Must-Read Fantasy Football Advice: Which Saints Players Should You Consider For Week 5?

The Saints could possibly help your fantasy football team out in Week 5 when they play the Chiefs, but who?

Sep 29, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs the ball against the Atlanta Falcons in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

NFL Week 5 finishes up with the Saints and Chiefs doing battle at Arrowhead on Monday Night Football. New Orleans is desperately looking to rebound after losing the last two games despite having leads late, but it's going to take a village to knock off Kansas City in primetime in their own house. As fantasy football action is in full swing, here's some Saints advice to consider for your matchups.

Be sure to check out Sports Illustrated's Fantasy coverage with Michael Fabiano for all your needs this football season.

Start These Saints Players

Sep 29, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) catches a ball past Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dee Alford (20) in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Alvin Kamara (Projected 14.29 Points)

After a par week against the Eagles, Kamara exceeded fantasy expectations against the Falcons. He finished with 21.4 points and got into the end zone. He's been a huge part of the Saints offense that is featuring just a handful of players right now. He just came off a 26-touch game after his 29-touch game. No Taysom Hill this week means he'll continue to be a favorite and a must-start.

Chris Olave (Projected 11.33 Points)

The hamstring injury he suffered late in last week's practice ended up not being a really big factor against the Falcons. He was targeted 10 times and finished with 8 catches for 87 yards en route to a 12.7-point outing. Like Kamara, he's one of the other big parts of the offensive attack right now. He should be started with confidence.

Rashid Shaheed (Projected 10.26 Points)

Shaheed responded after getting blanked against the Eagles to finish out with 18.8 points. Naturally, this depends on whether or not your league has return yards in the equation too. He did lose a fumble, which certainly negatively impacted you. However, it's very uncharacteristic for him to make those plays. Even without the return yardage, Shaheed had 11 targets and hauled in 8 catches for 83 yards. He should continue to get looks.

Don't Roll With These Saints

• Derek Carr, QB (Projected 11.90 Points) - Carr has back-to-back weeks of 10 points or less, so it's best to just leave him on the bench unless you're in a pinch. Carr is 3-14 in his career against the Chiefs and has only one win in Arrowhead (2020). If this game gets away from the Saints early, he could pick up plenty in garbage time.
• Jamaal Williams, RB (Projected 3.29 Points) - He finished with 5.8 points last week, beating his projection, but he's just not a stable option unless you're in a very deep league. Again, he can potentially get you a goal line plunge and a handful of yards as a best-case scenario, similar to Week 1 against the Panthers. His snap counts just keep diminishing, however.

Although his time will come, Juwan Johnson remains a player to not start in fantasy. I wouldn't start any Saints tight end unless you absolutely have to. Dallin Holker could see some targets this week too as the New Orleans offense looks to get more players involved. However, Kansas City is playing strong against tight ends lately.

Saints IDP Advice

Pete Werner was a late add to the injury report with a hamstring injury, and Willie Gay Jr will miss with a hand injury. Demario Davis should return to the mix, but after that you're looking at D'Marco Jackson and Anfernee Orji as the linebacker options.

Paulson Adebo is becoming a tackle machine, as he racked up 12 total tackles and a pick in the loss last week. He has three straight games of 10 points or more. Carl Granderson would be the best defensive lineman to pick up, followed by Chase Young and Bryan Bresee if you need someone on the interior. Alontae Taylor is also a sneaky play in a matchup against Travis Kelce.

Saints Free Agent Watchlist

• Blake Grupe, K (16% Started, 23% Rostered) - Grupe didn't have as strong of a game as he had previously, but still booted through a field goal and had a couple of extra points. This is the first game New Orleans plays outside, for what that's worth.
• Mason Tipton, WR (1% Started, 15% Rostered) - He saw the most snaps of his young career last week against the Falcons, and he would likely be the third option in the receiving department for the Saints offense. Cedrick Wilson Jr. is more of the blocker, so Tipton would be the next in line behind Olave and Shaheed.
• Dallin Holker, TE (1% Started, 11% Rostereed) - With Taysom Hill out, he should be up. He might get a couple of looks, but is just someone to monitor right now.
• Kendre Miller, RB (1% Started, 85% Rostered) - This is the week to add him to your team if he's available. Some have him stashed on IR, and he could be an easy target to trade for. He's still getting into 'football shape', but is coming off a good week of practice and will eventually be someone who cuts into the Kamara share of targets.

Sleeper of the Week

Sep 29, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) is pursued by Atlanta Falcons cornerback Mike Hughes (21) in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Rashid Shaheed (10.26 Points)

Well, we got this right with Taysom Hill last week, but his early exit negated a really killer day for fantasy owners. It's probably cheating some putting Shaheed here since we have him in the start'em category, but I think the Chiefs give up some big plays and Shaheed is the one to make them pay. I also think he could give you a special teams boost this game.