aggressive strategy is important for GPP events, as you

NEW ORLEANS -- Matthew Staffords powerful arm and fourth-quarter poise delivered Detroit its most comfortable victory yet in a campaign that now looks destined to culminate in a playoff berth.Maybe a first division crown in two decades, too.Stafford passed for 341 yards and two touchdowns, Detroit became the first team in 60 Saints home games to stop Drew Brees from throwing a touchdown pass, and the Lions pulled away from mistake-prone New Orleans, 28-13 on Sunday.It feels good to come in here and play a little bit closer to a 60-minute game, Stafford said. Our defense played unbelievable.Stafford was at his best when the Saints were on the brink of seizing momentum early in the fourth quarter and locking the Lions into yet another high-stress affair.The Superdome crowd was deafening after Staffords second-down pass had been batted and nearly intercepted by Cameron Jordan in Detroit territory. New Orleans had scored on its previous drive to pull to 19-13, needed a stop on third-and-10 to set up Brees and Co. with a chance to drive for a go-ahead score.Stafford said he sensed the Saints were about to blitz, adding, We had a different play call and I checked to one I thought would be good.He thought right.Golden Tate broke into the clear behind cornerback B.W. Webb, with safety Vonn Bell too far away to help out. Stafford rifled a long, accurate pass Tate caught, then cut across the field for a 66-yard touchdown .Mentally, we stayed locked in and ready, and I think we kept our foot on the pedal, Tate said. Were rolling right now.The Lions (8-4), whove won seven of eight, dominated statistically. But four opportunities inside the New Orleans 20 ended with Matt Prater field goals, allowing the Saints (5-7) to stay close until Tates big play. This time, in sharp contrast to seven previous victories by between one and seven points, Detroit cruised.Brees finished 31 of 44 for 326 yards, but was intercepted three times, by Glover Quin , Tavon Wilson and Miles Killebrew .Brees called the first half, abysmal. Saints coach Sean Payton said his team looked, sluggish, like we came off a short week or something.We missed some throws, Payton continued, and called his offense sloppy in general and awful in third-and-short situations.Tate finished with eight catches for 145 yards . Staffords other touchdown went to running back Theo Riddick from the 1.John Kuhn scored New Orleans only touchdown on a 1-yard run.STATISTICAL DOMINANCEDetroit was outgaining the Saints 422 yards to 294 before New Orleans final drive. The Lions also controlled time of possession, 36:52 to 23:08 while running 67 plays to New Orleans 57.It could have been a rout if five drives hadnt ended with Prater field goals: two from 27 yards, and one each from 29, 32 and 52 yards.We kind of kept them around with how inefficient we were in the red zone -- something were going to have to do better at and look at and find ways to get the ball in the end zone because we moved the ball great today, Stafford said.It was Detroits first triumph in a road game directly following Thanksgiving since 1974, snapping a streak of 22 losses.COSTLY DROPSDrops by two Saints players in the first half could have altered the course of the game.In the first quarter, cornerback Sterling Moore lost the handle on a tipped pass that popped upward, giving him ample time to run under it with the potential for a significant return.We would have had momentum from the get-go, said Moore. He said his first mistake was not going up to get the ball and instead letting it drop through his hands. It would have been a different story.In the final seconds of the second quarter, Brees hit Coby Fleener in the hands at the goal line with a strike over the middle. With only 5 seconds on the clock, Saints coach Sean Payton sent out the field goal team.Brees also had a drop, albeit of a botched shotgun snap, which helped stall a drive in the first quarter.INJURIESLions running back Dwayne Washington limped off with a left ankle injury after a carry early in the third quarter. Later in the quarter, defensive back Quandre Diggs appeared to hurt his right shoulder while tackling Willie Snead. ... Saints tight end Josh Hill was taken to the locker room after it appeared tacklers rolled awkwardly over his lower right leg following a reception in the second quarter. ... Saints linebacker Craig Robertson went down in the fourth quarter. He walked off but then ran straight to the locker room.UP NEXTLions: return home to host ChicagoSaints: travel to Tampa Bay.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Andrew Ladd Jersey . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. Thomas Greiss Islanders Jersey .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. http://www.islanderssale.com/authentic-adam-pelech-islanders-jersey/ . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. Nick Leddy Jersey . