Fantasy football managers who have been relying on New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave had to pivot after he missed his first game of the 2023 campaign in Week 15 with an ankle injury.
With Olave set to now get back on the field for their upcoming matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football, is WR Rashid Shaheed a sneaky starting option for managers in Week 16? Let’s take a closer look.
Should You Start Rashid Shaheed in Week 16?
Editor’s note: Olave has no injury designation for Week 16 and he will play.
Olave has been the clear-cut alpha receiver for the Saints’ offense in 2023 with 116 targets, 72 receptions, 918 yards, and four scores this season. Unfortunately, Olave missed the team’s Week 15 matchup against the New York Giants on Sunday and has a short week to get his ankle right heading into a pivotal Week 16 showdown against the Rams.
According to the team’s injury report, Olave was estimated as a non-participant for Monday’s practice, which suggests his status for TNF is very much up in the air.
If Olave can’t go against the Rams, what does this mean for the fantasy outlook for Shaheed heading into Week 16?
Well, if we are to take his production against the Giants without Olave in the lineup as a potential projection of his workload in Week 16, then there isn’t a whole lot to get excited about. He saw just four targets — only slightly above his season average — and produced an underwhelming three receptions for 36 yards with no touchdowns.
Perhaps even more disappointing was his 58% snap share, which was right around his season average, as well. The absence of Olave didn’t appear to move the fantasy needle very much — if at all — for Shaheed in Week 15.
Now, it would be fair to mention that this was Shaheed’s first game back in the lineup after missing the previous two contests while dealing with a thigh injury, but the usage was the usage, and it shouldn’t be ignored for the sake of a more aggressive fantasy projection this week.
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Shaheed is certainly an explosive playmaker with plenty of vertical speed, which always makes him a dangerous fantasy weapon in your lineup, but he hasn’t produced a fantasy performance over eight points in PPR formats since Week 8.
Whether Olave is in the lineup or not on Thursday, Shaheed remains a boom-or-bust option for your fantasy lineup in Week 16, which puts him in the WR3/Flex conversation with an optimistic projection.
Trending Start/Sit Searches For Shaheed
Did you know that we have a Start/Sit Optimizer here at Pro Football Network? It’s completely free to use, and it allows you to enter up to six players to find the best option to plug into your starting lineup.
It also allows us to see the most popular trending searches. We’ve jotted some of them down here to help provide some clarity.
Should You Start Shaheed or Zay Jones?
If you could guarantee me that Jacksonville Jaguars WR Zay Jones is fully healthy and QB Trevor Lawrence will clear concussion protocol in time for their upcoming matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ lackluster secondary, then I would probably go with Jones over Shaheed.
Unfortunately, neither of those factors looks very promising at this moment. Jones is dealing with a hamstring injury, which makes him a very risky Flex play this week. I would roll with Shaheed, based simply on his situation being far more secure than Jones heading into Week 16.
Should You Start Shaheed or Elijah Moore?
After seeing 12 targets from QB Joe Flacco in his starting debut under center for the Cleveland Browns in Week 13, Moore has seen a combined nine targets over the last two games, which has resulted in only five receptions for 59 yards.
Moore has been a fantasy disappointment this season and is the clear third option — behind WR Amari Cooper and TE David Njoku — in the Browns’ mediocre passing attack. This has me wanting to roll the dice on Shaheed’s big-play fantasy ceiling in Week 16.
