What Saints Should Be On Your Fantasy Football Draft List?

An early Fantasy Football guide to drafting New Orleans Saints players for your team.

Dec 10, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) reacts to making a touchdown against Carolina Panthers safety Vonn Bell (24) during the second half at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Fantasy Football season is right around the corner, and many players will start putting in more time doing their homework to see who can help them defend their crown or improve from last season. Although it isn't what it really used to be, the New Orleans Saints are still a team that could help you in some areas.

Like Saints News Network did last season, we're back to give you an early preview for the black and gold and give you some insight to consider on who you might target when your draft gets underway. We'll be sure to give you another when we get into the thick of training camp as well.

Be sure to check out the SI hub for Fantasy Football for all of your needs for your draft. Also keep in mind that the Saints have a bye week in Week 12. Here's the skinny on potential Saints Fantasy Football targets.

New Orleans Saints Fantasy Football Targets

Dec 21, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) celebrates after scoring on two point conversion against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Saints You Have To Draft

• Chris Olave (19th) - He's the safest option when it comes to the Saints, and he's primed for an even bigger year in his third season. Olave has already said that he desires to go from being good to 'elite' in 2024, and without Michael Thomas in the picture, he's the top receiving option for New Orleans. I looked at the track history and potential for him in more detail at the beginning of June, and he should be a good WR1 consideration for most teams.
• Alvin Kamara (31st) - The Saints have expressed a desire to be more of a run first type of team, which would mean good things for Kamara. Now, there's obviously the issue of him wanting a reworked contract and the possibility of him not being around for training camp, but we'll worry about that as it gets closer. Quite simply put, Kamara is going to be the Christian McCaffrey in Klint Kubiak's offense. Fantasy owners have to remember that he was suspended three games to start last season, and his production should go up.
• Rashid Shaheed (146th) - Fantasy owners will be very excited to add Shaheed to their team in the mid-to-late rounds of their draft. The new return rule will be beneficial, and he should see an increase from his 75 targets a season ago. Quietly, he put up 719 yards on 46 catches with 5 touchdowns, and right now he is WR2 for New Orleans.

Worth A Look

• Derek Carr (173rd) - Carr comes in in the bottom tier of quarterbacks in most rankings, but is that right? From Week 14-17, he was one of the hottest players, throwing 12 touchdowns and a pick on 96 completions for 998 yards. What you need to know is that the Kubiak offense will help him out a lot, and the play he had down the stretch for New Orleans is more of what you could expect from him. If you need a bye week fill-in or are looking for a backup, he's going to be a solid option, but don't discount drafting and having him when injuries happen to others.

Proceed With Caution

• Taysom Hill (161st) - Fantasy owners know there's a boom or bust element with Taysom Hill in their lineup, and when he hit, it was quite rewarding. The good news is that he's going to have much better usage that will hopefully be more consistent under Klint Kubiak. He was lining up all over the place in OTAs and minicamp. He should be listed as a tight end and will be a sneaky later round add that you should target, but wait some before you plug him into the lineup.
• Juwan Johnson (200th) - Johnson's 2024 is off to a less than ideal start with him having surgery on his foot, an injury that developed in the offseason and was bothering him during practices. He was one of the hotter players during Fantasy Football Playoffs in Weeks 14-17, but surely frustrated some fantasy owners who drafted him. Monitor the injury and see where he's at before looking his way.
• A.T. Perry - After spending the first half of the season being a frequent inactive, Perry made his presence known against the Vikings. He had a quiet game against the Falcons the following week, but then went on a string where he made a big play in each of the next four games, including a big touchdown grab against the Rams. His final performance against the Falcons in Week 18 (3-53-2 TDs) left a strong impression and could get him more targets and work in 2024, but he'll have competition.
• Jamaal Williams - The Saints still plan on using Williams, especially because of his running style. However, last year was a major step back from his 2022 campaign where he got 17 touchdowns. There might be another New Orleans running back who you should look at first.

