Chris Olave
Olave is the Saints' clear No. 1 receiver and primary target for the rest of the season, though his volume has dipped over the last two games.
Role
Current coverage calls him the clear No. 1 option. SI reported he played 85.6 percent of snaps in Week 1, and RotoWire's snap table (indexed about 48 days ago) shows him at 86 to 92 percent in individual games. He led the NFL with 48 targets through four games, with double-digit targets in each. Over the last two games he has 13 targets (ESPN), including 7 against the Giants. Rookie Jordyn Tyson is expected to miss a month or two with a hamstring injury (ESPN), so he is not currently competing for targets. SI named Devaughn Vele and Juwan Johnson as the receivers who would gain if Olave sat. RotoWire noted that the Saints wanted to steer short targets to Tyson and RB Travis Etienne. I did not read a current depth chart page.
He is the featured target on a pass-heavy offense. Through four games he led the league in targets, and FantasyData had him second in receptions and receiving yards. Tyson's hamstring injury leaves him without a rival for top billing. He also set career highs last season with 156 targets, 100 catches, 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns. NBC and Fox kept calling him a WR1 after the Week 5 dip, and PFF graded him 7th among receivers early in the season.
Volume has fallen from double-digit targets in each of the first four games to 13 over the last two (ESPN). The Saints are 1-4 as of the Crescent City Sports report, and Tyler Shough threw for only 144 yards against the Giants and 96 yards against Minnesota. A weak passing offense caps Olave's ceiling. Tyson's eventual return and Etienne's short-area role could take some targets, and Olave caught his Week 6 touchdown on only 7 targets.
Where analysts split
Broad agreement that he is the No. 1 receiver. The only open question is whether the recent drop to 6 and 7 targets comes from Shough's struggles and game script, as Fox and NBC suggest, or from a lasting change in how often Olave is targeted. The sources I found do not settle that.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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