Derek Tate’s Week 16 WR Rankings
1) Tyreek Hill | MIA (vs. DAL)
2) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. NYG)
3) CeeDee Lamb | DAL (at MIA)
4) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (at MIN)
5) Stefon Diggs | BUF (at LAC)
6) Justin Jefferson | MIN (vs. DET)
7) Mike Evans | TB (vs. JAX)
8) DJ Moore | CHI (vs. ARI)
9) Rashee Rice | KC (vs. LV)
10) Cooper Kupp | LAR (vs. NO)
11) Deebo Samuel | SF (vs. BAL)
12) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (vs. DAL)
13) DK Metcalf | SEA (at TEN)
14) Brandon Aiyuk | SF (vs. BAL)
15) Chris Olave | NO (at LAR)
16) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (vs. WAS)
17) Puka Nacua | LAR (vs. NO)
18) Ja’Marr Chase | CIN (at PIT)
19) Davante Adams | LV (at KC)
20) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. NYG)
21) Nico Collins | HOU (vs. CLE)
22) Calvin Ridley | JAX (at TB)
23) Courtland Sutton | DEN (vs. NE)
24) Jayden Reed | GB (at CAR)
25) Tee Higgins | CIN (at PIT)
26) Amari Cooper | CLE (at HOU)
27) Zay Flowers | BAL (at SF)
28) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at KC)
29) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at TEN)
30) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at NYJ)
31) DeAndre Hopkins | TEN (vs. SEA)
32) Drake London | ATL (vs. IND)
33) Brandin Cooks | DAL (at MIA)
34) Odell Beckham Jr. | BAL (at SF)
35) Josh Downs | IND (at ATL)
36) Jordan Addison | MIN (vs. DET)
37) Diontae Johnson | PIT (vs. CIN)
38) Chris Godwin | TB (vs. JAX)
39) Adam Thielen | CAR (vs. GB)
40) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at TEN)
41) Noah Brown | HOU (vs. CLE)
42) Demario Douglas | NE (at DEN)
43) Joshua Palmer | LAC (vs. BUF)
44) Marquise Brown | ARI (at CHI)
45) Christian Watson | GB (at CAR)
46) Curtis Samuel | WAS (at NYJ)
47) Zay Jones | JAX (at TB)
48) Gabe Davis | BUF (at LAC)
49) Jerry Jeudy | DEN (vs. NE)
50) Romeo Doubs | GB (at CAR)
51) George Pickens | PIT (vs. CIN)
52) Rashid Shaheed | NO (at LAR)
53) Jahan Dotson | WAS (at NYJ)
54) Jonathan Mingo | CAR (vs. GB)
55) Wan’Dale Robinson | NYG (at PHI)
56) Alec Pierce | IND (at ATL)
57) Quentin Johnston | LAC (vs. BUF)
58) Elijah Moore | CLE (at HOU)
59) Jameson Williams | DET (at MIN)
60) Michael Wilson | ARI (at CHI)
61) Jalin Hyatt | NYG (at PHI)
62) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (at CAR)
63) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (vs. NO)
64) Darius Slayton | NYG (at PHI)
65) Justin Watson | KC (vs. LV)
66) Tyler Boyd | CIN (at PIT)
67) Rashod Bateman | BAL (at SF)
68) Robert Woods | HOU (vs. CLE)
69) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at LAC)
70) Parker Washington | JAX (at TB)
71) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (vs. NE)
72) Darnell Mooney | CHI (vs. ARI)
73) Trey Palmer | TB (vs. JAX)
74) Rondale Moore | ARI (at CHI)
75) DJ Chark | CAR (vs. GB)
76) A.T. Perry | NO (at LAR)
77) Josh Reynolds | DET (at MIN)
78) Michael Gallup | DAL (at MIA)
79) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (vs. SEA)
80) K.J. Osborn | MIN (vs. DET)
81) Cedric Tillman | CLE (at HOU)
82) John Metchie III | HOU (vs. CLE)
83) Treylon Burks | TEN (vs. SEA)
84) Cedrick Wilson Jr. | MIA (vs. DAL)
85) Hunter Renfrow | LV (at KC)
86) DeVante Parker | NE (at DEN)
87) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | KC (vs. LV)
88) Kadarius Toney | KC (vs. LV)
89) Xavier Gipson | NYJ (vs. WAS)
90) Xavier Hutchinson | HOU (vs. CLE)
91) Allen Robinson II | PIT (vs. CIN)
92) Kalif Raymond | DET (at MIN)
93) Nelson Agholor | BAL (at SF)
94) Jalen Guyton | LAC (vs. BUF)
95) Lynn Bowden Jr. | NO (at LAR)
96) Braxton Berrios | MIA (vs. DAL)
97) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (at MIA)
98) Tyquan Thornton | NE (at DEN)
99) Jauan Jennings | SF (vs. BAL)
100) Malik Heath | GB (at CAR)
101) Greg Dortch | ARI (at CHI)
102) River Cracraft | MIA (vs. DAL)
103) Skyy Moore | KC (vs. LV)
104) Allen Lazard | NYJ (vs. WAS)
105) Chris Moore | TEN (vs. SEA)
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