Vele accounted for just one reception on 2 targets for 2 yards in the first half before finishing with six receptions on nine targets for 54 yards and a TD as the Saints were forced to pass at a high rate in an effort to escape such a deficit in the second half. His garbage-time TD with fewer than two minutes left helped push him to a WR2 finish in Week 4 with 17.4 PPR points.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: Game Script Built This
Vele has benefited from the Saints throwing the ball more than any other team, with QB Tyler Shough averaging 45.0 pass attempts per game, 4.5 more than the closest QB.
That passing volume is why Vele ranks 16th among WRs with 7.8 targets per game despite an 18.1% target share that ranks 44th.
Although the Saints have thrown the ball more than any other team, they rank just seventh in neutral pass rate at 63.1%. All three of Shough’s games with at least 40 pass attempts came while trailing, which indicates the high passing volume has been forced more by game script than offensive plan.
Vele isn’t only at risk of a decline in production with the possibility of a decline in passing volume looming, he also has high-end target competition arriving soon with first-round rookie WR Jordyn Tyson making progress toward his debut.
With both factors not imminent, Vele is set to be the Saints WR2 facing the Giants in Week 5.
