New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Jake Haener saw his first NFL start come to a premature end in the third quarter of Week 15. Haener was seemingly benched in favor of Spencer Rattler, who started three games earlier in the season in Derek Carr’s absence.
Rattler took to the field for the Saints’ first drive of the second half, with Haener having played the entire first half. Let’s examine what happened and the potential fantasy football impact.
Why Was Jake Haener Benched?
We should get more clarity from the Saints’ interim head coach, Darren Rizzi, after the game, but Haener’s stat line doesn’t make for pretty reading. He was 4 for 10 for 49 yards with an interception in the first half. At the end of the half, Haener had just a 16.2 passer rating, and that appeared to be all that Rizzi and the Saints needed to see.
The decision appeared to be wise, as Rattler passed for 51 yards in just four passing attempts and led New Orleans on a touchdown drive. That drive ended with Cedrick Wilson Jr. throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass to Alvin Kamara.
SLING DAT THING SPENCER!!
Rattler to MVS for yards#WASvsNO | 📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/zOhAYRQjQH
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 15, 2024
The Saints went 0-3 in Rattler’s previous three starts, scoring 45 points across those three games. He completed just 59.6% of his 99 passing attempts, with one touchdown and two interceptions.
In those three games, Rattler had QB+ grades of D, D, and D+. His best performance came against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8, but the Saints could still only score eight points in that game.
Fantasy Impact of Jake Haener’s Benching
Analysis by Kyle Soppe
The Saints have had the injury bug all season, and that has rendered the skill positions essentially useless for much of the season.
Outside of Alvin Kamara, there’s not much to like here. Juwan Johnson had a moment in the sun as a viable option due to the targets vacated by Taysom Hill, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling is a threat to take the top off of any defense. However, with complete uncertainty under center, fantasy managers are just hoping that Kamara’s usage doesn’t change in a significant way as they approach championship week.