Team Profile
New Orleans Saints
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-4.8% 18thOff DVOA
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-0.3% 24thPassing DVOA
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-2% 11thRushing DVOA
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3.4% 21stDef DVOA
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3% 11thDef Passing DVOA
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4.1% 30thDef Rushing DVOA
2024 Team Stats
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Points For20.6 22nd
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Points Against23.1 17th
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Yards Per Game325.0 19th
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Yards Allowed Per Game378.0 30th
New York Jets running back Xazavian Valladay soaked up plenty of reps in Saturday night's preseason win over the New York Giants in East Rutherford, rushing a team-high 14 times for 28 yards and collecting six of his eight targets for a team-leading 62 yards. Valladay hauled in plenty of checkdowns on Saturday against the Giants, totaling 90 yards on a substantial 20 touches. It was more or less window dressing for the 25-year-old Arizona State product, who is unlikely to be a part of New York's 53-man roster when the regular season begins in what has become a loaded Jets RB room.
New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill is expected to have a considerable role in the team's red-zone rushing game plan, as per Luke Johnson of NOLA.com. "Game speed is obviously different than practice speed, but the Saints' improved run game looks like it's applied to the red zone as well...and though we didn't see it Friday, Hill should continue to have a huge role in that area of the field." Hill is one of the more versatile NFL athletes in recent history, and though he is listed as a tight end, it appears he aims to take a good deal of work from the backfield this season. It will be interesting to see exactly how offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak will deploy him in 2024, but since he is a member of the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, it wouldn't be surprising to see Hill used innovatively. He is Yahoo's TE19 in drafts and could provide great value if he has a rushing load like last year. The 34-year-old would become a more intriguing fantasy asset should he garner positional eligibility at running back.
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (toe/foot) was still not spotted practicing on Friday. Shaheed hasn't been seen at practice due to a toe/foot injury since the middle of last week, likely ruling him out for Sunday's preseason finale against the visiting Tennessee Titans at Caesars Superdome. There's optimism he'll be ready in time for the start of the regular season, though. The 25-year-old deep threat is primed to occupy a significant role in New Orleans' passing game as a volatile WR4/5 bet for fantasy managers this season, considering the Saints' receiving corps is very thin beyond star wideout Chris Olave. Last year, Shaheed put up a strong 9.6 yards per target over 75 targets and 15.6 yards per catch across 46 receptions.
New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (hamstring) was still not spotted practicing on Friday. Fantasy managers haven't seen Miller on the field for the Saints since the early stages of training camp due to his hamstring injury, which has proven to be a multi-week setback up to this point. Miller is highly unlikely to be available for Sunday's preseason finale against the visiting Tennessee Titans at Caesars Superdome, and there have been rumors he could end up being a surprise roster cut before the regular season begins if New Orleans doesn't want to put him on Injured Reserve. Veteran power back Jamaal Williams makes the most sense as lead back Alvin Kamara's handcuff until Miller finally gets healthy again.
New Orleans Saints tight end Foster Moreau has battled numerous ailments throughout his career, most recently a rare ankle injury that he played through for most of last season. As Ross Jackson reports, no one has ever played with the same ankle issue Moreau had let alone played almost an entire season. Moreau said his brace that he played in was preventing one of his tendons from flipping over his ankle bone. Now, ahead of his sixth season in the NFL, he's been given a clean bill of health and he's ready to go for the Saints. On the depth chart, he's currently listed as the backup tight end behind Juwan Johnson, but Taysom Hill will likely encroach on plenty of snaps and receiving work as well.