Chris

Olave

With Tee Higgins likely to be franchise-tagged by the Bengals and the Buccaneers reportedly hoping to re-sign Chris Godwin before he hits free agency, a once-promising wide receiver market suddenly looks a tad underwhelming for the receiver-needy Patriots. D.K. Metcalf, Chris Olave, and Cooper Kupp were names Graff threw around in a recent article on The Athletic, and given the nine draft picks they’re currently sitting on, it’s fair to say the Patriots have the draft capital to get a deal done. Who they trade for likely depends on the asking price, but the Patriots can’t go into a third-straight season with Demario Douglas as their top receiving target.

Olave is practicing in full, but the Saints have nothing to play for. Despite likely being cleared for action, we would be surprised to see him take the field for a meaningless Week 18 contest. Assuming he doesn’t, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Kevin Austin will run as the team’s top receivers versus Tampa Bay.

He practiced in full for most of last week, but the decision to hold him out reportedly came down to conditioning. It’s almost impossible to understand what a Week 18 Olave looks like without also figuring out the health of Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara, but if Olave played with Spencer Rattler in Week 18 he’d probably not be worth using in fantasy leagues given how weak that offense has looked the last three weeks.

Olave practiced in full on Wednesday and Thursday. His Friday practice participation has not yet been released but his questionable labeling at least tells us the team is keeping long-term outlooks in mind. Beat reporter Nick Underhill states, “Olave is questionable but I’d bet he doesn’t play.” Fantasy managers should expect to be without Olave this week though he would be a volatile WR2/3 if active.

Olave has now been listed as a full participant in both practices this week and is trending toward a return in Week 17 against the Raiders. The third-year receiver has dealt with multiple concussions this season but will try to salvage what’s left of 2024 with two games left on the schedule. If he’s active, Olave would profile as a fringe WR2/WR3 with Spencer Rattler under center.

Olave’s continued limited participation at least bodes positively for his overall health. Assuming he returns for his team’s Week 16 Monday Night Football matchup against the Packers is likely premature though. The Saints have handled his situation with an abundance of caution thus far.

Olave was officially limited in Thursday’s practice, per beat reporter Mike Triplett. Fantasy managers should not expect Olave to be rushed into action in time for the Saints’ Week 16 Monday Night Football game but this is certainly worth monitoring. It appears as though Olave has a real chance of playing in Week 17 at least.

Olave is eligible to be activated from injured reserve, but the Saints are nearing the end of a lost season and he has a lengthy concussion history. There’s no reason to rush him back for a few meaningless games. We still expect him to miss the remainder of the season, though Rizzi didn’t rule him out for the year just yet. Marquez Valdes-Scantling will continue to operate as the Saints’ top receiver for at least one more week.

Rizzi added that Olave has seen several specialists and has another appointment coming up soon. The earliest Olave could come off IR is in Week 15. He was seen observing practice today — the Saints are taking Thursday off — but until he practices or we hear something more firmly optimistic about this season, we wouldn’t hold out hope of Olave playing again in 2024.

He’s visiting a specialist this week and the Saints are reportedly content to take the four week timeline for now, meaning Olave could return for Week 15 against the Commanders. That doesn’t make him a must-roster in fantasy for teams that are desperate for roster spots, and the fact that the question was asked in the first place is concerning in its own right after Olave suffered his second major concussion of the season in Week 9.