By Travis Pulver – 6 years ago in Daily Fantasy, NFL News

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been one of the best in the business for years. Case Keenum holds a ton of college passing records but has not had much success in the NFL until this season. Ben Roethlisberger isn’t half bad, but he’s facing the Jacksonville defense which makes him an inadvisable start.

And then there’s Blake Bortles. So, for Sunday’s action, you have to choose between Drew Brees and Case Keenum. Who do you want?

Making a case for Drew Brees is not hard.

Brees is one of the most prolific passers in NFL history. Just last weekend he torched a good Carolina defense for 376 yards and a pair of touchdowns (along with one interception. It was his second 300+ yard game in three weeks and fourth of the season and seventh in the playoffs (12 total playoff games).

As usual, he has a tremendous receiving corps led by Michael Thomas, and one of the most dangerous running backs in the NFL catching passes out of the backfield in Alvin Kamara. The weapons are certainly in place for him to have another fantastic day.

Making a case for Case Keenum isn’t hard either.

While he hasn’t had the track record, Brees has or anything remotely resembling his stats, Keenum has had a solid fantasy season. He only had two 300+ yard days. But he did have six 280+ ones and seven multi-touchdown games.

Fantasy-wise, he didn’t always have a great day, but he did go through one stretch where he scored at least 17 points in six consecutive weeks (in ESPN leagues). It doesn’t hurt that he has an excellent trio of receivers to work with in Kyle Rudolph, Adam Thielen, and Stefon Diggs.

But….

The Vikings defense is the second-best in the NFL against the pass (192 yards/game allowed) and one of three to have more interception (14) than touchdowns allowed (13). If the Saints think they’ll just run the ball instead, that will not be easy either. Minnesota has the second-best run defense in the NFL as well (83.6 yards/game).

New Orleans, on the other hand, has more of a middle of the road defense (16th against the run; 15th against the pass).

So….

Statistically speaking, there is no way you should consider starting Brees over Keenum. Keenum is the lesser of the two quarterbacks. But he has a much-less formidable challenge ahead of him facing the Saints defense. Brees, on the other hand, is facing one of the best.

However, there is something to be said for experience. If there is anyone that can figure out how to beat a defense as tough as the Vikings, it’s Drew Brees. Keenum, on the other hand, is playing in his first playoff game.

It will not be shocking if the Vikings try to make sure Keenum doesn’t lose the game while the defense does the hard work—which makes Brees look a little more valuable in comparison.