New Orleans Saints DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks (knee) is going on Injured Reserve on Saturday, which means he will miss at least the next four games. In a corresponding move, the Cowboys moved linebacker Nick Vigil to the active 53-man. Amani Oruwariye and Carl Lawson are also being elevated from the practice squad. Cooks had already been ruled out for Week 5's Sunday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but now he won't be eligible to return until Week 10 against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys have their bye in Week 7. This news certainly makes Jalen Tolbert more attractive as a waiver-wire pickup if he's still available in your league, as he's expected to see a substantial role increase as the WR2 in Dallas behind CeeDee Lamb with Cooks sidelined. Cooks caught nine of 19 targets for 91 yards and one touchdown in the first four weeks of the season.

The New Orleans Saints' tendency to run 12 personnel concentrates their passing attack on wide receivers Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave. Shaheed owns a 25.5% target share as a result and, leaving out the egg he laid in Week 3, he is averaging 18.3 PPR points per game in 2024. In Week 5, the Saints head to Kansas City to face the Chiefs on Monday night. The Chiefs have done well to limit opposing wide receivers' production in 2024, holding them collectively to 113 yards per game. Still, Shaheed has shown several times over that his ability to break a big play and the Saints will likely need to look to him again to have a shot at getting past Kansas City. There may be additional work for him as the other main weapons in the Saints' offense, Olave (hamstring) and Alvin Kamara (hip/ribs) both popped up on the team's injury report this week. Shaheed's long touchdown potential keeps him in the WR3 range for Week 5 and he can have a slight boost in value in leagues that award points for return yards.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr started the season by posting more than 20 fantasy points in back-to-back games. However, in Weeks 3 and 4 the signal-caller couldn't crack double digits. Carr went 28-for-36 last week, setting new highs in completions and pass attempts in the young season, but he failed to reach 250 passing yards for the fourth straight game. In Week 5, the Saints head to Kansas City to play the Chiefs on Monday night. The Chiefs permitted Justin Herbert to throw for just 179 yards in Week 4 and they have given up just 13.5 fantasy points per game over their last three. Carr faces the additional challenge of playing behind an offensive line missing three starters that is facing an aggressive defensive front led by lineman Chris Jones. Unless you are managing a two-QB league team dealing with bye week complications, then Carr should be left on the wire in Week 5.

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson (forearm) was able to put in a full practice on Friday after he had a limited showing in Thursday's session. Johnson is on track to be available to play on Monday Night Football in Week 5 on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs. Fellow TE Taysom Hill (ribs) is dealing with fractured ribs and is looking doubtful to play, which will open up some more pass-catching opportunities for Johnson this week. Foster Moreau will continue to be a road block in terms of playing time and targets for Johnson, though, so fantasy managers should continue to ignore him. Through the first four games in 2024, Johnson has only caught four of six targets for 39 yards and one touchdown. There should be better TE2 sleeper options available in Week 5.

New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe (hip) practiced in full on Friday after he was given an DNP tag on Thursday. Grupe was looking iffy for Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football after popping up on the initial injury report, but a return to a full practice a day later on Friday should put him in the clear to be available to close out Week 5 action. The 25-year-old has been a top-10 fantasy kicker through the first four weeks of the season, and there's no reason why fantasy managers should be going away from him this week as long as he's active. Grupe is currently the No. 7 kicker in terms of fantasy points this year. He's made all eight of his field-goal attempts and has missed just one of his 14 extra-point tries. The Chiefs defense has allowed 7.5 fantasy points per game to kickers through four games, which ranks 20th in the league.