New Orleans Saints Fantasy Football Preview for the 26-27 Season

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  • By Jon Mosales

    Last Updated on June 25, 2026 10:05 am by Jon Mosales | Published: June 25, 2026

     

    The Saints were not marching last season as they scored the least points since 2005 and many predicted they would be the worst team in the NFL.  That’s the crazy thing about expectations, when they are at the rock bottom, it gives you a foundation to build on.  Now, the NO offense wasn’t a world beater and at 18 PPG, there were only a handful of teams more inept, but they might finally have found a post-Drew Brees identity.  They started 0-4, but finished 6-11 and won four of the last five.  Tyler Shough might not be your idea of a franchise QB, but in Weeks 12-18, Shough was the QB6 in fantasy points per game while averaging 25 rushing yards per game.  Now, that might be too small a sample to base your hopes and dreams, but it does provide hope.  The real problem with NO is the o-line, which was 28th in run protection and 21st in pass, the demise of Alvin Kamara killed the run game and the Saints were terrible at RB, finishing dead-last in FPPG.  They offense needs balance, ranking 28th in run/pass split at 40/60 and they threw the 4th most passes in the NFL.  The good news is they added Travis Etienne, who was the RB10 last season and will give the running game a massive boost despite a modest 4.3 YPC.  The Saints still have Kendre Miller and Devin Neal, but Etienne should be a bell cow after soaking up 296 touches last season.  The o-line drop-off from JAC to NO is alarming and taking Etienne with a top-20 pick is risky considering he was the RB36 two seasons ago.  The biggest fear with Etienne is that he had six receiving TDs last season after only having one in the previous three seasons.  The Saints were 24th in RB targets, so I wouldn’t expect Etienne to match that number or develop as a legit dual-threat RB.

    The biggest reason to buy-in on the Saints is the Chris Olave resurrection tour.  Olave had the breakout everyone wanted last season, finishing as the WR6 despite the turmoil at QB and scoring one less TD (9) than in his previous three seasons combined (10).  Now, the concussion issue still looms large as well as this recent blood clot issue, but the Olave/Shough stack is sneaky excellent and unfortunately there are no discounts on Olave this season.  He’s going as the WR11 and now has a legit WR2 in Jordyn Tyson.  As long as Shough can keep progressing and throwing for 250 yards, Olave has an excellent shot at another top-10 finish.  The best part about Olave is the volume.  He was 5th in targets (156) and while Tyson should eat into his volume a little, he should remain the clear WR1.  The Saints will seek a little balance, but they should remain a pass-first team.  I loved Olave before the concussion issue and now with the blood clot, there is just too much risk for me to use a top-25 pick.  The Saints have a great shot at being a top-15 offense and finally have some weapons, but there’s a lot of variables that need to be accounted for.

     

    Player most likely to beat ADP: WR Jordyn Tyson (ADP 88, WR37)

    How many times do we need to this with rookie WRs? They are always undervalued and while Olave is a clear WR1, there should be plenty of room for the rookie to eat and if Olave does get hurt, watch out.  The risk with Tyson is mitigated by his ADP, with Olave, you don’t get that benefit. 

    Player most likely to fade based on ADP: RB Travis Etienne (ADP 43, RB18)

    I don’t trust the o-line, the system or the nature of the offense.  Etienne was great on JAC, but he’s not explosive or dynamic enough to prop up his own fantasy value. 


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    June 25, 2026, 10:01 am