QB Drew Brees (New Orleans)

Since joining the Saints in 2006 and uniting with Sean Payton, he’s completed 67.3% of his passes for an average of 7.76 YPA, 283 touchdowns and 124 interceptions. He’s going into his age 35 season, but he’s shown no signs of decline. Last season, he completed 68.6% of his passes for an average of 7.94 YPA, 39 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Like Brady and Manning before him, Brees is another quarterback who could remain dominant into his mid-30s.

5200 passing yards, 41 passing touchdowns, 17 interceptions, 40 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown (348 pts standard)

RB Pierre Thomas (New Orleans)

Thomas only averaged 3.73 yards per carry last season (549 yards on 147 carries), but he also averaged 2.20 yards per carry after contact and broke 43 tackles on 224 carries, giving him the 18th best elusive rating at his position among eligible players. On top of that, he’s averaged 4.56 yards per carry for his career and he caught 77 passes for 513 yards last season. He’s going into his age 30 season and he’s only maxed out at 147 carries in a season (twice), but he’ll still have a significant role as a passing down back, especially with Darren Sproles gone.

120 carries for 520 yards, 5 total touchdowns, 75 catches for 600 yards

RB Mark Ingram (New Orleans)

Ingram was a first round pick in 2011, but he’s been a bust thus far in his career. He’s had just 356 carries in 3 seasons, averaging 4.11 yards per carry (1462 yards) and scoring 11 touchdowns. He’s missed 11 games in 3 seasons and has shown nothing as a pass catcher, only catching 24 passes for 143 yards in his career. He’ll compete with Khiry Robinson for the primary running down back role this season.

100 carries for 420 yards, 4 total touchdowns, 11 catches for 90 yards (75 pts standard)

RB Khiry Robinson (New Orleans)

Robinson, meanwhile, saw 76 snaps as an undrafted rookie and rushed for 224 yards and a touchdown on 54 carries, an average of 4.15 yards per carry. He doesn’t offer anything on passing downs either. The coaching staff really likes him though so, right now, I’d say that he’s the favorite to be their lead back right now. He flashed in the post-season, rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, an average of 4.86 yards per carry. I don’t see any New Orleans running back getting more than 150 carries though. Thomas is valuable in PPR, but other than that, it’s a fantasy wasteland.

140 carries for 620 yards, 5 total touchdowns, 10 catches for 80 yards (100 pts standard)

WR Marques Colston (New Orleans)

Marques Colston remains as the #1 wide receiver. He showed statistical decline last season, catching 75 passes for 943 yards and 5 touchdowns. It tied a career low for touchdowns and it was only the 2nd season of his 8-year career in which he went under 1000 yards, with the other season being a season in which he played just 11 games. However, he was still really efficient, catching 70.1% of his targets and averaging 1.77 yards per route run. He’s going into his age 31 season, he should have another solid season and probably lead Saint wide receivers in catches and yards.

70 catches for 1010 yards and 8 touchdowns (149 pts standard)

WR Brandin Cooks (New Orleans)

Rookie wide receivers rarely do anything. Since 2005, 31 receivers have gone in the 1st round. They’ve averaged 41 catches for 558 yards and 3 touchdowns per season. Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson were top-3 picks and they had 58/780/8 and 48/756/4 respectively as rookies. If Cooks can end up winning a starting job or a significant role, he could surpass those numbers, not because he’s more talented than the average 1st round wide receiver (or Johnson or Fitzgerald obviously), but because of the situation he was drafted into with Drew Brees throwing him the football. He’ll still be overdrafted though.

42 catches for 750 yards and 6 touchdowns (111 pts standard)

WR Kenny Stills (New Orleans)

Stills is competing with Cooks for the starting job. He probably won’t win it, but he’ll still have a significant role. The 2013 5th round pick struggled as a rookie. He caught 32 of his 46 targets (69.6%) for 641 yards and 5 touchdowns, but he did so on 496 routes run, an average of 1.29 yards per route run. He was purely a deep threat. That being said, rookie wide receivers almost always struggle, as I mentioned earlier, and he definitely flashed at times, so he could be improved in his 2nd year in the league.

45 catches for 700 yards and 5 touchdowns (100 pts standard)

TE Jimmy Graham (New Orleans)

Jimmy Graham is listed as a tight end, but he’s the Saints’ de facto #1 receiver. In 4 seasons in the league since being drafted in the 3rd round in 2010, he’s caught 301 passes for 3863 yards and 41 touchdowns on 454 targets (66.3%) and 1758 routes run, an average of 2.20 yards per route run. Rob Gronkowski is a significant better blocker and a more well-rounded tight end, but he has a significant injury history so Graham is the best pass catching tight end in the league. He’s easily the top tight end this year and a first round pick in fantasy, given the lack of depth at the tight end position.

91 catches for 1210 yards and 12 touchdowns (193 pts standard)

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