The Saints selected TCU RB Kendre Miller in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Miller is a tough evaluation. Over his last two seasons at TCU, he checked many of the statistical boxes fantasy managers like to see. Miller ranked first in yards per attempt (7.5), yards after contact (5.06), and PFF elusive rating (181.1) as a sophomore in 2021. Last year, Miller exploded with 1,515 scrimmage yards. Unfortunately, a right MCL sprain prevented Miller from participating in any pre-draft testing. Miller will be buried for 2023 on the Saints' depth chart if RB Alvin Kamara avoids suspension. Could New Orleans selecting Miller in Round 3 mean they expect a suspension? Perhaps. Keep Miller in mind as an end-of-draft option. And going fourth in the draft among RBs certainly helps his dynasty outlook. Check out Miller's initial spot in our 2023 fantasy football RB rankings.
Free-agent TE Foster Moreau announced Wednesday that a "routine physical" during a visit to New Orleans discovered Hodgkin's lymphoma. Moreau says he's "stepping away from football at this time to fight" cancer. Bet on the soon-to-be 26-year-old missing at least the coming NFL season. We'll see how the treatment goes beyond that.
The Saints have agreed to a three-year, $12 million deal with RB Jamaal Williams, according to multiple reports. The first thing you need to do here is ignore that Williams led the NFL in rushing TDs last year. That won't happen again. Williams logged eight more carries inside the 5-yard line than anyone else in the league -- 12 more than any other RB. He scored on half of those carries. Williams also led the league in red-zone carries and TDs, even while ranking just fifth in team share of red-zone attempts (60%). Williams benefited from a stellar Lions O-line, a run-friendly offense and D'Andre Swift injuries. He does, however, find another upside path in New Orleans. Alvin Kamara is widely expected to get some suspension this year for his pending assault case. Whether it will come this year and how long it will be, though, remains unknown. The Saints clearly imported Williams to at least complement Kamara, as we've seen Latavius Murray and Mark Ingram do before. Bet on Kamara ceding a larger share of carries than he did last year, as he hits his seventh NFL season. That's enough to make Williams a fine pick in his current low-RB3 ADP range. And if Kamara misses significant time, Williams could easily reach high-end RB2 production.
QB Derek Carr and the Saints are working out a contract that could be done as soon as Monday afternoon, according to multiple reports. It's not a surprising turn for Carr, who had "lengthy" visit to New Orleans a month ago. His arrival will be good news for Saints second-year WR Chris Olave, who finished his rookie season 10th in yards per route run among all WRs with 30+ targets. WR Rashid Shaheed was among the nine players ahead of him (on far fewer targets), so that pair presents some big-play upside for Carr's stat line. That said, we can't upgrade the QB for leaving Davante Adams and Darren Waller. So the best hopes for Carr's ADP and fantasy football outlook are: 1) The Saints add more talent on offense; and 2) fantasy drafters don't boost him much from his current QB20 position. We'll see what else a cap-strapped New Orleans roster can add. And we'll see who teams such as the Jets and Panthers turn to at QB (after also courting Carr). WR Michael Thomas remains under contract with New Orleans as well. But he looks like a cut candidate that could help with the cap issues. Don't assume too strongly for now that he opens the year with the Saints.
Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Carr agreed to a four-year, $150 million deal, with $100 million in "total guarantees."
Saints RB Alvin Kamara has been indicted on battery charges stemming from his role in the assault that took place last February in Las Vegas. So the case is officially heading to court, with the 1st court date set for March 2, according to Pro Football Talk. "He intends to vigorously fight the allegations at trial as he was defending himself and others at the time of the incident," Kamara's lawyers said in a statement. We'll see how this case unfolds -- and how the NFL responds. Remember that the league does not need a legal conviction to suspend Kamara. And, considering there's video of the incident, it seems more likely than not that Kamara is suspended for part of the upcoming 2023 season. Draft accordingly.
The Raiders officially released QB Derek Carr. Keeping him on the roster beyond 4 pm ET on Tuesday would have guaranteed Carr $40 million in 2023. Vegas was reportedly close to agreeing to a trade that would have sent Carr to New Orleans, but the QB opted to exercise his no-trade clause. He's now free to sign wherever he wants, with the Saints, Jets, Panthers and Titans considered his most likely suitors. Carr's efficiency and production sunk under HC Josh McDaniels last year -- and he ranked just 23rd among 31 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus' passing grades. He turns 32 in March. We'll keep you updated on the Carr Sweepstakes. Vegas, meanwhile, is left with "Chase Garbers" as the only QB on the active roster. They'll obviously be active in the QB market over the next few months.
Raiders QB Derek Carr will exercise the no-trade clause in his contract and is expected to be released, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The Raiders and Saints were seemingly close to agreeing to a trade that would send Carr to New Orleans, but he'll now have the chance to pick his new team. The Saints are still a strong candidate to sign Carr, but the Panthers, Jets and Titans are also possible landing spots. Stay tuned.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the Raiders and Saints have "the framework of a Derek Carr trade in place," which was apparently a condition in Vegas allowing the QB to visit the team. Carr possesses a no-trade clause, which likely means the deal depends on his preference after a "lengthy" visit. New Orleans would be a solid landing spot for the veteran QB, with a clear need at QB. We'd bet that such a trade would mean the end of Jameis Winston's time with the Saints. If you're drafting best-ball teams right now, then you can cheaply stack Carr with WR Chris Olave or RB Alvin Kamara -- who can be had as late as Round 5 or 6 in early fantasy football drafts.
