Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints (10/4/20): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

In week four of the NFL 2020 season, this NFC North vs. NFC South battle between the Detroit Lions and the New Orleans Saints will take place in Detroit. Both teams are looking to improve from their 1-2 season record. Last week, the Lions captured their first win against the Arizona Cardinals, and the Saints lost on Sunday Night to the Green Bay Packers. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints matchup page.

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, October 4th, 2020
Time: 1:05 PM ET
Location: Ford Field – Detroit, Michigan
TV Coverage: FOX

Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints Live Stream

Where can you watch Lions vs. Saints online? You can stream this game and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Lions vs. Saints Free Online Now.

Injuries:

Detroit Lions: C.J. Moore (questionable, calf), Desmond Trufant (questionable, hamstring), Hunter Bryant (questionable, hamstring)
New Orleans Saints: Chase Hansen (questionable, hip), David Onyemata (questionable, calf), Marcus Davenport (questionable, elbow), Michael Thomas (questionable, ankle)

Detroit Lions Analysis

The Detroit Lions caught their first win of the season against a very solid Arizona Cardinals team in week three. Ultimately, their defense was a serious issue for the Cardinals causing three interceptions against Kyler Murray. In the end, Stafford led his team on a last-minute drive to set up a game-winning field goal for Matt Prater. After starting the season with an 0-2 division record, the Lions needed a win to get back on track.

Matthew Stafford was clutch last week for the Lions to come out with a tough and necessary win. Matthew Stafford is putting up standard ranking numbers in the NFL this year, ranking 10th in yards, top 15 in touchdowns, but a mere 26th in completion percentage. Turnovers and missed passes have always been a struggle for Stafford, but now his wide receiver core should be enough to get the job done on offense. He will need to take advantage of the Saints’ below-average pass defense in week four to try to even up their record.

The Lions’ run game, led by newly added Adrian Peterson, has been a good dynamic for them this year. Peterson ranks 12th in rushing yards and 10th in rushing attempts this season and will continue to help balance out the typically pass-heavy offense for the Lions. The Saints have a very good run defense, so look to see the Lions use their running backs in the passing game to try to seal a second straight win.

The Lions’ receiving core has been solid because Stafford has many receivers he can spread the ball to on offense. T.J Hockenson has been surprisingly outstanding along with Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. The Lions will need to take advantage of the Saints’ terrible pass defense to try to put up points on the board.

The biggest concern for the Lions’ next week will be their defense that has given up an average of 31 points per game, ranking bottom five in the NFL. Their defense has allowed the fifth-most yards to their opponents and allowing 30 points per game. The Saints have a very solid offense in the NFL and if Michael Thomas is available for them next week, it will be difficult for the Lions to stop.

Detroit Lions Depth Chart

QB: Matthew Stafford
RB1: Kerryon Johnson
RB2: D’Andre Swift
WR1: Marvin Jones
WR2: Kenny Golladay
WR3: Danny Amendola
TE: T.J. Hockenson

New Orleans Saints Analysis

The New Orleans Saints are 1-2 currently ranking them tied for second in the NFC South with the Carolina Panthers. After beating the highly anticipated success of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week one, they have lost their last two games. Last week, they put up a decent fight against a very solid Green Bay Packer team on Sunday night football. They are looking to improve their record to have a chance of making it out of their division.

Drew Brees has struggled a bit in the past couple of weeks suffering two straight losses. He is 18th in total yards for the season without Michael Thomas to help him in that area. However, he is still a top ten quarterback in efficiency, ranking ninth in completion percentage and only throwing one interception on the year. His offense looks like a New Englad Patriot short passing offense now, and with Michael Thomas not there to gain yardage after the catch for the Saints, the offense looks shook. If the Saints can get Thomas back next week, they should have a great game offensively.

Alvin Kamara has been a savior for the Saints on offense since he is ranked fifth in receiving yards and seventh in rushing touchdowns. That tells us the Saints are using him to his strengths, while Lativous Murray has become the middle rush back to try to gain yards on first and second down. The Saints do not have nay receiver within the top 60 players for receiving yards on the season, except for Kamara at fifth in the league. He will be key for their offense on Sunday if Michael Thomas is out another week.

The Saints’ defense has not been exceptional for them to win games this season as they have allowed 31 points per game to their opponents. However, their rush defense has been really solid against opposing teams and as a team have allowed very few rushing yards and rushing touchdowns to their opponents. Their secondary is definitely a problem for them and they will need to clean it up to hold off the Lions and Matt Stafford in week four.

New Orleans Saints Depth Chart

QB: Drew Brees
RB1: Alvin Kamara
RB2: Latavius Murray
WR1: Michael Thomas
WR2: Emmanuel Sanders
WR3: Tre’Quan Smith
TE: Jared Cook

Betting Corner Saints -4.5

Spread: Saints -4.5
Moneyline: Saints -205, Lions +165 (via DraftKings)
Over/Under: 54.5

For this game, I think the Saints know they need to take advantage of the Lions team and secure a much needed win. They are looking to go deep into the playoffs, but they know they need to get there first. Starting off 1-3 would be a tough start so I like their odds to win and cover if they can contain the Lions offense.

I was shocked to see the over/under set at 54.5 for this game. While this is a purely offensive game, I cannot see these two teams putting up a ton of points against each other this week. For bettors, I would stick with the under for this week.

Fantasy Love/Hate

Loves

Drew Brees is a fantasy football love pick because he needs to have a strong game to put his team back on track for the season. The Lions will be competitive, but they also have a beatable defense that Brees will want to take advantage of. Look for him to be around the top ten for quarterback fantasy points in week four, making him an easy starter.

T.J Hockenson has been very solid for the Detorit Lions as one of their leading receivers. The Saints have one of the worst red zone defenses in the league, and he is always a solid red zone option for the Lions. He is a definite tight end starter for week four and even a possible flex play if you have a tight end better than him.

Hates

Jared Cook has had a decline since putting up 13 fantasy points in week one of the season. If Michael Thomas comes back, that will take a huge chunk of his targets away and make him unreliable. I would sit him in week four until he becomes consistent in the Saints’ offense.

D’Andre Swift started off solid through two weeks in the season, but last week he received zero rushing attempts. While he does have value in the Lions’ passing game, it hurts to see the Lions have little to no use for him in their run game. I would sit him against a solid Saints rushing defense.