Saints Fantasy Football Preview: Outside of Chris Olave, Which Other Saints will be Weekly Fantasy Options?

Let’s tackle another NFL team fantasy football preview.

Check back soon for more team previews. Of course, things will change between now and the start of the season, and FantasySP will cover any major changes when those happen.

Here’s all the team previews we’ve already covered:

AFC: Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans

NFC: San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Commanders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys

Let’s talk about the New Orleans Saints now.

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Derek Carr Fantasy Outlook

Carr is back for another season as the Saints’ starting quarterback.

Despite battling injuries, Carr started all 17 games for the team last season. He completed 375 of his 548 passes for 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Carr had similar touchdown totals in 2021 and 2022, but with 14 picks in each season.

Carr didn’t accomplish much on the ground. He went for 40 yards and no scores on 32 attempts. He hasn’t scored a rushing touchdown in three seasons.

The Saints’ offense is mostly the same around Carr, so a similar kind of season might be in store. He’s QB28 and going around pick 200.

That means Carr will open the regular season as a streaming option in most standard leagues. He’s got more value in deeper leagues and two-QB formats, but even in those kinds of leagues, Carr is probably on the outside looking in in terms of being a starting option.

He’ll have a few weeks where he likely performs well, but it’s unlikely he becomes an every-week option for fantasy teams.

Running Back Fantasy Outlooks

Alvin Kamara will lead the New Orleans running backs again in 2024. Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller offer some depth.

Kamara missed a couple games because of a suspension and only played in 13 games total last season. He rushed for 694 yards and five touchdowns on 180 attempts. Kamara added 466 yards and one touchdown on 75 catches and 86 targets.

Williams didn’t accomplish much in his first season with the Saints. In 13 games, Williams rushed for 306 yards and a touchdown on 106 attempts. He added 62 receiving yards and no scores on 18 grabs and 20 targets.

Miller appeared in eight contests in his rookie season. He had 156 rushing yards and a touchdown on 41 attempts. Miller added 117 receiving yards and no scores on 10 catches and 11 targets.

Kamara is still the RB I’d want from the New Orleans backfield. He’s RB17 and going around pick 48 right now.

Kamara is a bit better option in PPR leagues because of his pass-catching ability. Regardless of what league you are in, I feel he’s a great value pick near pick 50. He’s got a solid floor, with good upside if he can find the end zone somewhat often. Kamara is a strong fantasy RB3, but a bit risky as an RB2 because of some injury concerns and because he’s not a dominant rusher.

Miller is the second Saints’ back taken in fantasy drafts - he’s RB51 overall and going around pick 153. Williams is RB78 and going around pick 293.

I think the backup RB in New Orleans might be a flex starting option in PPR leagues from time to time this season. I like Miller more, but Williams also was a big fantasy asset just two seasons ago, so he’s capable too. With both guys there, I think they actually hurt each other’s fantasy values and only make them depth options in deeper leagues. I like Miller in dynasty leagues, but otherwise would probably try to stay away from him and Williams.

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlooks

Chris Olave will be the leader for the New Orleans wide receiver group. He should have A.T. Perry and Rashid Shaheed starting around him now. Equanimeous St. Brown, Cedrick Wilson Jr. and rookie Bub Means are the top backups at this point.

Olave improved in his second NFL season, even though it wasn’t a big-time jump. In 16 games, Olave caught 87 of his 138 targets for 1,123 yards and five touchdowns.

Shaheed had more improvement in his second season. In 15 contests, Shaheed caught 46 of his 75 targets for 719 yards and five scores. He added 37 rushing yards on seven attempts.

Perry did some solid things as a rookie. In 10 games, he had 12 catches on 18 targets for 246 yards and four touchdowns. With Michael Thomas no longer around, Perry has a chance to be the team’s No. 2 wideout.

St. Brown played in just seven games with the Bears in 2023. He had 62 receiving yards on five catches and six targets, and failed to score.

Wilson was with the Dolphins a season ago. In 15 contests, he made 22 grabs on 38 targets for 296 yards and three touchdowns.

Means was a fifth-round pick of the team this offseason. He had a couple solid collegiate seasons, with his best coming in 2023 with Pittsburgh. Means had 721 receiving yards and six scores.

Olave is clearly the top fantasy option for New Orleans. He’s WR13 and going around pick 23 right now.

I’m not really high or low on Olave, but would prefer him a few picks later. He should pretty easily lead the team in receiving, and as long as he scores enough touchdowns, Olave should be worth the early draft pick.

Shaheed is WR59 and going around pick 141. Perry is WR105 and going around pick 353.

Shaheed is going to be a streaming option this season, so using a late pick in a standard league draft on him makes sense to me. I’d prefer to target someone who could be a more consistent fantasy option, but that’s hard to come by at that juncture of a draft.

Perry is a good deep league option, and someone who could maybe overtake Shaheed as a streaming option in standard leagues. The team’s top three receivers get a little boost in dynasty leagues because they are all under 25 years old.

All the other Saints’ wideouts can be avoided in all formats. They’d only become relevant with a couple injuries ahead of them on the depth chart, and even then would only likely be deep league options.

Tight End Fantasy Outlooks

Juwan Johnson is the team’s top tight end, although he’s dealing with an injury right now. Foster Moreau is an option if Johnson were to miss regular season games, while the ultra-versatile Taysom Hill will find the field in some capacity.

Johnson appeared in 13 games last season. He made 37 grabs on 59 targets for 368 yards and four scores. Johnson has 15 touchdowns over the past three seasons.

Moreau was in 15 games for the Saints last season. He had 193 receiving yards and a touchdown on 21 grabs and 25 targets.

Hill played in 16 games. He rushed for 401 yards and four touchdowns on 81 attempts, caught 33 of his 40 targets for 291 yards and two scores and completed six of his 11 passing attempts for 83 yards and a touchdown.

Hill is the top-drafted player of the three we just mentioned, but that’s because he can do it all. He’s TE17 and going around pick 148.

He’s a perfect type of player to target late in a standard league draft, even if he’s only a flex starting option throughout the season. Hill is going to be involved offensively, and if you want to beat your league’s other owners to him, why not spend a late pick on him?

Johnson is the true tight end to consider. He’s TE30 and going around pick 247. He’ll be a streaming option in standard leagues, but should be avoided in drafts. Johnson is a good pick in deeper leagues, but because a lot of his fantasy value comes from touchdowns, isn’t the best of backup options.

Moreau can be avoided in all formats. He’d likely only be heavily involved offensively if Johnson and Hill were both out of action.