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 16th
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Yards Per Game325.0 18th
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Yards Allowed Per Game378.0 30th
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.
Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) was absent from practice on Monday. The former first-round pick is currently listed as the No. 2 running back on the Chiefs depth chart ahead of second-year player Deneric Prince. Edwards-Helaire rushed for 223 yards and one touchdown in 2023. He has been fully usurped as the feature back by third-year player Isiah Pacheco. With the offseason hype for Prince growing, Edwards-Helaire faces pressure to perform to keep his hold on the No. 2 job. Edwards-Helaire does not have much stand-alone fantasy value outside of insurance for Pacheco.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (thigh) missed practice on Sunday, according to NFL insider Nick Underhill. The rookie signal-caller reportedly suffered a slight thigh bruise, but he received treatment on Sunday and is expected to return for the Saints' next practice. One would have to imagine that Rattler suffered the injury during the Saints' preseason game on Saturday. The fact that he expects to return for the team's next practice is a good sign given that he's locked into a serious competition with Jake Haener for the backup quarterback role. Rattler and Haener will continue to showcase themselves through the remainder of training camp and the preseason.