Welcome to the NFL Week 16 Monday Night Football Showdown Slate!

This should be an interesting match-up as the once-mighty New Orleans Saints have been ravaged by COVID on both sides of the ball and will be putting their trust into rookie quarterback Ian Book. He has yet to take a snap in an NFL game and we’ve seen just as many downs from him during his collegiate career as we saw ups. The expectation is a heavy lean on the ground game, but the Miami defense is strong and expecting it. Meanwhile, the Dolphins are steadily getting players back from COVID and while they’re not at 100-percent just yet, they’re pretty close and have an array of weapons that could give a battered and bruised Saints defense some trouble. From a DFS showdown standpoint, you can probably guess at which direction your lineups should lean, but the game total is so low, that picking the right components will be tricky.

Now before we begin, please take a moment to understand what exactly you are getting yourself into by playing single-game Showdown Slates. We love to have some skin in the game, for sure, but these slates are, for all intents and purposes, a lottery ticket. Sure, there are times when the chalk hits and everyone shares in the prizes, but, more often than not, you need to hit on that random dart-throw that differentiates your lineup from that of the herd in order to claim the top prize. As a result, we encourage you to play responsibly and not over-invest. Stick to the GPP contests (single-entry preferred), don’t blow your whole bankroll, and understand that, unless you are a max-entry player, you should prioritize having fun.

OK. Lecture over. Let’s get to tonight’s action.

Miami Dolphins at New Orleans Saints

Spread: Dolphins -3

O/U: 38

Weather: dome

Notable Injuries:

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

DVOA Defensive Rankings

Miami Dolphins

vs Pass: 14th 

vs Run: 18th 

New OrleansSaints

vs Pass: 6th 

vs Run: 1st 

**Please note that players not listed below are not necessarily a complete fade and any player listed can certainly be used as the MVP/Captain. These are merely suggestions for players to use when setting Showdown lineups.

MVP/Captain

Jaylen Waddle, WR MIA – After missing Week 15, Waddle was activated from the COVID list and got in a full week of practice, so he should slide right back into his usual role as Tua’s favorite receiver. He plays the majority of his snaps in the slot which is a huge weakness for a Saints defense already depleted by COVID, so look for him to see a lot of targets in this one.

Alvin Kamara, RB NO – With Ian Book under center, the expectation is the Saints will lean heavily on Kamara who, at this time last year enjoyed his six-touchdown game. Not saying that’s going to happen given some of the offensive line COVID issues and the strength of the Dolphins defense, but the lean will certainly be here for rushing and passing check-downs.

Mike Gesicki, TE MIA – The Saints are usually a top-five team in DVOA with regard to covering the tight end, but without Demario Davis and Kwon Alexander, this is going to be a great spot for Gesicki to shine bright. He’s a major part of this passing attack and should stay heavily involved.

Mid-Tier

Tua Tagovailoa, QB MIA – The numbers aren’t ever great, but they’ve been serviceable enough to add him to a showdown slate and hope for a 240-yard, two-touchdown game. That is certainly attainable tonight with all the missing defenders for the Saints.

Myles Gaskin, RB MIA – He’s had a full week of practice now following his time on the COVID list and should go back to his lead-back status in this offense. Brian Flores routinely goes back to him when he’s healthy and he even played 37-percent of the snaps last week. Things should get back to normal for Miami this week. And if you’re fearing the dreaded Saints run defense, just look at how that linebacker corps has been decimated by COVID. If the Dolphins o-line handles the Saints defensive line, there’s not much behind them to stop Gaskin & Co.

Mark Ingram, RB NO – The Saints will likely go with a very run-heavy scheme and won’t want to completely overwork Kamara. Ingram should get his usual complementary touches and should also be an option down near the goal line.

Ian Book, QB NO – He had some shining moments against some bad teams in college, but when it came to facing a top-ranked team, it was rough. He can scramble with the best of them, and maybe that helps his overall value, but he’s definitely more of a contrarian play tonight.

Dolphins D/ST – You can’t talk about Ian Book starting for the Saints and not think using the Dolphins defense is going to be a chalky move for many. And rightfully so. Miami ranks ninth with 21 takeaways and seventh in sacks with 37 this season. If you can get a defensive touchdown from them, your night is made.

DeVante Parker, WR MIA – He ranks second on the targets list for Miami wideouts and should see some decent work in this one as the Dolphins like a balanced offensive attack. The Saints are going to have coverage issues with players on the COVID list, so using Parker should give your team a boost.

Marquez Callaway, WR NO – He leads all Saints wide receivers in snaps and is coming off a huge nine-target game. The match-up is a little tough given the strength of the Miami corners, but if the Saints fall behind while the Dolphins stack the box, things should open up for him downfield later on.

Tre’Quan Smith, WR NO – If he’s healthy and playing, this is actually a good spot for Smith so keep tabs on the inactives heading into the game. Before the last two weeks, he was leading the receiving corps in targets and he spends most of his time working out of the slot, an Achilles heel of the Miami secondary as they rank 31st in DVOA against the slot.

Duke Johnson, RB MIA – He is expected to land in more of a complementary role now that Gaskin is back and ready to go. Still, the Saints rank 15th in DVOA against running back pass-plays and with their depleted linebacker corps, we could get Johnson running out in space a little more.

Nick Vannett, TE NO – Young, inexperienced quarterbacks tend to lean on their pass-catchers across the middle and that routinely includes the tight end. With both Adam Trautman and Juwan Johnson out with COVID, Vannett is the last man standing here.

Dart Throws

Isaiah Ford, WR MIA – The Dolphins could enjoy some downfield passing work if their running backs don’t capitalize on some of the ways COVID has softened the Saints defense and Ford always seems to fly under the radar but come up with some nice days here and there. Might be a little better than just your average dart throw as he tends to see more than just one target when he’s involved. Sorry, Mack Hollins.

Ty Montgomery, RB NO – The running back/Wide receiver hybrid always manages to finagle his way into the game-plan and if Sean Payton isn’t convinced that Ian Book can lead the way, you’ll see more running and plenty of extra dump-offs here.

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