Saints Betting Line Movement
The opening odds favored the saints by -7, but after the news that Drew Brees and several other starters are out or questionable, the line has dropped to -4 where it stands at the moment. The total is set at 51.5 or 52 depending on where you place your bet.
Notes On The Atlanta Falcons
Since firing Dan Quinn, the Falcons have hit a run of good form, winning three out of four games with the one unlucky loss coming in the final seconds against Detroit. Unfortunately for them, it’s probably too little too late as far as playoff contention s concerned. Atlanta is capable of causing problems for anyone on any given day and Matt Ryan and Julio Jones combo is still one of the scariest QB-WR pairings in the league. However, the key to their improved performances has been the defense allowing for 23 points or less in four out of the last five games, after failing to keep their opponents under 30 for the first four weeks.
Matt Ryan has had a roller coaster of a season switching between multiple and zero touchdowns games. Still, with Atlanta coming off a bye, he had plenty of chance to rest and prepare for facing New Orleans defense. We feel he could have a big week and is a more than decent DFS starter. Ryan’s favorite target, Julio Jones may have had only 3 touchdowns this season, but if the game turns into a shootout we expect it to be, he’ll easily go over 100 receiving yards.
Notes On The New Orleans Saints
The Saints will be without Drew Brees for at least a few weeks but fared quite well without him last season going 5-0. Granted, that was with Teddy Bridgewater as his replacement, but this year that also have a decent backup in Jameis Winston. Winston played a better part of the second half last week after the injury to Brees and went for 63 yards with 6-10 passing. We can expect that, in the absence of their starting QB, New Orleans will lean more on their defense and running to win games.
This is good news for DFS players planning to start Alvin Kamara who should be even more involved with Brees out. Last week he torched San Francisco for three touchdowns and did some damage receiving with seven catches for 83 yards. The Saints’ passing game will surely take a step back with Winston at the helm, but WR Michael Thomas is due for a good game after two bad performances.
NCAAF Betting Pick: New Orleans Saints -4
New Orleans has proven already that they can do well without their HoF quarterback and securing a win at home against Atlanta is a must with Tampa Bay breathing down their neck in the NFC South.
