Fantasy LIVE
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ST:79% OWN:90% CHG:0%
M. Jones-Drew - RB 
J. Posada - C 
After finishing the ’08 season a disappointing 8-8 despite finishing first in total offense, Coach Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints knew that improvements had to be made on the defensive side of the ball in order for this team to take a step forward. Greg Williams was brought in to run the defense; he brought in Darren Sharper from Minnesota to play centerfield in his secondary, and low and behold this unit moves from -4 in giveaway/takeaways to +11. The offense does its usual stellar job in leading the league in overall performance, and the Saints go on to bring home the franchises first Super Bowl Championship.
Key Additions: CB Patrick Robinson, OT Charles Brown
Key Departures: RB Mike Bell, DE Charles Grant, QB Mark Brunell, LB Scott Fujita
The bull’s eyes are now freshly painted on the backs of the Saints as the rest of the league will look to make them the third champion in the row to not make the playoffs the following season. As you can see not much has changed with this unit, so you can expect them to once again be fun to watch on offense while looking to force more mistakes with their pressure oriented defense. Now we have to see if they can be the first team to make back-to-back playoff appearances from the NFC South since Carolina back in ’03-’04.
| Fantasy draft-worthy Saints | |
|---|---|
| The following players are worth a look in these corresponding rounds of a 12-team non-PPR draft. |
|
| Player, Fantasy Pos | Proj. Rd |
| Drew Brees, QB1 | Rd 1 |
| Pierre Thomas, RB2 | Rd 2 |
| Marques Colston, WR1 | Rd 2-3 |
| Reggie Bush, RB3/4 | Rd 6-7 |
| Robert Meachem, WR3 | Rd 6-7 |
| Jeremy Shockey, TE1/2 | Rd 10-12 |
| Saints DST | Rd 10 |
Passing Attack
Since the arrival of QB Drew Brees back in ’06, this passing attack has finished no worse than fourth in the league in total passing. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it right? All the usual suspects are back to once again light up the league. Brees has not only been spectacular, but also consistent, throwing for no less than 4,388 yards and 26 touchdowns in any season. Last season was perhaps his most impressive, completing 70.6-percent of his passes at an average of 8.5 yards per completion. With this type of production, his name will be called first among at most fantasy drafts among quarterbacks.
As the years have gone by, Brees has actually spread the ball out more, completing 30+ passes to seven different receivers in both ’08 and ’09. Marques Colston is the number one receiver here, and should post solid stats, but expect numbers very similar to last season, making him a borderline WR1, high end WR2 option in fantasy. Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem will both also have value in leagues as well. Meachem scored nine touchdowns last year, and very well could match that total while hauling in more passes this season, consider him a high upside WR3.
Jeremy Shockey improved in his second season with the team, but once again missed time due to injury. He is yet to play a full season in his nine year career, and because of this should be considered nothing more than a TE2 at the moment. In this offense things can change in a heartbeat, so he needs to be monitored. Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas combined to catch 86 passes last season. Expect Reggie’s total to increase this year, while Thomas’s decreases as he assumes a larger role in the rushing attack.
| Fantasy Team Previews |
|---|
| AFC East: BUF | MIA | NE | NYJ |
| AFC North: BAL | CIN | CLE | PIT |
| AFC South: HOU | IND | JAC | TEN |
| AFC West: DEN | KC | OAK | SD |
| NFC East: DAL | NYG | PHI | WAS |
| NFC North: CHI | DET | GB | MIN |
| NFC South: ATL | CAR | NO | TB |
| NFC West: ARI | SF | SEA | STL |
Rushing attack
Believe it or not, this team was pretty close to balanced on offense last season, with a 53/47 pass-to-run ratio. To top that the ranked sixth the league in rushing yardage and tied for third in rushing touchdowns. The departure of Mike Bell leaves fourth year man Pierre Thomas likely in line to receive 200+ carries for the first time in his career. If he reaches that number there is no way he doesn’t reach 1,000 yards rushing and flirt with 10 touchdowns.
Reggie Bush should also factor in as well, but how much he sees the ball on the ground is probably the biggest question mark this team will have on offense this season. Although he carried the ball only 70 times last season, he looked to have turned the corner, averaging 5.6 yards-per-carry, nearly two full yards higher than his career average heading into the season. He is a must have in PPR leagues, and should flirt with his rookie yardage totals if he runs with the same conviction he exhibited last season.
If there is one thing to worry about here, it is that both Thomas and Bush both get bit by the injury bug all too frequently. If at all possible I would do your best at getting your hands on both of these guys and pray they take turns getting injured. If there is one thing you should bank on is each of these guys missing a game or two.
Defense/Special Teams
On paper, this unit wasn’t all that impressive, ranking just 25th in total defense. But when you have an offense as good as the Saints sport combined with a defense geared on creating pressure and generating turnovers, you had yourself the third ranked fantasy defense last year. Safety Darren Sharper and his league leading nine interceptions will be returning for another season, and combined with cornerbacks Malcolm Jenkins, Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter will look to sustain their ball-hawking ways (they ranked third in the league with 26 interceptions).
As far as getting to the quarterback, DE Will Smith got jiggy with it to the tune of a career high 13 sacks last season. A number which accounted for 37-percent of the team’s total. With an offseason to prepare him and the loss of Charles Grant and his 5.5 sacks, Anthony Hargrove, Alex Brown and Sedrick Ellis are going to have to step-up their efforts for Smith to continue producing those types of sack totals.
Courtney Roby will handle a bulk of the kickoffs and Reggie Bush will handle the punt return duties. Roby flies under the radar a bit, but his 27.5 yards per return actually tied with both Josh Cribbs and Percy Harvin last year. Overall this unit can’t be expected to score eight touchdowns and force 39 turnovers again, but they should are definitely draft-worthy in fantasy.
Category: NFL
Tags:
AFC East, AFC North, AFC South, AFC West, NFC East, NFC North, NFC South, NFC West, New Orleans Saints, Jabari Greer, Anthony Hargrove, Josh Cribbs, Mark Brunell, Marques Colston, Scott Fujita, Charles Grant, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem, Will Smith, Pierre Thomas, Alex Brown, Jeremy Shockey, Mike Bell, Courtney Roby, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Sedrick Ellis, Tracy Porter, Darren Sharper, New Orleans Saints DST, Patrick Robinson, Malcolm Jenkins, Charles Brown, Percy Harvin
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