2026 Team Previews: New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints 2026 Preview

All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.

** = target in drafts at this ADP

Drafted Everywhere

Chris Olave, WR (ADP: 27, WR11): Olave finally delivered on the hype in 2025 after years of flashing his elite talent, teasing a leap into the upper crust and then for one reason or another falling just shy. Olave’s skills have been top notch since entering the NFL, and 2025 was his third season with over 1,000 yards, and second with over 1,100. The only time he’s missed that mark was in 2024, when he only played in eight games. Initially, low TD totals were his flaw, and after 2024, repeated head injuries suppressed his perception. But last season he crossed the 100-reception mark and caught the sixth-most passes in the league while scoring a career-high nine times. He was a stud, and he did so with a QB duo of Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough that was projected to compete for the worst QB situation in all of football.

2025 is why players like Terry McLaurin and Garrett Wilson continue to hold cache even if it takes forever to hit their ceilings. These players are obviously great, and sometimes situations can just hold them back from their upside. Eventually though, the breakthrough happens and when it does managers reap major rewards. Last season Olave was a beast, posting a 77.1% win rate against man (92nd percentile) and an 80.2% win rate vs. zone (64th percentile). The current regime moved Olave around more than he had been in the past, and it worked wonders. His route tree was very, very varied in 2025, running a mostly equal share of slants, curls, digs, posts and nines and running all of them very successfully. Olave’s being treated as a very high-end WR2 with this ADP, and I think he can easily exceed that if Tyler Shough continues his upward trajectory. This ADP seems about right for him, and I wouldn’t be nervous about it at all.

Travis Etienne Jr., RB (ADP: 38, RB19): Etienne’s a Saint, and it feels like the Alvin Kamara era is truly winding down. Etienne’s an interesting back, because for three of his four seasons he was immensely productive, churning out 1,400 yards from scrimmage three times (slightly cheating last year at 1,399), and scoring double-digit TDs twice. But in 2024 he played in 15 games and managed just 812 yards and two scores, while managing less than 600 yards on the ground. 2024 seems like a fluke in a horrible situation, but it’s established in his range of outcomes. It’s canon, and Etienne’s rushing efficiency in particular means it can happen again if he isn’t given tremendous volume.

Etienne’s been a workhorse, with 220+ carries in all three of those successful seasons. Without big volume, he may not cut it because he’s only averaged 4.2 yards per carry and that’s propped up by 5.1 yards per carry mark as a rookie. Etienne’s heavy involvement in the passing game smooths over a lot of that efficiency stuff, but will he be as prominent this year with Kamara still hanging around? Only time will tell, but it does add a layer of risk to him. If Kamara’s presence here has become ceremonial, then Etienne could potentially blow away this ADP with another double-digit TD season but I think Kamara’s got a little juice left.  I think this is a solid ADP.

Jordyn Tyson, WR (ADP: 107, WR41): Tyson’s gotten a ton of hype this offseason as the Saints offense is viewed as one on the rise, but his training camp injury brought that train to an abrupt stop. That injury likely kept a lot of people from making too large an investment.

I don’t take any issue with high hopes for this offense, but Tyson is not a perfect prospect. His junior year at Arizona State was spectacular, with 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns, but he saw his yards per reception drop as a senior and he made it through only nine games. Injuries are part of his story so far, as well as being a perfect fit next to Olave. Based on his profile, Tyson looks like a guy who can absolutely be a productive guy straight out of the gate. He had an 89th-percentile finish (85.6%) vs. zone last year, which is stellar. His man success rate wasn’t elite, but wasn’t horrible either, and he gained experience lining up all over the place giving him versatility.

The issue is that his skills overlap a bit with Olave’s, who broke out last year being used all over the place. He should continue to be used that way, and that may mean Tyson having to play more X receiver where I’m not sure he’d thrive. He was successful on lots of patterns, but nines were one of his less valuable, and he posted just a 30th-percentile mark against press. There’s a whole lot of excitement about how much he’ll play right away, and I do think he’s going to be a good pro, but I’m not so bullish on him in 2026 in particular, especially in light of this injury.

