Saints Being Disrespected by Week 9 Odds Against Buccaneers

The New Orleans Saints made some adjustments following a 1-2 start to the season and have since ripped off four straight wins including a thrilling overtime victory against the Chicago Bears in Week 8. They are now 5-2 on the year and find themselves in a tie for first place in the NFC South with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Saints now face those Buccaneers in Week 9 for the second time this season after emerging victorious in back in Week 1, 34-23. However, the Saints head to Raymond James Stadium as 4.5-point road underdogs, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, which has to be viewed as disrespectful.

The Saints are 5-2 and tied (at least temporarily) for first in the NFC South. And they’ve played six of the seven games without the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year, who should be back next week. Not bad.
— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) November 2, 2020

While Tampa Bay being the home team does adjust the spread a bit more in their favor, it shouldn't be more than a field goal as this divisional game could easily come down to the wire. The Saints are one of only two losses on the year for the Buccaneers and it could be argued that Drew Brees and company are playing better now than they were back in Week 1.

The Saints' defense had quarterback Tom Brady all figured out in Week 1, causing him to throw 2 interceptions as he attempted to keep up with New Orleans' scoring efforts. That may be the key to victory as the Saints had their best defensive performance of the season giving up just 310 total yards and 23 points.

Both of these teams head into this matchup with a lot of momentum and motivation to win a pivotal divisional battle. Suggesting the Buccaneers are more than a very small favorite in this one could just add more fuel to the fire for the Saints.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.