The NFL season may be over, but fantasy football values are constantly shifting. New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave took a nice step forward as a sophomore, but didn’t quite ascend to the ranks of the WR1s just yet. If he can’t do this year, questions will start to arise as to whether he ever will. What does that mean for his dynasty value?
Chris Olave’s Dynasty Outlook
After a really strong rookie campaign, the arrow was firmly pointing up on Olave heading into his second year. When watching him play, it’s abundantly clear the man oozes talent.
ELITE concentration by #Saints WR Chris Olave on this TD grab 😮💨
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) January 7, 2024
While he’s still prone to some concentration drops, Olave has the ability to get open and win in all phases. Olave functions well as both an underneath guy and a downfield threat. That gives him elite WR1 potential.
Unfortunately, with QB Derek Carr at the helm, we mostly got the former last year. For Olave to truly unlock his upside, he will need both.
While questions remain as to whether Olave’s quarterback situation will allow him to thrive at the maximum level, his 14.5 fantasy points per game is nothing to scoff at. Olave was far from a bust last season. He returned slightly below the expected value. Not to sound like I’m eating sour grapes here, but we probably should’ve gotten the true breakout.
Olave’s 2023 season is a classic story of what could’ve been. The main reason Olave may be perceived as more of a checkdown specialist is that those were mainly the passes he was able to catch.
Olave got open downfield. He did it consistently. He saw 32 deep targets last season, which was the fourth most in the league. His 13.3 aDOT (average depth of target) was 20th. And he was sixth in the league in air yards. The issue was Carr’s inaccuracy when targeting Olave deep.
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From purely what I remember while watching the games, there were at least 4-5 wide-open long touchdowns where the quarterback and receiver couldn’t connect.
If even two of those are successful, that alone could’ve boosted Olave’s points per game average by over a point. One 40-yard touchdown reception would’ve increased Olave’s points per game average by 0.68. If he catches three, he finishes as a WR1.
As if that isn’t reason enough to want to buy in, Olave only scored five times. I have every confidence that a 100-catch, 1,400-yard, and eight-touchdown season is in Olave’s future.
Olave’s Dynasty Ranking
Where does Olave land in the dynasty WR landscape going into the 2024 offseason? Here are Katz’s latest rankings, featuring where Olave lands in comparison to other top names at the position.
1) Justin Jefferson | MIN
2) Ja’Marr Chase | CIN
3) CeeDee Lamb | DAL
4) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET
5) Puka Nacua | LAR
6) Garrett Wilson | NYJ
7) Tyreek Hill | MIA
8) A.J. Brown | PHI
9) Chris Olave | NO
10) Jaylen Waddle | MIA
11) Brandon Aiyuk | SF
12) DK Metcalf | SEA
13) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND
14) DeVonta Smith | PHI
15) Drake London | ATL
16) Jordan Addison | MIN
17) DJ Moore | CHI
18) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA
19) Tank Dell | HOU
20) Nico Collins | HOU
21) Rashee Rice | KC
22) Tee Higgins | CIN
23) Zay Flowers | BAL
24) Deebo Samuel | SF
Should You Trade Olave in Dynasty?
Are you considering trading Olave? Our free PFN Trade Analyzer allows you to find the best trade offers to make in seconds!
It goes without saying that you should trade any player if the value you’re getting in return is greater than the value you’re giving up. But speaking practically here, no! Don’t trade Olave!
Carr may be a problem for Olave, but he’s not going to be there forever. Plus, we’ve seen Carr play better in the past. These two could easily have a better connection in 2024 based on sheer random chance alone.
Olave will be only 24 years old this season. He showed improvement from his rookie to sophomore year. I expect him to take another step forward yet again.
A good parallel for Olave is CeeDee Lamb. While I don’t think Olave has the ceiling Lamb showed in 2023, the progression could be similar.
Lamb took a similarly modest step forward from his rookie to sophomore campaign, going from 13.6 to 14.6 points per game. Olave went from 13.2 to 14.5. That’s pretty close.
In his third season, Lamb averaged 17.7 fantasy points per game, finishing as the overall WR7. It would not surprise me at all to see a similar leap from Olave in his third year in the league.
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With a little bit of improved accuracy from Carr and a couple more touchdowns, I fully expect Olave to finish as a WR1 in 2024. He should remain a yearly top-15 receiver for the better part of the next decade.
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