Buccaneers @ Saints Week 4 Game Preview

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints

The NFC South has three teams at 2-1 going into Week 4, just like we all predicted, right? 

This game will feature two of them, and both squads will want to continue their strong start to solidify themselves as playoff contenders atop their division. 

Divisional games always bring that something extra, but this game, in particular, has a few fun storylines that only add to the intrigue.

First, injuries are the worst, and I wish Derek Carr a speedy recovery, but the silver lining is that if he misses this week, we will get a Jameis Winston revenge game against his old team. 

If a revenge game isn’t enough drama for you, this contest will also feature the heated personal rivalry between Mike Evans and Marshon Lattimore, which has seemingly come to blows more often than not in the past. 

The Saints’ defense has been legit this season, ranking 13th or better against every position. They also haven’t allowed an opponent to score more than 20 points in 11 straight games dating back to last year, a really impressive streak.

The Buccaneers offense will have their work cut out for them again after failing to only generate 174 yards of offense against a similarly tough Eagles defense in Week 3. Both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are ranked outside the top 20 WRs in the Fantasy Life consensus rankings this week.

In the backfield, Rachaad White has been the clear lead back, and his role has actually grown each week despite limited success on the ground. White is currently the third-worst RB in terms of rush yards over expected per attempt this season, ahead of only Dalvin Cook and Cam Akers. 

For the Saints, this week is all about rebounding after blowing a 17-0 lead in the fourth quarter to ruin what looked like it was going to be a 3-0 start to their season.

Sep 24, 2023; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) throws a pass during the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

After Carr exited the game, Jameis Winston played reasonably well and even marched the team down the field to put them in position for a game-winning 46-yard field goal which their kicker missed. 

It’s unclear exactly how much the offense will change with Winston under center. But we have seen enough from him over the years to feel confident in Chris Olave as an elite fantasy WR again this week. Our rankers agree and have him as the WR10 for this week.

Despite being down their starting QB, the Saints offense will get Alvin Kamara back from his suspension this week, and he should slot back into the lead role right away. The more interesting thing will be to see how the backfield shakes out behind him, as Tony Jones Jr. has played well in recent weeks. But the team also drafted Kendre Miller highly and would undoubtedly like him and Kamara to form a 1-2 punch, much like they had with Kamara and Mark Ingram back in the day.

The Saints are 3.5-point favorites, and the game total is just 40.5 points. So, although we may see some fireworks in this one, Vegas doesn’t expect them to come from the offenses. 

Tampa Bay won both games in this series last year, but the Saints have dominated the series over the past 5 years, and I think they are the better team, so I expect them to get the win at home.