Week 10 Game Scripts to Target in Daily Fantasy Football

New Orleans Saints vs. Denver Broncos

Over/Under: 49.0
Saints Implied Team Total: 26.0
Broncos Implied Team Total: 23.0

Games played at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome have yielded an average point total of 68 points through four games this year. Last season, the average point total at the Superdome was 64 points. So, it is somewhat surprising to see this one projected for "just" a 49-point over/under. This should be an uptempo game too, as both the New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos rank in the top-13 in total plays per game, with New Orleans ranking second.

Tim Hightower, RB, New Orleans Saints

FanDuel Price: $6,200

Let me introduce you to the starting running back for the Saints, Tim Hightower. Most won't want to admit it, but it has been Hightower, not Mark Ingram, who has assumed the role of the lead back for New Orleans in back to back games. After out-snapping Ingram 47-to-6 in Week 8 and turning 26 carries into 102 yards against a tough Seattle Seahawks defense, Hightower again out-snapped and out-touched Ingram in Week 9, turning 24 touches into 102 scrimmage yards and a touchdown.

While Ingram finished the day with a bigger stat-line, that was largely due to big plays and seeing a fair bit of garbage time work in a 41-23 win over the San Francisco 49ers. New Orleans clearly entered the game with the intent of Hightower being the lead back. He handled the first 8 Saints carries of the game, which he turned into 32 yards and a touchdown. He held an 8-to-1 advantage over Ingram in first quarter carries and finished the first half with 13 carries, compared to Ingram's 5.

Now, coach Sean Payton has hinted that this will continue to be a time share, so there's no guarantee that Hightower will continue to handle over 25 touches per game. However, if choosing between him and Ingram, who is $100 more on FanDuel, Hightower appears to be the safer bet to take advantage of a favorable game script and matchup.

As mentioned with Melvin Gordon, running backs for winning teams have seen sizable boosts to their fantasy production. With New Orleans listed as three-point home favorites, Hightower could see a large workload against a Denver defense that has really struggled to contain the run this season. Denver has allowed a healthy 4.4 yards per carry on the year (eighth-worst) and the ninth-most FanDuel points per game to opposing backs and are fresh off of allowing Latavius Murray to rumble for 114 yards and 3 touchdowns against them.

As a result of the ineptitude against the run and intimidating secondary, Denver's opponents have run the ball 43.4 percent of the time, which is the sixth-most frequently in the league. New Orleans has run the ball 33 times per game in their four wins this season and could easily exceed that number if game script plays out the way it is expected to this week.

Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos

FanDuel Price: $6,100

Following 28.2- and 18.8-point FanDuel performances in Weeks 3 and 4, Emmanuel Sanders has struggled to put up big FanDuel totals this season. All the components required for a big-time fantasy performer have been there for Sanders this year though, so it seems only a matter of time until he begins to put up some more exciting stat lines.

No receiver has more red zone targets (19) than Sanders this season, who also easily leads the league in targets from within the 10-yard line (13). Despite the fact that Trevor Siemian has looked Sanders' way 48.1 percent of the time when passing from inside the 10-yard line, Sanders has been responsible for just 3 of Denver's 12 receiving touchdowns this season.

In his two previous seasons with Denver, Sanders has converted 33 percent of his red zone targets into scores, so his 10.5 percent rate from this season seems like it has to have some positive regression coming. Against New Orleans, who has the fourth-worst Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play this season, that positive regression could be coming sooner rather than later.

Sanders also is ranked 10th in targets per game (9.6) and has seen double digit targets in back to back games. With the amount of looks he is getting -- especially in the red zone -- Sanders should be productive against New Orleans' suspect secondary.

If looking for a way to game stack this one, pairing Sanders with Hightower or Ingram makes a lot of sense from a game script perspective too, if you expect Denver to be playing from behind.

Others to Consider

For the reasons mentioned with Hightower, Mark Ingram is also in play against Denver's struggling run defense. Rookie Michael Thomas has a tough matchup, but he continues to be priced as the third-most expensive receiver for New Orleans. He leads the team in targets, red zone targets, catches, and touchdowns, while also leading the team in receiving yards and FanDuel points over the past seven weeks.