New Orleans Saints DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

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.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave drew four targets in Saturday's win over Arizona, but only caught one for 10 yards. Olave was the target of Derek Carr's first three pass attempts, indicating that he will be targeted early and often this season. With Rashid Shaheed (hamstring) sitting out, Olave was by far the most trusted receiver on the field with the starters for New Orleans. It remains unclear whether the third-year receiver will see any more preseason action prior to Week 1's matchup with the Carolina Panthers.

New Orleans Saints rookie tight end Dallin Holker caught all three targets for 24 yards in his NFL debut. The 24-year-old undrafted rookie has an opportunity to earn a roster spot with Juwan Johnson (foot) currently on the PUP list. Holker was the only Saints tight end aside from Michael Jacobson (one catch for four yards) to record a catch in the preseason win over Arizona. He will be an intriguing name to keep an eye on throughout the rest of the preseason as he competes with Johnson, Foster Moreau, Jacobson, and Kevin Rader for a roster spot.