The New Orleans Saints will face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Chris Olave.
Is Chris Olave Playing In Week 10?
New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave stayed down on the field after taking a scary first-quarter hit from Panthers safety Xavier Woods, who was flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty on the play. New Orleans’ medical staff immediately tended to Olave, placing him on a backboard before carting him off the field.
While Olave suffered a concussion, he thankfully had movement in all his extremities. After spending time at a local hospital, he was discharged and traveled home to New Orleans with the rest of his team.
Olave’s injury is especially concerning, given that he suffered a concussion in Week 6. He missed the Saints’ Week 7 loss to Denver before returning against the Chargers in Week 8. Olave was evaluated for a concussion vs. Los Angeles but was cleared to return to the game.
The former first-round pick has a lengthy concussion history. He missed Week 6 during his 2022 rookie campaign with a brain injury, then was sidelined for Week 12 in 2023. Olave also suffered a concussion during Ohio State’s season opener in 2020.
Olave told reporters that he considered wearing a Guardian Cap — a padded helmet covering that can help reduce brain injuries — after his Week 6 concussion. However, he did not don the Guardian Cap for Weeks 8 or 9.
Unsurprisingly, Olave did not practice this week and won’t play on Sunday. Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi said Olave is meeting with concussion specialists, adding that no decision has been made on a potential injured reserve stint.
We’ll continue to monitor the Saints’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Chris Olave’s Fantasy outlook
Chris Olave suffered a scary head injury last week; whenever we are getting updates that are worded as “up and active” as opposed to “aiming to play next week,” I consider an extended absence more likely than an immediate return for a team that is going nowhere.
Olave and Rashid Shaheed saw 58.3% of Derek Carr’s targets during the Week 4 loss in Atlanta (71.1% of their receiving yards), making this a difficult game to project and one that doesn’t look too good for the home team.
I’m holding onto him in redraft formats for now and hoping for the best, but understand that it’s possible he won’t impact your lineup for the remainder of 2024.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 10 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Chris Olave’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 10
Since Olave is out, he is projected to score 0 points.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Falcons’ Defense
Just maybe there is a hint of something positive for the Atlanta Falcons’ defense. They have been inside the top 20 in three of their last four games, but we are still only talking about rankings of 18, 19, and 15. Additionally, those have come against the Panthers, Seahawks, and Cowboys, who are hardly dominant offenses to have restricted.
Atlanta has struggled against the run and has only been slightly better against the pass. They have also struggled to get off the field on third down, with an underwhelming pass rush being a big part of the problem. With this defense, it is hard to view them as secure in the NFC South despite a relatively commanding lead of 2.5 games entering Week 10.
Do you want more insight on all other defensive units across the NFL? Head over to our PFN Defense+ Rankings for analysis on all 32 teams.
Chris Olave’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 3:45 AM ET on Wednesday, December 25. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 WR PPR Rankings
1) Ja'Marr Chase | CIN (vs. DEN)
2) Puka Nacua | LAR (vs. ARI)
3) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (at SF)
4) Justin Jefferson | MIN (vs. GB)
5) Mike Evans | TB (vs. CAR)
6) Nico Collins | HOU (vs. BAL)
7) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. DAL)
8) CeeDee Lamb | DAL (at PHI)
9) Terry McLaurin | WAS (vs. ATL)
10) Davante Adams | NYJ (at BUF)
11) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at CLE)
12) Tee Higgins | CIN (vs. DEN)
13) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (vs. TEN)
14) Courtland Sutton | DEN (at CIN)
15) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at NE)
16) Drake London | ATL (at WAS)
17) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at CHI)
18) Malik Nabers | NYG (vs. IND)
19) Cooper Kupp | LAR (vs. ARI)
20) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (at BUF)
21) Jauan Jennings | SF (vs. DET)
22) Zay Flowers | BAL (at HOU)
23) DJ Moore | CHI (vs. SEA)
24) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at NO)
25) Keenan Allen | CHI (vs. SEA)
26) Jordan Addison | MIN (vs. GB)
27) DK Metcalf | SEA (at CHI)
28) George Pickens | PIT (vs. KC)
29) Calvin Ridley | TEN (at JAX)
30) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. DAL)
31) Khalil Shakir | BUF (vs. NYJ)
