This will be Part 1 of a two-part series where I break down the New Orleans Saints you should have on your radar entering your fantasy football draft. Because I’m a fan of alliteration, I’ve created groups known as Stars, Studs, Steals, Sleepers, and Stay the #$%@ Away. In each Part, I will give you one player in each category from the Saints. First, definitions of each group:
Star – The upper echelon of fantasy performers. Elite across all positions.
Stud – A top fantasy performer at his position.
Steal – Undervalued on fantasy ranking boards.
Sleepers – High risk, high reward type player.
Stay the #$%@ Away – Overvalued or high potential to be a dud.
Star – QB Drew Brees
Was there really any doubt that he would be a fantasy star? Drew Brees led the league in passing while missing a game due to injury. Injuries are not a huge concern with Brees as his absence in 2015 was the first and only game he’s missed due to injury while a member of the New Orleans Saints. Critics will say that Drew is due to decline rapidly soon, but 2016 shouldn’t be that year.
Stud – RB Mark Ingram
Mark Ingram is the workhorse back in the New Orleans offense. While he might lose the occasional touch to C.J. Spiller (especially on pass-catching downs), Ingram is still worthy of potentially a RB1 spot considering the Saints ability to consistently get the ball into the redzone. As the Saints biggest and strongest back, Ingram shouldn’t lose many goal line carries.
Steal – WR Michael Thomas
It’s hard to put a lot of faith in NFL rookies to perform their first year, but Michael Thomas is in the kind of system where he could do just that. Already turning heads in camp, Thomas will be looking to step into the shoes of the departed Marques Colston. Thomas might be a breakout star in New Orleans, or he might get the Nick Toon treatment and rarely see the field as a rookie.
Sleeper – New Orleans Saints DST
I’m not saying the Saints defense will be a top fantasy scoring defense. I’m saying that they have the potential to vastly outperform their starting ADP that was created as a result of last year’s defense. With a revamped roster and system, the Saints defense shouldn’t be nearly the abomination from 2015.
Stay the #$%@ Away – WR Brandon Coleman/Willie Snead
One, if not both, of these receivers is almost guaranteed to lose touches in 2016 with the addition of the aforementioned Thomas. Veterans Vincent Brown and Hakeem Nicks will also be looking to make the Saints roster to create a very crowded receiving corps.