Fantasy Football Team Previews 2020: New Orleans Saints

Must Own = Top 120

Value = 121-170

Deep Sleeper = 171 or later

Must Own:

Alvin Kamara, RB (ADP: 4): Kamara hasn’t scared off fantasy owners with his somewhat underwhelming 2019 campaign, in which he scored six total touchdowns, a third of his touchdown output in 2018. Fantasy owners are right to be unfazed; Kamara battled injuries at times in 2019 and it was evident when he was healthy and when he was banged up. His touchdown total suffered, but his yards per carry remained almost identical, as did his receptions per game. In fact, in one of the weirdest stats I’ve ever seen, he caught 81 passes for the third consecutive season. Kamara is still a freak athlete and one of the most efficient players at his position. You’ll have to make peace with less volume than other top guys at RB, but with Kamara, in this high-powered offense, it truly doesn’t matter. He’ll justify this ADP.

Michael Thomas, WR (ADP: 5): There’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking Thomas at No. 5 overall, as he’s far and away the most secure option at WR. Last season was an all-timer; he caught 149 passes for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns. I’m unlikely to take him fifth because I don’t believe he’ll repeat his incredible season. I’d still take him in Round 1 though, because even if he falls off some, he’s a mortal lock to be in the Top 3 at the position. Thomas has caught 100+ passes and amassed 1,200+ yards for three straight years, and Drew Brees is still his QB. If you’re all about safety in the first, there’s an argument for Thomas to be taken even higher.

Drew Brees, QB (ADP: 80): Speaking of Brees, are we ever going to see an age-related drop off? Brees will turn 42 this season, and yet in 2019 he posted the best TD% (7.1%) of his Hall of Fame career. Brees had begun to look like a declining fantasy asset in recent years as the Saints’ D improved and they leaned more on the running game, but Brees assaulted the NFL last year for 27 touchdowns in only 11 games; for context, he threw 32 touchdown passes in 2018 in 15 games. Brees attempted 34 passes a game, which will be the type of volume that can carry him to fantasy greatness again in 2020 with an improved receiving corps. As running QBs become more important in fantasy, guys like Brees are increasingly less valuable and easier to get later in drafts. I absolutely love this ADP for Brees, and would happily take him at pick No. 80. He’s not going to run at all, but his efficiency is still elite, his touchdown potential is incredible, and he will rarely ever give points away with turnovers.

Jared Cook, TE (ADP: 82): Cook is an up-and-down player who should thank his lucky stars he’s ended up with a QB like Brees who can make TEs famous. Cook has been a disappointing player for most of his career, but in this offense he thrived, scoring nine touchdowns in 14 games. Some weeks Cook will leave you cold; he only caught 43 passes for 705 yards,  and saw fewer than five targets per game. He is currently the ninth TE off the board, which is okay. I think that Cook, while touchdown-dependent, is safer than most players of his ilk due to this perfect scenario. With that said, he does not possess the elite breakout potential of other guys going later, and I prefer to go that route if I haven’t splurged on an elite TE.

Emmanuel Sanders, WR (ADP: 104): I’ve written about Sanders a lot this season, here and here, but I can’t say enough about how he recovered from a torn Achilles at age 33 and played so well for the Broncos – who went from Joe Flacco to Drew Lock – that he was traded to a Super Bowl contender. Sanders finished the season with 66 catches, 869 yards and five touchdowns. The output was eerily similar to his 2018 stat line, which may leave you asking what it is I’m so excited about. Sanders is an elite route runner, and he’s joined one of football’s best offenses and accurate QBs. It’s been a long time since Brees has had a legitimate No. 2 receiver. Lately he’s been making lemonade with Tre’Quan Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., etc. and while the offense has been fine, there’s been zero fantasy fun. We’re about to have fun.

Sanders posted a Top 24 WR DVOA (10.5%) with bottom 5 QB play until he was traded to San Francisco. He posted 937 Effective Yards against 896 actual yards, more evidence that he’s capable of more with better QB play. Sanders is close to the end of his fantasy relevance, but this year should be a blaze of glory. One of my absolute favorite values of 2020.

Latavius Murray, RB (ADP: 120): Murray is arguably the top handcuff in fantasy, which he proved when Kamara went down for a two-game stretch last season. In his absence, Murray ripped off 221 yards and four total touchdowns as well as 14 receptions. Of course, when Kamara is healthy, Murray has very little standalone value; he finished 2019 with just 637 yards and six total touchdowns. Still, any Kamara owner should take the Murray plunge, because if Kamara goes down again Murray is going to cost you a vast chunk of your FAAB dollars.

Value:

Deep Sleeper:

Taysom Hill, QB (ADP: N/A): Hill isn’t really draftable, but he’s unique and could have a lot of value if we see an injury to Drew Brees. Obviously, his value didn’t increase at all when the Saints signed Jameis Winston to back Brees up; Winston literally led the NFL in passing yardage, and could potentially be a QB of the future. But rest assured if Brees is missing time, Hill is going to find his way under center more often, and when he’s on the field it’s to do something. Hill rushed 27 times for 156 yards and one touchdown in 2019, and is a legitimate emergency option for owners in two-QB formats.