New Orleans Saints

Head Coach: Sean Payton (11th year)
Offensive Coordinator: Pete Carmichael (8th year)
Defensive Coordinator: Dennis Allen (1st year)

Depth Chart

Quarterback: Drew Brees, Luke McCown
Running Back: Mark Ingram, Tim Hightower, CJ Spiller, Travaris Cadet
Wide Receiver: Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead, Michael Thomas, Brandon Coleman
Tight End: Coby Fleener, Josh Hill
Kicker: Kai Forbath
Defense/Spec Teams: 2015-Finished 31st in yards against and 32nd in points against. Finished 25th in sacks and 26th in interceptions.

Coaching Philosophy

It’s no surprise what the Saints are going to do. For the past six seasons, the Saints have finished as one of the top four teams in the league in passing attempts. They throw the ball and they throw it a lot. Drew Brees is still at the helm and their defense is still bad enough that the Saints should be involved in a lot of shoot outs. Look for Brees and the Saints to see more air time this season than Southwest Airlines.

Fantasy Outlook

Saints Quarterbacks

Even with these wide receivers, I think Drew Brees could throw for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Here are some things to know about Drew Brees. Over the past nine years, he has missed a total of only two games, threw for less than 625 pass attempts only one season and hasn’t throw for less than 28 touchdowns. He’s also thrown for more than 5,000 yards three times over that stretch and more than 40 touchdowns twice. Even at the age of 37, Brees is about as safe as they come at the quarterback position. He has some really good receiving threats and a defense that will likely force Brees to throw a lot to stay in games. Brees should be one of the top five or six quarterbacks off the board in drafts this season.

Saints Running Backs

Mark Ingram’s involvement in the passing game has really helped his fantasy value.

Mark Ingram could be one of the more underrated running backs in drafts this season. Last year he finished as the 11th highest scoring running back in PPR leagues despite missing the final four games of the season. He was able to do this because he garnered a much larger role in the passing game than he did in his first four seasons. In seasons one through four, Ingram had a total of 60 targets. In 2015, he had a 60 targets. CJ Spiller never earned a prominent role in the offense and his loss was Ingram’s gain. Ingram is a three down back that as of now, can be had in the late second or third round of fantasy drafts. The main concern with Ingram however, is health. In his five seasons, he has missed a total of 18 games and only played in 16 games, one time. With his injury history, he’s a little more a risk but also has a high ceiling. If you decide to start your draft with two wide receivers and see Ingram sitting there for you in the third, you would have a very nice start to your draft.

If you take Ingram, you might want to make sure to draft Tim Hightower to lock up his handcuff at the position. Hightower was a fantastic story last year, as he was out of the league for three years before he signed with the Saints and performed admirably over the final four games that Ingram missed. He scored double digit fantasy points in all four games, including Week 16 where he had 27 carries for 127 yards with two touchdowns. Even at 30 years old, he’s one of the better handcuffs in fantasy football. CJ Spiller is no longer even guaranteed a roster spot and shouldn’t be considered on draft day.

Saints Wide Recievers

Brandin Cooks has developed into of the best, young receivers in the NFL.

I was very high on Saints receiver, Brandin Cooks last year and after the first month of the season, I was starting to think he was going to make me look like a fool. Then he shifted gears over the final three quarters of the season and finished with 86 receptions for over 1,100 yards and nine scores. He’s got great hands, runs very good routes and has become Drew Brees favorite target. Entering his third season, I think there’s a chance we see a slight improvement from Cooks and he could very well push for 100 catches, 1,200-1,300 yards and eight or so touchdowns. Anywhere after the middle of the second or the second round, is a nice place to select him in drafts this year.

Going into last year, no one expected any fantasy production from Willie Snead. As a matter of fact, lot of people didn’t even expect him to make the final roster. He was an undrafted free agent out of Ball State that few knew about. However, Snead proved everyone wrong, as he caught 69 balls for almost 1,000 yards and three scores. With the addition of rookie, Michael Thomas, I think Snead may see a little reduction in his production in 2016, but he is still capable of being a guy you can plug into your flex spot and draft in the tenth or eleventh round this year.

If no one expected much out of undrafted free agent Willie Snead, I wonder what we should expect out of second round draft pick, Michael Thomas. Thomas is 6’3″, 212 pounds and has the profile of a number one wide receiver in the NFL. Not only that, but the New Orleans Advocate has called Thomas, “Easiest the best player in camp so far” and his fantasy value is on the rise. He’s not blazing fast as he has 4.57 40 speed, but he is excellent at winning the ball and a good complement to Cooks in the offense. Interesting note…he is the nephew of former NFL wide receiver, Keyshawn Johnson. I think uncle Keyshawn can help Thomas become a valuable piece in this Saints offense. He’s currently going a round or two later than Snead in drafts, but I think I would much rather have the upside and talent of Thomas on my fantasy roster. He’s a very good guy to target in the later rounds of drafts to fill out your wide receiver corps.

Saints Tight Ends

2015 – Ben Watson: 74 receptions, 825 yards, six touchdowns
2014 – Jimmy Graham: 85 receptions, 889 yards, ten touchdowns
2013 – Jimmy Graham: 86 receptions, 1,215 yards, sixteen touchdowns
2012 – Jimmy Graham: 85 receptions, 982 yards, nine touchdowns
2011 – Jimmy Graham: 99 receptions, 1,310 yards, eleven touchdowns

As you can see, Drew Brees loves throwing the ball to his tight ends. Last year, Ben Watson saw 102 targets under Brees and Jimmy Graham saw an average of 133 targets with Brees throwing him the ball. Graham was traded to the Seahawks a year ago and Watson has moved on to Baltimore and in their place now is Coby Fleener. Fleener averaged 82 targets in his career with Indianapolis, and he should see that number rise dramatically with the Saints. Fleener has the upside that I love in a fantasy tight end, and if you don’t want to draft a Gronk, Jordan Reed or Greg Olsen early, Fleener is one of my next favorite, tight end targets to draft a few rounds later than the top guys.

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