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Olave belongs in the WR1 mix again for 2026. He just delivered career highs in catches, yards, and TDs, while returning the QB and coaching staff behind that breakout. Jordyn Tyson introduces some target-share risk, but his presence should also help boost the efficiency of the entire passing game. Olave’s WR13 ADP puts him in the middle of Round 3 in 12-team drafts, which looks fair.
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Olave set career highs with 100 catches, 1,163 yards, and 9 TDs. That placed him sixth among WRs in PPR and half-PPR points.
Olave finished with five top-12 fantasy weeks among 16 games, including four in the top 5. He ended only two weeks outside the top-36 WRs.
Through Week 17, Olave ranked 10th among WRs with a 27.2% target share. That’s up from his marks in 2024 (23.6%), 2023 (23.9%) and 2022 (25.8%).
Isolate his eight-game sample with QB Tyler Shough, and the target share remains stable at 27.4%.
Olave remained the Saints’ primary intermediate and downfield weapon. His 41.7% air-yards share ranked seventh among WRs, while new HC Kellen Moore moved him inside more often with a career-high 41.9% of his routes coming from the slot.
The Saints leaned on Olave in scoring range, too. His 30.2% red-zone target share ranked fourth among all pass catchers.
Olave posted strong efficiency markers with Shough, including:
He also finished sixth in ESPN’s Open Score, which measures how well a WR separates. The only WRs ahead of him: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Puka Nacua, Garrett Wilson, and Stefon Diggs.
QB Spencer Rattler started the first eight games and racked up only 8 TDs and 6.2 yards per attempt. He averaged just 207.1 yards per game in his seven complete outings.
Olave posted one top-15 fantasy finish alongside Rattler; three in the WR17-WR24 range.
Olave missed only one game: Week 18 with a blood clot in his lung. He was still limited in the offseason as he continued to recover.
Olave’s football career was disrupted by five documented concussions from 2020-2024. Two separate concussions from the 2024 season forced nine absences and led him to consider retirement.
The Saints spent a Round 1 pick on Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson. When healthy, Tyson looked like a future NFL No. 1 with his physicality, route running, and body control. But he missed a substantial chunk of his college career with multiple injuries.
We’re projecting him in the No. 2 role with 6.7 targets per game, 1.7 behind Olave.
Olave’s target volume is still helped by the lack of proven options behind him. Likely WR3 Devaughn Vele is a third-year undrafted free agent who managed just 25-293-2 in 13 games last year. TE Juwan Johnson’s career year came with a major assist from a thin depth chart. We project Johnson’s targets to drop 15% to 86.7 from last year’s 102.
WR Bryce Lance’s size and athleticism make him a name to watch after he totaled 2,157 yards and 25 TDs over the past two seasons at North Dakota State. But even if the rookie pushes for a role, it would likely ding Vele and not Olave.
Shough returns for Year 2 after calling his connection with Olave “explosive.”
"I think for him, he's just super consistent,” Shough said. “Mentally, what he's had to overcome just from coming in, drafted at a high level, had some kind of freak injuries. He's just been the same dude showing up. He's just an explosive play waiting to happen and I love the guy.
"We're going to keep building that chemistry. He's been big for me coming in you know, kind of, halfway through the season and just being that positive ear and my voice. We're just constantly communicating. Fired up to kind of see what we can do next year.”
Olave finished last year with a 56% catch rate, but that climbed to 66.2% with Shough. If that efficiency holds on Olave’s current usage, another 2025-level season is well within reach.
Olave enters Year 2 with HC Kellen Moore and OC Doug Nussmeier.
It’s the same braintrust that ranked fifth in pass rate, fifth in neutral pass rate, sixth in total pass attempts, and first in pace and situation-neutral pace last season. Even with an 11th-place finish in total plays, there’s no reason to worry about the staff.
Olave proved last year that his ceiling rises to mid-WR1 territory. And now he returns the same QB and coaching staff that helped him reach career-best marks.
Olave is entering just his age-26 season and should remain the clear lead target. His best-case outlook includes repeating last year’s target share over a full season with Shough, who ideally improves on a promising rookie campaign.
That combo could land Olave near the top of the position in scoring again.
Even though he made it through last season without a concussion, that history puts Olave at risk of missing multiple games if he suffers another.
It’s also possible that Tyson siphons some of that career-best target share. A quick rookie-year adjustment could keep Olave from matching his 9.8 targets per game from 2025, while a high-priced new RB could turn some of last year’s pass attempts into rushes.
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Chris Olave Active
Chris Olave Active
Saints WR Chris Olave (hamstring) is active for today’s game vs. the Ravens. He was pulled from Thursday’s practice as a precaution, according to insider Nick Underhill, and got in a limited practice on Friday. There’s elevated risk here, but Olave belongs in virtually all fantasy lineups after going off for 182 yards last week.
Chris Olave Expected To Play Week 2
Chris Olave Expected To Play Week 2
Saints WR Chris Olave (hamstring) is expected to play vs. the Ravens today, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Olave will carry elevated risk after being added to Thursday's injury report and remaining limited in Friday's practice. But he'd be virtually impossible to leave out of fantasy lineups after exploding for 182 yards in the opener.
Chris Olave Questionable For Week 2
Chris Olave Questionable For Week 2
Saints WR Chris Olave (hamstring) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Ravens. He was pulled from Thursday’s practice as a precaution, according to insider Nick Underhill, and got in a limited practice on Friday. That should have him on track to play Sunday, but we’ll look for further updates on his status between now and 1 pm ET kickoff.
Chris Olave Limited Thursday With Hamstring
Chris Olave Limited Thursday With Hamstring
Saints WR Chris Olave was added to the injury report and limited in practice on Thursday with a hamstring. Insider Nick Underhill hears that Olave left practice "as a precautionary measure" and that the injury is "nothing that is expected to be a problem." Still, any hamstring issue just 3 days before kickoff is a concern. It's worth noting that Olave hasn't had a hamstring injury since 2019 at Ohio State. We'll see if he practices tomorrow and how he's listed on the final injury report.
Chris Olave 'Should Be Fine' After Practice Scare
Chris Olave 'Should Be Fine' After Practice Scare
Saints WR Chris Olave left practice early after hitting the ground while attempting to catch a deep pass. With practice nearly over, he did not return, but HC Kellen Moore said Olave got the wind knocked out of him and should be fine.
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