Rashid Shaheed Fantasy Overview

2024 Summary

Production & Fantasy Finishes

Shaheed’s 2024 campaign was cut short after just six games by a torn meniscus.

He tallied 20 catches for 349 yards and three TDs across his six outings, ranking 23rd among WRs in PPR points. He finished as a top-18 WR in four of six weeks.

Usage & Role

Shaheed ran a route on a team-high 87% of pass plays across his six games. His 41 targets over that span also led the team and were 23.3% of the Saints’ total. (Chris Olave missed almost all of Week 6, but Shaheed out-targeted him 34 to 28 over the first five games.)

Shaheed ranked 24th among all WRs in targets and 26th in target share through Week 6.

He was regularly used deep downfield, registered an 18.1-yard average target depth that was a career high and fourth biggest among 106 qualifying WRs last year. 15 of Shaheed’s 41 total targets (36.6%) came 20+ yards downfield.

Shaheed ranked 26th among WRs in expected PPR points per game through Week 6.

Efficiency Metrics

Shaheed caught just 48.8% of his targets last year but averaged 17.5 yards per catch — no surprise considering the big average target depth.

His 8.5 yards per target was a career low but still ranked 40th among 106 WRs with 40+ targets last year. Shaheed’s 2.04 yards per route ranked 29th.

And that was despite poor efficiency on deep balls (which tend to be volatile from season to season). Shaheed caught just three of his 15 targets of 20+ yards. That 20% catch rate ranked 91st among 113 WRs with 5+ deep targets.

Shaheed caught 18 of 28 deep targets (64.3%) over his first two NFL seasons.

Offensive Context

The Saints offense was not very good last year, finishing 24th in points, 21st in yards, and 17th in yards per play. The passing game ranked:

• 23rd in yards
• 20th in TDs
• 30th in completion rate
• 22nd in yards per attempt

Shaheed at least had QB Derek Carr for his first five games. He averaged 3.8 catches, 67.6 yards, and 0.6 TDs across those games — but caught just one of seven targets for 11 yards without Carr in Week 6.

Historical Production & Trends

Shaheed has improved his PPR points per game across his three NFL seasons. He finished 61st among WRs in PPR points per game as a rookie and climbed to 51st in 2023.

Shaheed has been an efficient pass catcher throughout his career, averaging 1.97 yards per route and 10.4 yards per target. That latter mark is tops among 164 active WRs with 100+ career targets — right ahead of Ladd McConkey, Justin Jefferson, and A.J. Brown.

Injury History

Shaheed had his meniscus repaired in mid-October but was back on the field and looked “completely recovered” by May OTAs, according to The Times-Picayune's Matthew Paras. It doesn’t seem like the injury will impact Shaheed’s 2025.

He missed two games in 2023 with a thigh injury and dealt with a toe injury during training camp last year.

2025 Expectations

Projected Role & Competition

The Saints swapped out Marques Valdes-Scantling for Brandin Cooks this offseason. That’s, at best, a lateral move at this point of Cooks’ career. He hasn’t reached 700 yards in a season since 2021 and averaged a career-low 25.9 yards per game last year.

Otherwise, New Orleans made no significant moves in the pass-catching corps. WR Chris Olave, RB Alvin Kamara, and TE Juwan Johnson return from last year’s squad.

We’re projecting Olave to lead the team in targets this year, but Shaheed is the clear No. 2 WR.

Supporting Cast

QB Derek Carr’s surprising retirement in May leaves second-round rookie Tyler Shough as New Orleans’ most likely starter. The other options are Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener, who both struggled in spot duty last year.

Shough spent six injury-plagued years in college but is coming off a nice 2024, posting career highs with 3,195 passing yards and 23 TDs. His 87.7 Pro Football Focus passing grade ranked fifth among 128 qualifying QBs.

Shough is not lacking in terms of arm talent, but he’s a big question mark for Shaheed and the Saints heading into 2025.

Coaching & Offensive Scheme

The Saints hired Kellen Moore as their new HC in February. He replaces Dennis Allen, who was fired in the middle of last season.

This is Moore’s first HC gig after a successful six-year run as an OC.

He ran Dallas’ offense from 2019 to 2022, leading the Cowboys to top-six finishes in points in three of four seasons. Two of those teams led the league in total yards.

Moore headed west to Los Angeles in 2023, taking over as Chargers OC. That team finished 21st in points and 18th in total yards, but QB Justin Herbert dealt with multiple injuries and missed the final four games of the season.

This past year, Moore helped the Eagles to a Super Bowl. The offense ranked seventh in points and eighth in total yards.

Moore has shown an ability to adapt his scheme and play calling to his personnel. His pass rates have ranged from 61.4% (2020 Cowboys) to 44.3% (2024 Eagles). Considering the Saints’ uncertainty at QB, expect Moore to lean toward the run this year.

Moore’s offenses have consistently been fast paced with high play volume. His first five teams ranked top four in seconds per play (last year’s Eagles ranked 24th). And all six have averaged at least 65 plays per game. For perspective, only four teams averaged 65+ plays per game last year.

Moore is no stranger to producing high-end fantasy WRs, either. Here’s his history:

2019 - Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup finish as top-18 WRs in PPR points per game

2020 - Cooper ranks 22nd in PPR points per game

2021 - CeeDee Lamb takes over as top dog and finishes WR23

2022 - Lamb climbs to eighth among WRs in total PPR points

2023 - Keenan Allen ranks third in PPR points per game (Mike Williams finishes 10th, albeit in just three games)

2024 - A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith finish as top-17 WRs in PPR points per game