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. Ryan Pulock Islanders Jersey . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. The PGA Tours regular season is over, and weve reached the FedEx Cup. The top 125 players on tour will now compete for the top spot and the title of FedEx Cup champion for 2016. That all starts at The Barclays, held at the Black Course at Bethpage State Park.Our DFS golf experts have put together the players they believe have the skills to succeed and provide big fantasy point totals. This weeks panel is comprised of Bob Harig, Jason Sobel, Michael Collins, Jonathan Coachman and David Jayne, as well as FantasyGolfInsiders Jeff Bergerson, Zach Turcotte, Taras Pitra and Jason Rouslin.Note: Golfer salaries listed are for DraftKings.Jason Sobel -- Phil Mickelson ($9,700)Two reasons: One, he loves Bethpage Black, with runner-up finishes in the two U.S. Opens contested there; and two, at this point in his career, there isnt much new ground left for Lefty to break, but a FedEx Cup title has him pretty jazzed for the end of the season. Fresh off his longest summer break in two decades, expect Mickelson to get the playoffs started with a renewed sense of purpose, beginning with this weeks opener.Michael Collins -- Dustin Johnson ($11,900)After missing his first cut of the year at the PGA Championship, we have seen neither hide nor hare of the U.S. Open champ except some Instagram posts from his baby mama lighting up interweb trolls. Bethpage Black is everything that suits DJs game and now hes rested and relaxed coming into this week. To steal a line from Samuel L. Jackson in the first Jurassic Park, Hold on to your butts.Jonathan Coachman -- Jason Day ($12,400)Bethpage Black is a big boys golf course. There are a lot of holes that have long carries and long approach shots. That eliminates a majority of the field from making a run at a win. Day gets motivated this time of year and his performance this summer has him simmering. There is no Ryder Cup for the Australian Day, so these next four tournaments are his swan song. And my man wants to sing.Bob Harig -- Jason Day ($12,400)The defending champion won at a different course last year, but hes more than suited to perform well on brutish Bethpage Black. Ranked No. 1 in the world, Day should also benefit from a three-week break following his runner-up finish at the PGA Championship.David Jayne -- Keegan Bradley ($7,600)Bradley is in solid form coming in with six consecutive made cuts with three top-25 finishes, and needs to play well to improve his current 106th place standing in the FedEx CCup.dddddddddddd Hes got plenty of distance off the tee to handle this longer track. Weve seen poor putters succeed here (Lucas Glover at the 2009 U.S. Open, for example), as this municipal course features fairly flat greens, and Keegan certainly has struggled since the switch to the short putter. Finally, hes had plenty of experience playing this course dating back to his days at St. Johns when he and his teammates would get to sneak onto the course and play it while it was closed.Jeff Bergerson -- Russell Knox ($7,300)Over the past three months, Knox has been a model of consistency, but also has flashed upside. He has a win last time out at the Travelers, a T-10 at the Scottish Open, and a runner-up finish at the Irish Open. Knox is not incredibly long off the tee, but he is elite when it comes to hitting greens, ranking second on tour. His $7,300 price-tag is so low for consistency and upside, that I will have him in my cash game and GPP lineups.Zachary Turcotte -- Ryan Palmer ($5,900)With a field of only around 120 players, the event will play like an invitational with close to 2/3 of the field getting through the cut. An aggressive strategy is important for GPP events, as you really want a lineup loaded with potential stars. Ryan Palmer at a salary of $5,900 represents a lot of value. Hes long enough off the tee to handle Bethpage Black, he has played well here before (24th in 2012) and has missed just three cuts in 20 starts this season. Using Palmer as a cut maker with upside gives us a lot of room to work with when building the rest of our roster.Taras Pitra -- Jim Furyk ($8,600)If you missed it on Sunday, Justin Ray of the Golf Channel put out a tweet stating In Jim Furyks last 95 holes, he has hit 86 greens in regulation which equals 90.5 percent. Thats an absurd amount of greens hit, especially for Mr. 58. I really like how he sets up, considering hes a known plodder and this course demands patience from start to finish.Jason Rouslin -- Luke Donald ($7,500)A guy that might be peaking at the right time, Donald enters The Barclays coming off of a second-place finish at the Wyndham. This week he returns to Bethpage where he found success in 2012, coming in 10th. Luke already has a FedEx Cup in his trophy case, is trying to get hot at the right time and secure his spot in the Tour Championship. ' ' '