Rookie Watch (Dynasty)

• Spencer Rattler - He's going to battle out the backup job with Jake Haener, and Haener has the leg up right now in the competition. Each should get a good workload in training camp and the preseason, and Rattler might not be the answer for now, but he could be someone for the future for sure. Stash him.
• Bub Means - The Saints receiving corps has a lot of mouths to feed, and Means can get lost and overlooked a little. He'll get his opportunities in training camp, and he can develop nicely under new wide receivers coach Keith Williams, formerly of the Ravens. He'll be worth a stash.
• Dallin Holker - He's not locked in yet, but this is a name to remember and watch throughout training camp. With Juwan Johnson's injury and Taysom Hill's exact role unknown, that leaves Foster Moreau for some potential increased targets and also the undrafted rookie out of Colorado State that has impressed early on.

D/ST Leagues

For starters, remember that the league changed up the special teams rules, so that should actually help revive this position a little. New Orleans comes in with a Top-10 ranked fantasy unit in this department, and actually ranked eighth last season in scoring. The sack output should hopefully go up from last year's 34, especially with the addition of Chase Young. They were strong in the turnover department last year, coming in 4th in the NFL with 29 total. They still have a formidable unit that should turn into a nice fantasy unit.

IDP Rundown

• Demario Davis - Davis once again turned in a triple-digit tackle season (121) and was a Top-25 IDP. He also notched 6.5 sacks and forced and recovered a fumble. He's one of the top options if you're looking. He simply doesn't show signs of slowing down.
• Carl Granderson - He was the 8th-highest scoring defensive end last season, leading New Orleans with 8.5 sacks and turning in a career-high 78 total tackles. With the addition of Chase Young, this could be a double-digit sack year for Granderson.
• Pete Werner - Werner was 7 tackles shy of hitting 100 last year. He appeared in 16 games last season and also had a half-sack and 2 fumble recoveries. For now, he's still the main guy to pair with Davis in the nickel, which New Orleans loves to play a lot.
• Chase Young - He's getting closer to returning after the neck surgery, and he's been around to learn everything. He's definitely determined this season and hopefully helps New Orleans revive their pass rush.
• Cam Jordan - Jordan's workload and production wasn't so high last year, but he also played through injury too. The franchise's all-time leading sack artist still has plenty left in the tank, so keep him on your watch list at least.
• Willie Gay Jr. - Fresh off a Super Bowl win with the Chiefs, Gay Jr. returns closer to home and looks to get a lot more playing time in New Orleans. He's a ball of energy and is quite underrated. He could be an interesting one to watch.
• Marshon Lattimore - Lattimore's been on the wrong side of things for the past two seasons, but he's dialed in and ready to show people that he's still an elite corner. In 2021, he was just outside of the Top-100. He could be a major rebound candidate.
• Paulson Adebo - Adebo finished just outside the Top-75 in scoring last year, and naturally it depends on the stats that your league uses, but he finished 3rd in the NFL last year with 18 pass defenses. He also had 4 picks, a couple of forced fumbles and fumble recoveries to go along with a career-high 76 tackles. He's in a contract year too, for what it's worth.
• Alontae Taylor - Taylor's first year in the slot was certainly a mixed bag, but that doesn't discount the fact that he tied for 9th in the league with 14 pass defenses last season. He got his first career interception last season and finished with two, notched a sack and turned in 75 total tackles.
• Tyrann Mathieu - Mathieu had 75 tackles, 4 picks, 9 pass defenses and scored a TD last year against the Pats. He's still going strong and is worth a look, depending on how deep your IDPs are. Wait and see how the safety group comes together to look at either Johnathan Abram or Jordan Howden.

Sleepers

Rashid Shaheed, Derek Carr, Taysom Hill

• Kendre Miller (166th) - Alvin Kamara should get anywhere from 45-60% of the offensive snaps in 2024, and Miller would be a favorite to get more work. His performance in the season finale against the Falcons was what we expected to see all year long, but an injury sidelined him for seven games. Before that, he was putting up some production. In deeper leagues, he is someone to look for.
• Cedrick Wilson Jr. - Just put him on the radar for now, but he's been the primary slot guy early on. He could have a pretty big resurgence if everything sticks. The potential would be how he was with the Cowboys in 2021 (45-602-6 TDs). Of course, the past two years of production haven't given much.