32) Adam Thielen | CAR (at TB)
33) Jameson Williams | DET (at SF)
34) Deebo Samuel Sr. | SF (vs. DET)
35) Jayden Reed | GB (at MIN)
36) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (at PIT)
37) Xavier Worthy | KC (at PIT)
38) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (at LAR)
39) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at CLE)
40) Darnell Mooney | ATL (at WAS)
41) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (vs. MIA)
42) Josh Downs | IND (at NYG)
43) Jalen McMillan | TB (vs. CAR)
44) Hollywood Brown | KC (at PIT)
45) Rome Odunze | CHI (vs. SEA)
46) Romeo Doubs | GB (at MIN)
47) Amari Cooper | BUF (vs. NYJ)
48) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (at NYG)
49) Rashod Bateman | BAL (at HOU)
50) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at NE)
51) Jalen Coker | CAR (at TB)
52) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. LAC)
53) Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG (vs. IND)
54) Christian Watson | GB (at MIN)
55) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (at JAX)
56) Elijah Moore | CLE (vs. MIA)
57) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (vs. NYJ)
58) Calvin Austin III | PIT (vs. KC)
59) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at NE)
60) Robert Woods | HOU (vs. BAL)
61) Parker Washington | JAX (vs. TEN)
62) Tim Patrick | DET (at SF)
63) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (at WAS)
64) John Metchie III | HOU (vs. BAL)
65) Keon Coleman | BUF (vs. NYJ)
66) David Moore | CAR (at TB)
67) Devaughn Vele | DEN (at CIN)
68) Michael Wilson | ARI (at LAR)
69) Tre Tucker | LV (at NO)
70) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs. LAC)
71) Mike Williams | PIT (vs. KC)
72) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (at CIN)
73) Andrei Iosivas | CIN (vs. DEN)
74) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs. LAC)
75) Malik Washington | MIA (at CLE)
76) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (vs. ATL)
77) Brandin Cooks | DAL (at PHI)
78) Sterling Shepard | TB (vs. CAR)
79) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at CHI)
80) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (vs. ARI)
81) Adonai Mitchell | IND (at NYG)
82) Dyami Brown | WAS (vs. ATL)
83) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (at MIN)
84) Alec Pierce | IND (at NYG)
85) Allen Lazard | NYJ (at BUF)
86) Van Jefferson | PIT (vs. KC)
87) Darius Slayton | NYG (vs. IND)
88) Ricky Pearsall | SF (vs. DET)
89) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (at PHI)
90) Jamison Crowder | WAS (vs. ATL)
91) Tyler Boyd | TEN (at JAX)
92) Troy Franklin | DEN (at CIN)
93) Kevin Austin Jr. | NO (vs. LV)
94) Mack Hollins | BUF (vs. NYJ)
95) Tutu Atwell | LAR (vs. ARI)
96) Jalen Nailor | MIN (vs. GB)
97) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (at PHI)
98) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (at PIT)
99) Michael Woods II | CLE (vs. MIA)
100) Justin Watson | KC (at PIT)
Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints Insights
Atlanta Falcons
Team: The Falcons are averaging 13.8 plays per game of 10-plus yards, sixth most in the league and up 11% from a season ago.
QB: Football can be such a complicated game, but it can also be remarkably simple. Over his past two games, when Kirk Cousins has stayed in the pocket, he’s been as good as anyone in the league: 42-53 for 498 yards, seven touchdowns, and zero interceptions (145.4 passer rating).
Offense: Despite having a strong running game, no team runs play-action nearly as rarely as the Falcons (8.3% of offensive plays, the Cowboys rank 31st at 10.6%).
Defense: The Falcons own the lowest sack rate in the league (2.7% of opponent dropbacks, league average: 7.1%).
Fantasy: Darnell Mooney, entering this season, averaged 735 receiving yards per 17 games and had a career-high of four touchdown receptions in a season – through nine weeks, he has 588 receiving yards and has caught five touchdown passes.
Betting: The Falcons are 7-3 ATS (70%) in their past 10 divisional road games (2-0 ATS this season with over tickets cashing in both of those instances).
New Orleans Saints
Team: The Saints have lost seven straight games, their longest skid of the 2000s. Three of those losses have come by a field goal or less.
QB: Derek Carr threw five touchdown passes on 39 attempts through Week 2 – he’s thrown four touchdown passes on 120 attempts since.
Offense: Since Week 3, the Saints are the sixth worst offense in the league in terms of yards per play
Defense: The Saints have the sixth lowest opponent passer rating against (80.2, league average: 91.5).
Fantasy: Three times this season has a running back carried the rock 10 times while seeing at least eight targets in consecutive games:
- Alvin Kamara (Weeks 4-6)
- De’Von Achane (Weeks 8-9)
- Alvin Kamara (Weeks 8-9)
Betting: The Saints have seen their past five home games played within the division finish more than 16 points off of the spread (each of the past three by more than 20 points).