With Derek Carr under center for the New Orleans Saints, the team hoped for a passing rebirth. It has happened — kind of. Carr is no Jameis Winston, but he does have 200 passing attempts over six games. The completion rate is not incredible, but it was good enough to get him to QB15 in Week 5 and QB10 in Week 6.
The Saints take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday, who allow the second most passing yards to opponents, so there is a chance that at least one of the pass catchers should have a good game. Should you start Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, or Rashid Shaheed in fantasy football this week?
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Chris Olave’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Fantasy managers have yet to get that huge Olave breakout week they have been chasing during his sophomore season, but he has been startable, minus his dud in Week 4. If you take the WR120 finish out of the mix, he would be WR24, and if he starts getting the TDs, that number would skyrocket. Olave has had five weeks over 85 receiving yards but only one TD on the season to show for it.
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Olave has been targeted four times in the red zone, which is good news; we just have to hope he starts converting more of those targets into points. He is the WR9 this week in PFN’s Consensus Rankings.
Michael Thomas’ Fantasy Outlook This Week
Thomas has been (somewhat) resurrected. Sure, he is nothing like the Thomas of 2019 when he finished as WR1, but so far, he has vastly improved from the disastrous past two years. He is currently the WR46 on the season.
He doesn’t have insane yardage but is consistent, averaging almost 55 yards a game and eight targets. Carr does look for Thomas in the red zone more often than other receivers; the extra height has garnered Thomas six red-zone targets so far this season. Thomas comes in at WR38 in our PFN Consensus Rankings.
Rashid Shaheed’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Shaheed has four subpar fantasy outings sandwiched with two fantastic ones. In Week 6, he caught two of his targets for 85 yards and a TD and finished as WR6. This was the first time he really impacted the game since Week 1 when he was WR11. He also had two carries for 18 yards.
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Shaheed definitely has the chance for some highlight-reel plays, but his inconsistency in targets makes it scary to place him in your fantasy lineup. He is WR43 this week in PFN’s Consensus Rankings.
Which of the Saints WRs Should You Start?
If you are deciding between these three Saints receivers, Olave is the one to start. He is the most talented of the three and is due for some positive TD regression. Hopefully, he gets it on Thursday.