The Raiders are officially looking into trading QB Derek Carr, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Making the process even more official is a public goodbye letter the QB wrote to Raiders fans. This has been the obvious path since the team benched Carr in favor of QB Jarrett Stidham for the final 2 games. Rapoport says there's a "firm deadline of Feb. 15" to work something out. That's when Carr's $40.4 million salary for each of the next 2 seasons would become fully guaranteed. In a QB-hungry league, this motivated seller should be able to work something out. Carr does possess a no-trade clause, giving him power to choose the destination. We'll see how the whole situation plays out and who starts at QB for the 2023 Raiders (Tom Brady?).
Saints TE Juwan Johnson (quad) is active for today’s game vs. the Panthers. He was listed as questionable after getting in just 2 limited practices this week, adding some risk to his Week 18 fantasy profile.
Saints TE Taysom Hill (back) is active for today’s game vs. the Panthers. He was limited in practice all week. Hill carried a season-high 14 times last week and has totaled 30 carries over his last 3 games. It’s unclear if the back issue will limit his role today.
Saints TE Taysom Hill (back) and Juwan Johnson (quadriceps) finished the practice week with limited participation and are both officially questionable for Week 18 vs. the Panthers. Should either receive the green light to play, Johnson is the player worthy of most consideration in fantasy lineups. Though the Panthers' defense ranks as the 8th-toughest matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs, Johnson's 26.8% target share over the last 3 weeks is tied for the team lead with WR Rashid Shaheed. Johnson is a high-end TE2/streaming candidate in Week 18.
Saints TEs Taysom Hill (back) and Juwan Johnson (quadriceps) both practiced in a limited fashion on Thursday. Johnson didn't practice at all on Wednesday, so this is a step in the right direction for him. Hill has now been limited on back-to-back days. Be sure to check back tomorrow for additional information regarding their availability for Week 18 vs. the Panthers.
Saints TE Taysom Hill (back) was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday. Fellow TE Juwan Johnson (quadriceps) did not log practice. It's still early enough in the week for things to turn around for the Saints duo. We'll let you know how their participation evolves this week in advance of Week 18 vs. the Panthers.
Saints WR Rashid Shaheed led the team with 6 catches and 79 yards in Sunday's win over the Eagles. TE Juwan Johnson hauled 5 of 7 targets for 62 yards, and rookie WR Chris Olave returned with 4 receptions on 5 targets for 42 yards after missing Week 16 vs. the Browns. Shaheed's penchant for making big plays paid off once again as he's now logged 70+ receiving yards in 3 of the last 4 games. Fantasy managers playing into Week 18 will see this bunch of pass-catchers take on a Panthers defense that ranks as the 3rd-best matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs and just got torched by QB Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in Week 17.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara carried the ball 16 times for 74 yards in Sunday's win vs. the Eagles. The former Pro Bowler added another 7 yards on 1 catch in the receiving game. The touch opportunity was certainly there for Kamara in Week 17 at a minimum. Some could call his output a success considering the Eagles' defense entered Week 17 ranked 4th-best in Football Outsiders' run defense DVOA in the 3 weeks prior. Even so, a PPR performance under double-digits is less than ideal in the grand scheme of things. Kamara will have a chance to rebound in Week 18 vs. the Panthers.
Lions RB Jamaal Williams racked up 144 yards and a TD in Sunday's win over the Bears. His 22 carries were his 2nd most of the season and twice as many as D'Andre Swift garnered in the game. The TD was his league-leading 15th of the season but 1st in 4 games. Williams will get a weak Packers run defense in Week 18.
Saints CB Marshon Lattimore is active for today's game against the Eagles. It will be his 1st game action since Week 5 internal injuries that included a lacerated kidney. It's tough to know how effective he'll be, but New Orleans has clearly been cautious with the veteran. And he carried no game status on the final injury report of the week, despite remaining limited in practice. The long layoff will likely lessen any hesitation the Eagles might have about challenging Lattimore in coverage, which would help his target count. Lattimore will be a risk-reward play in IDP lineups for Week 17.
Saints LB Pete Werner (hamstring) is active for today's game against the Eagles. He sports some re-injury risk after leaving his last game early, missing last week and remaining limited in practice all week. But he also carries significant tackle upside whenever on the field. We've got Werner modestly projected in our Week 17 IDP rankings. Philadelphia has been a worse scoring matchup for LBs than you'd probably expect for such a run-favoring offense.
Saints WR Chris Olave (hamstring) is active for today’s game vs. the Eagles. The rookie was sidelined with this injury last week and limited in practice all this week. Consider Olave just a WR3 against Philly’s 9th-ranked WR defense.
Search
