Kirk Cousins, Jordan Reed and DeSean Jackson Should Take Advantage of Weak Saints Defense

You read the title correctly. I'm encouraging you to take the chance on starting Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins in fantasy this week but I have not lost my mind. Cousins will have one of the best matchups of Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints terrible pass defense. New Orleans is in the conversation with the Baltimore Ravens as being the worst defense against the opposing quarterback. Over the last two weeks, the Saints have given up a total 721 passing yards and ten touchdown passes to Eli Manning and Marcus Mariota. If you want a larger sample size, they’re giving up 292 passing yards and almost three passing touchdowns per game. Cousins has to have a huge throwing game on Sunday if Washington wants to compete. As terrible as Cousins may be, the Saints pass defense is even worse.

There are two passing targets that should see the best value due to the matchup. Jordan Reed has quietly been one of the most successful fantasy tight ends this season. Reed is only second to Antonio Gates in tight end targets with Cousins looking to him nine times per game. With the high volume of work and chemistry with Cousins, Reed is a reliable tight end most weeks but a top play on the board in Week 10. Unless you’re spending big on the tight end position in daily fantasy with Rob Gronkowski or Greg Olsen, Reed is the best overall play at his position this week. This should be a game that sees Reed have one of his highest yardage totals and a touchdown score.

The other threat to plan accordingly with is DeSean Jackson. In his first game back from a hamstring injury, Jackson only caught three passes for 15 yards against the New England Patriots. That is going to put a bit of a scare into most users that had any trust in Jackson but it may open up success for risk takers. Jackson is going to be owned at a low percentage in daily fantasy and there’s a slight chance someone dropped him in your standard leagues. If you can find a way to add Jackson to your lineup, this is the week to roll the dice. The matchup calls for a big play receiver to take advantage of New Orleans. There are very few wide receivers in the game as great at catching the deep ball as Jackson. One play can get you twelve or thirteen points. Don’t sleep on Jackson in a matchup that should make him a fantasy stud.