Week 2 vs Raiders
The passing yards may not have all been there but Brees still threw two touchdown passes in Week 1 against the Buccaneers. This week, he faces the Raiders, who allowed 270 yards passing to Brees' former backup, Teddy Bridgewater. The big story, of course, is that Brees will now be without star WR Michael Thomas for multiple weeks thanks to a high-ankle sprain. That's a big loss as now it will be up to Emmanuel Sanders and Tre'Quan Smith to carry the load on the outside. Brees will likely be targeting TE Jared Cook quite often for the time-being.
This is still a fairly young Raiders defense so Brees will have en edge. And despite being on the road and the first team to visit Las Vegas, there will be no crowd to cause disruption to the Saints offense. He's our currentQB9.
Drew Brees enters what could be his final season as an NFL quarterback and he will do so against perhaps the greatest quarterback of all time as he and Tom Brady will match up at the Superdome on Sunday. It's also against a team that Brees has fared well against in recent memory. In his last three games against the Buccaneers (he missed Week 5 of last season with an injury), Brees has thrown seven touchdowns and just one interception and has averaged about 290 yards (though that number is pumped up by his 439-yard performance in that 2018 Week 1 shootout).
Even with Tampa having an improved defense with the draft selection of Antoine Winfield Jr, this game could be another high-scoring affair and one reason why he is ranked No. 5 in our Week 1 QB rankings, so if you have Brees, you're playing him, unless you grabbed him as a backup to someone such as Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson.
Fantasy Upside
In an offseason when we had a quarterback carousel, Drew Brees stayed put in New Orleans. Coming off a disappointing early playoff exit in 2019, New Orleans' Super Bowl window is closing, so the 41-year-old is giving it one last run. He still has Michael Thomas to throw to as well as a new friend in Emmanuel Sanders, who should complement Thomas very nicely. Even Tre'Quan Smith flashed at times in 2019.
Fantasy Downside
There's no really much of a downside to Brees other than the simple fact that he is 41 years old. He won't add anything on the ground like the top options will, but he'll still sling the football.
2020 Bottom Line
It is a bit odd that Brees isn't a high-end fantasy quarterback, but that's mainly because he doesn't run like Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson or DeShaun Watson. But he's still Drew Brees and you can get him near the eighth round in drafts this year. He's currently our 10th-ranked quarterback, which just goes to show how deep the position is again this year.
Week 17 at Panthers
Brees didn't crack 300 yards against the Titans but still came away with three touchdown passes. And despite a reported knee issue over the weekend, Brees looks to be having no trouble heading into Carolina for Week 17. There's no chance of the starters resting in this one with the Saints still in play for a first-round bye and possibly the No. 1 seed in the NFC. As of now, the only quarterback we have ranked higher this week is Patrick Mahomes, thanks to Baltimore resting Lamar Jackson. Brees is ready to bring home more fantasy championships in Week 17.
Week 16 at Titans
Brees has been on a tear through the fantasy playoffs. Nine touchdowns in the last two weeks. This week, he faces a Titans defense that is 25th against the pass and 21st in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. With the run New Orleans has been on and the team still fighting for the top seed in the NFC, Brees should continue putting up strong numbers and help lead you to a fantasy championship.
Week 15 vs Colts
You couldn't ask for anything more than what Brees gave you last week with five passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown against the 49ers. Now he gets a Colts defense that is in the middle of the pack but also fighting for their playoff lives. That said, the Saints have to be upset over scoring 46 points and not getting the win, so they're ready to take their anger out on someone and the Colts are right in their crosshairs. They are also still fighting for a first-round bye and this is their home finale. Brees will have the offense in full gear. Ride him, hopefully, into your championship round.
Week 14 vs 49ers
The Saints offense wasn't as dominant Sunday, as Brees had another less-than-stellar game against the Falcons with just 184 yards. But he found the end zone this time to balance out the games somewhat. This week, it's the 49ers and their number one ranked passing defense. It's very fair to temper expectations with three of Brees' last four games being under 300 passing yards. We could be in for another defensive struggle, just like the 49ers were in with the Ravens and Brees isn't running like Lamar Jackson.
Week 13 at Falcons
Drew Brees didn’t have a terrible game in Week 10 against the Falcons, despite failing to find the end zone, as he threw for 287 yards. Revenge will obviously be on Brees’ mind, along with the rest of the offense, as well as a division title. Brees has thrown six touchdown passes in the two games since and the Falcons cooled off last week against the Buccaneers. Brees should bounce back just fine on Thanksgiving.
Week 12 vs Panthers
After the Saints were embarrassed by the Falcons in Week 10, the Buccaneers helped Drew Brees get right back on track with three touchdown passes, even with only throwing for 228 yards. As for Week 12, the Panthers do sport a highly-ranked pass defense and Donte Jackson could be returning to the lineup. But the Saints have been rolling, nonetheless, and the Panthers have been susceptible, so there should be no worries about the outlook for Brees. He's more than a fine option this week.
Week 11 at Buccaneers
One of the biggest stunners of Week 10 was the way the Falcons dominated the Saints to the tune of six sacks and holding them to just three field goals. Drew Brees didn't have his best game but he didn't have a terrible game, either. He threw for 287 yards and didn't throw an interception but he also didn't throw a touchdown pass.
But if Teddy Bridgewater's performance against the Buccaneers in Week 5 is any indication, Brees is in for a nice bounceback in Week 11. Bridgewater went 26/34 for 314 yards and four touchdowns in New Orleans' 31-24 win. And Tampa's pass defense is still as bad and that's with cutting Vernon Hargreaves.
