Saints trade up for Olave

The Saints traded up to grab Ohio State WR Chris Olave with the 11th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Olave broke out as a sophomore, leading that 2019 Buckeyes squad with 840 yards and 12 TDs – ahead of redshirt senior K.J. Hill and freshman Garrett Wilson. Olave was even better in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, averaging 7.1 catches, 104.1 yards and 1 TD across 7 games (all team highs). He ranked top 12 in the nation in both Pro Football Focus receiving grade and yards per route run. Olave made a somewhat surprising decision to return for his senior season last year and saw his production take a step back. He averaged 5.4 catches, 78 yards and 1.1 TDs per game, finishing 2nd on the team in TDs per game behind Wilson and 3rd in catches and yards per game behind Wilson and sophomore Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who’s widely expected to be a 1st-round pick next year. Olave set 3-year lows in PFF receiving grade and yards per route run. The 2021 campaign is slightly concerning, but his overall production profile remains strong. Olave’s tape shows a dangerous downfield weapon with 4.39-second speed and excellent ball-tracking skills. He’s also a refined route runner, making Olave arguably the most NFL-ready WR in this class. On the downside, Olave is just 187 pounds and offers nearly nothing after the catch. He looks to us like a #2 WR in the NFL. That’s what he figures to be at least in the short term in New Orleans behind Michael Thomas.

Saints WR Chris Olave (ankle) is not listed on the final Week 16 injury report. He was a full-go in Wednesday's practice and should be at least close to 100% for Thursday night's game vs. the Rams. Olave is safe to get back into fantasy lineups.

Saints WR Chris Olave (ankle) is expected to play vs. the Rams on Thursday night, according to insider Nick Underhill. Olave was limited in Tuesday's practice. We'll see what he does on Wednesday and how he's listed on the final injury report before making a final call on how he stacks up as a Week 16 fantasy play.

Saints WR Chris Olave (ankle) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Giants. WR Michael Thomas remains on IR, so New Orleans is down to WRs Rashid Shaheed, A.T. Perry, Lynn Bowden, Keith Kirkwood, and Marquez Callaway. Shaheed is the best fantasy bet and has some exciting upside as a WR3 today.

Nick Underhill of Neworleans.football reports that Saints WR Chris Olave will be inactive for today's game against the Giants. We're about 15 minutes from getting official confirmation when the inactives come out. But go ahead and get Olave out of your fantasy football lineup if you haven't done so already. We had already removed Olave from the Week 15 WR rankings in anticipation of this.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter both call Saints WR Chris Olave (ankle) a game-time decision for today's meeting with the Giants. But Rapoport adds that "there is not a lot of optimism that he can go." That's not a surprise after Olave missed practice all week. With WR Michael Thomas still on IR, Olave's absence would leave Rashid Shaheed as the best fantasy bet in New Orleans' WR corps. A.T. Perry, Lynn Bowden, Keith Kirkwood, and Marquez Callaway would round out the group. Olave's absence could also mean bigger roles for TE Taysom Hill and RB Alvin Kamara in the passing game. We've removed Olave from the Week 15 Rankings and updated Saints projections.