New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints received welcomed news on Tuesday when wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (hamstring) returned to practice. Shaheed had been dealing with hamstring tightness but was able to participate in practice with a red non-contact jersey. Shaheed is in line for a huge role in this offense in 2024. The speedster recorded 46 receptions for 719 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games in 2023. Most importantly, Shaheed displayed excellent chemistry with quarterback Derek Carr. Shaheed is being drafted outside of the top 100 players in fantasy drafts. As such, he is an excellent sleeper candidate at his current draft price. He should have plenty of time to ramp up before the regular season starts.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (back) did not practice on Tuesday. Very little is known about the injury, but it is described as "back tightness". Kamara is in line for another large-volume season with the Saints. Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller are in line for touches behind Kamara. However, when healthy, Kamara dominates the backfield touches for the Saints. Should this injury persist, then the Saints may be faced with the same inefficiencies they experienced from Williams and Miller when Kamara was suspended for the first three games of 2023. Fantasy managers should continue to check back to ensure that Kamara will not miss significant time.

The expectation is that New Orleans Saints super utility man Taysom Hill could play up to five positions this year -- fullback, running back, quarterback, tight end and wide receiver. It doesn't mean he'll play all those positions, but the Saints are keeping their options open. They want to get him traditional tailback/fullback work and they know he can line up out wide as a pass-catcher. The Saints value the unpredictability his versatility lends, and an offensive scheme change shouldn't alter that much. The 33-year-old is tight end-eligible in most fantasy formats, which makes him especially interesting, but mostly for his rushing prowess when the Saints line him up in the backfield. 2024 will likely be more of the same: Hill's boom performances will be extremely hard to predict given the unpredictable nature of his usage, making him more of a TE2 in fantasy.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamar's contract impasse hasn't affected his preparation for the 2024 season, and the Saints believe he can regain his peak performance. Kamara is still looking for his first 1,000-yard rushing season. "He's really embraced the change in the offense," head coach Dennis Allen said. "Fits his running style." The 29-year-old has two years left on his current deal and includes $22.4 million in non-guaranteed salary in 2025, which is untenable for both sides. Kamara, who was a Pro Bowler in each of his first five seasons in the NFL, averaged a career-low 3.9 yards per carry in a stale Saints offense last year, but he made up for it in fantasy with 75 receptions for 466 yards in 13 games. There could be more efficiency in a new offense, but Kamara is also at the age when RBs typically start to show signs of decline. He's best targeted as an RB2 in PPR leagues.

The New Orleans Saints' goal for offensive Klint Kubiak this year is to play faster and simplify things. A big concern, at least on paper, is an inexperienced offensive line. Offensive tackles Trevor Penning and Taliese Fuaga and left guard Nick Saldiveri have a combined six NFL starts. Quarterback Derek Carr will be asked to make fewer adjustments at the line of scrimmage in order to let him read the defense out and deliver the football accurately. "It's going to be a positive for him," head coach Dennis Allen said. "I'm hoping the ball gets out quicker. Our ability to run the football and play-action off of that is going to help us in terms of offensive line, from a protection standpoint." The 33-year-old played through injuries in 2023 in his first year in New Orleans and didn't show the type of upside he had with the Raiders. A bounce-back could be coming in this new offense, but fantasy managers should treat him as a low-upside, low-end QB2 until further notice.