NEW ORLEANS (vs Carolina)

The Saints won't necessarily win this week -- they have all kinds of problems -- but they should at least score plenty of points. They play much better at home, and the Carolina defense they face this week isn't nearly as good as it was last year. Carolina allowed over 20 points in each of its first four games, and on Monday night (at home) couldn't stop the Bucs from driving the length of the field at the end, dropping to 1-4. The Saints scored 38 points against a much better Carolina defense last December. ... You know the drill on Drew Brees. He's a lot better at home. In his last 16 games on the road he's averaged 288 passing yards, with 28 TDs and 15 interceptions. In his last 16 at dome sweet dome, he's averaged 342 yards, with 42 TDs versus 12 interceptions. Essentially he's a touchdown per game better at home (along with an extra 54 yards). This time around he's facing a defense that's got all kinds of issues in its secondary, where they're trying to start youngsters at cornerback. Matt Ryan passed for 503 yards and 4 TDs against this group. So this looks one those games where Brees will be spreading it around, finding the pressure points to exploit. We ...

This report is taken from today's Week 6 edition of Fantasy Index Weekly. The newsletter includes our player rankings and 18 pages of camp reports, plus stat projections and custom rankings for the games being played this weekend.

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... don't generally project quarterbacks to pass for more than 330 yards and 3 TDs, but maybe in this case we should. ... With the big passing projection, of course, we're going a lot higher on all of the pass catchers. Since their big games on opening day, Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead have been big disappointments, but they should get things turned around. They've both really good players, and the Panthers don't have any cornerbacks who would start for most NFL teams. They might both go for 100-plus yards and a touchdown. Cooks in particular is the kind of receiver who can turn a slight mistake into a long touchdown. Snead didn't play in Week 3 and was probably limited in Week 4 by a toe injury (he got only one target at San Diego), but he should close to 100 percent now. While he originally wasn't even drafted, Snead has plenty of talent, and this is his kind of game. He caught 9 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown back in Week 1. Further down you've got Michael Thomas. Not in the Cooks-Snead class, but he's averaging 57 yards per game and has scored two weeks in a row. With his size, he's a different kind of option in the red zone. ...The matchup isn't as good for Mark Ingram. Carolina's defense is struggling, but most of the problems are in the secondary. It's still pretty stout up front. The 49ers, Vikings and Falcons all put up below-average rushing numbers against this defense. Jacquizz Rodgers went for 101 rushing yards Monday night, but he needed 30 carries to get them. With those lesser cornerbacks out there, we're thinking the Saints will be putting the ball in the air often. They also don't have much of an offensive line. Ingram is averaging only 56 rushing yards per game. Working in his favor is the reality that he'll most definitely catch some dumpoff passes. He's had at least 29 receiving yards in all but one of their games. Ingram ran for 50 and 56 yards in the two Carolina games last year, with 2 TDs. He also caught 9 passes for 72 yards in those games. ... Coby Fleener went for 109 yards and a touchdown in the loss to Atlanta but otherwise has been a disaster. He's dropped too many balls and isn't winning in contested situations. Setting aside that one week, he's finished under 30 yards in every game, with no touchdowns (this on a team that's averaging 317 passing yards). Carolina has had some problems with this position. They've allowed as many touchdowns to tight ends (4) as wide receivers (4). But tough to get too excited about Fleener. ... Wil Lutz is in no danger of being shut out. There will be plenty of points in this game. But it probably will be more of the extra point variety. He's scored only 25 points in four games. ... The Saints Defense has no value. Not enough pass rush, and not enough talent in the secondary.