Interesting Players

Juwan Johnson, TE (ADP: 118, TE17): Johnson evolved last year from a TD-or-bust option to a pretty integral and consistent part of the Saints pass attack. He finished with 77 receptions, 889 yards and three touchdowns. Those are far from earth-shattering stats, but Harold Fannin Jr. had five fewer catches, 158 fewer yards and three more touchdowns and he’s a Top 5ish option at the position. Touchdowns are very meaningful at TE, and while Johnson didn’t score many last year, he’s put up seven scores twice in his career. If you like to just wait until you must draft a TE, I don’t hate the idea of Johnson as a high-floor weekly bet.

Alvin Kamara, RB (ADP: 150, RB50): 2025 was the first time in Kamara’s career that he didn’t have more than 1,100 yards from scrimmage, and it was only the second time in nine years that he racked up fewer than 1,300. One of the most prolific receiving backs in NFL history, Kamara’s famously never produced a 1,000-yard rushing season and yet consistently finished as an RB1. The drop off in Kamara’s receiving production last year was severe; after never finishing with fewer than 439 yards through the air in eight seasons, he wound up with just 186 in 2025 with only 33 catches in 11 games. He was a diminished player, and while I still think he can catch the rock I don’t believe he can bring the big play spark he once did or run with such ferocity that his size seemed to not matter in short yardage.

At this point in drafts, it’s hard to really whiff. You can draft Kamara, especially in half or full-PPR formats and get a useful player. But it’s no longer a lock, and he might just be washed. I’d aim for higher upside.

Tyler Shough, QB (ADP: 151, QB20): Shough was a surprising rookie. He didn’t beat Spencer Rattler out of camp, which didn’t bode well, but once he got a chance he threw for 2,384 yards and 10 touchdowns in 11 games (nine starts). Shough also showed a little juice on the ground, racking up 186 yards and three touchdowns on 4.1 attempts per game. Shough was a 26-year-old rookie, so while that drew laughter and jokes on Draft Day and in the days and weeks that followed, he was a cool customer when New Orleans threw him into the fire and now he’s viewed as a legitimate boon to an up-and-coming offense. Some will treat Shough like a fringe weekly starter, and I don’t know if I’m there yet. But I do look at him as an explosive streamer, and someone I’d be excited to fire up in a plus matchup.

Deep Cuts

Devaughn Vele, WR (ADP: 277, WR90): It’s unclear if the Saints have the bandwidth to support three productive WRs, but Vele is probably the safest choice if you want to try. Another super old rookie in 2024, Vele presents a rugged target for his QBs who can help move the chains on third downs. If he was on the field a lot, he could be a stopgap type of player in formats that reward receptions, but he’s be a very low-ceiling kind of play. I’m not very interested in deep leagues, but there is some proof of concept with him and it could have some impact if the role was big enough, which it may be while Tyson heals up.

Bryce Lance, WR (ADP: N/A): Lance, the brother of Trey Lance and also a North Dakota State product, is a player who could conceivably have some moments this year as the WR picture behind Olave and Tyson is muddled. He’s a player who, just by looking at his route tree, would need development. Over 50% of his routes are nines and curls, and while his go route success rate is a wild 61.2%, we must remember the level of competition. Routes like curls and digs, which require craftsmanship, were not good for him and that’s why I see his value as a rookie as next to none. I’m not ruling out him being a factor in the future however.

Oscar Delp, TE (ADP: N/A): Anytime a TE is from Georgia and goes in Round 3, we should probably pay attention. Delp didn’t have much production to speak of though – 20 receptions, 261 yards, one TD – and given that he was a senior, I am inclined to believe he’s in New Orleans to serve as a blocker more than as a fantasy producer. Given how bullish I am on Juwan Johnson as a player, I can’t recommend even a flier on Delp.

Bub Means, WR (ADP: N/A): Means is around, and had some fleeting moments as a rookie before missing all of 2025. He’s got a ton of competition to wade through in order to see the field, but it’s not like anyone in the WR room beyond Olave is actually proven. Even Tyson has to show it on the field, so if he breaks out early there’s no reason he can’t earn a nice role.

Mason Tipton, WR (ADP: N/A): Tipton had some games with high snap counts last year, and while he didn’t do much at all, it could give him a leg up on the others on this list for playing time. Who knows, but the potential I’ve noted for Lance and Means to earn snaps applies to Tipton too. We just don’t know, but it’s always wise to leave room to be surprised.