Fansided

Fantasy Football: New Orleans Saints 2015 Season Preview

By Bruce Matson

facebooktwitterreddit

New Orleans Saints 2015 Season Preview

More from Fantasy Football

The New Orleans Saints finished last season with a 7-9 record which placed them 2nd in the NFC South Division. The offense looks a little different from year’s past with Jimmy Graham being traded to the Seattle, but the offense is still supplying a lot of valuable pieces in fantasy that we can be excited about.

Quarterback

Drew Brees

Brees finished last season ranked 4th overall in fantasy production with 436.50 points on the season averaging 27.28 fantasy points per game. Brees is being pegged to having a “down” year last season, but he only had 3 games where he scored less than 20 fantasy points. Brees Currently has an ESPN ADP of 40.9, which makes him as a late 3rd rounder. I’m not in favor of paying that premium for him, because there’s a lot of moving parts in that offense. Jimmy Graham is gone, and we don’t know how that offense is going to run without him, which is an uncertainty that we have to deal with when it comes to forecasting Brees’ fantasy production.

Running Back

Mark Ingram

Ingram finished last season ranked 15th among running backs with 193.40 fantasy points averaging 14.87 fantasy points per game. Ingram had 9 games where he scored 10 fantasy points or more, and he had 4 games where he scored 20 fantasy points or more. Ingram missed 3 games last year with an injury and he might have creeped in the top-10 in fantasy production if he didn’t miss those 3 games. The New Orleans Saints signed CJ Spiller during the off-season; there’s a chance Spiller could cut into Ingram’s workload. The Saints are going to run more this season, which is going to help Ingram maintain some of his fantasy production even with Spiller getting some of the carries. Ingram averaged 17 carries a game last season, and I can see him averaging around 12-14 next season, but having some games where he’s getting 20 carries and some games where he’s getting less than 10. Ingram has the upside of being a top-10 running back, but his floor could be a flex-play that’s a headache every week when it comes to starting him.

C.J. Spiller

Spiller finished last season ranked 67th among running backs in fantasy production with 71.50 fantasy points averaging 7.94 fantasy points per game. Spiller had 3 games where he scored 10 fantasy points or more. Spiller missed 7 games last season due to injuries. Spiller’s upside is through the roof. He has the potential to catch over 100 receptions this season. Spiller is a very talented running back and he was used incorrectly in Buffalo, and New Orleans appears to be the perfect fit for him. The question with Spiller is can he stay healthy? Spiller is going to be used heavily in the short passing game, and he’s going to be very valuable in PPR leagues. He’s going to be sharing carries with Mark Ingram who is also very talented, but Spiller’s usage in the passing game elevates his floor. Spiller has the potential to be an RB1 if he can remain healthy.

Wide Receiver

Brandin Cooks

Live Feed

MLB Ohio Promo Codes: Win $450 Bonus at DraftKings, Bet365 and FanDuel!
MLB Ohio Promo Codes: Win $450 Bonus at DraftKings, Bet365 and FanDuel! /

Blog Red Machine

  • FanDuel New York Promo Gives $100 Bonus GUARANTEED on ANY Bet Today!BuffaLowDown
  • Claim $1,350 Bonus Backing the Mets Today With FanDuel and Caesars New York Promo CodesRising Apple
  • FanDuel Illinois Promo Code: Win $100 GUARANTEED Betting $5 on White Sox TodaySouthside Showdown
  • FanDuel Kansas Promo Gives $100 Bonus GUARANTEED Backing the Chiefs!Arrowhead Addict
  • Women’s World Cup Promos: Win $250 Bonus Betting on ANY Match at DraftKings and FanDuel! Betsided

    • Cooks finished last season ranked 56th among wide receivers in fantasy production with 142.30 fantasy points while averaging 14.23 fantasy points per game. Cooks had 6 games where he scored 10 fantasy points or more, and he had 3 games where he scored 20 fantasy points or more. Cooks’ season ended early when he broke his thumb during week 11. I love Brandin Cooks he is one of my favorite players in fantasy and I will defend him until I die. Cooks is being selected around the middle of the 3rd round in most fantasy leagues. Even with his premium being set as a high price tag he is very safe player, because he’s going to get a lot of target this season and that will elevate his floor. I look for him to develop and improve upon what he did last season.

    Marques Colston

    Colston finished last season ranked 37th among wide receivers in fantasy production averaging 11.26 fantasy points per game. Colston had 9 games where he had 10 fantasy points or more. Colston is dirt cheap he is going in the 10th round in a lot of drafts and he could serve your team as a decent flex play option or a bye week filler. Colston is like that old cat that hangs around your house that just won’t ever die. He’s going to be fantasy relevant. He’s going to get a decent amount of targets. He’s going to be a great buy in the later rounds of your draft.

    Nick Toon/Brandon Coleman/Josh Morgan/Seantavius Jones/ Jalen Saunders/Joe Morgan

    Add all these players to your watch list, and be ready to pick up one of them up off the waiver wire if they are getting a lot of opportunities. All of these players bring something to the table to help the Saints offense.

    Tight End

    Josh Hill

    Hill is a highly athletic tight end who is going to get his big shot this season. He is going to be filling in as the replacement to Jimmy Graham, which are huge shoes to fill. I don’t expect him to finish with Graham type numbers, but it’s a possibility for him to finish in the top-10 in tight end production.

    Ben Watson

    Watson is a player you should have on your watch list. He could be a sneaky stream during some weeks due to his usage around the endzone.

    Defense/Special Teams

    The Saints defense ranked 31st in fantasy production last season with 39 fantasy points on the year, and they had 2 games where they scored 10 fantasy points or more. Don’t draft the Saints defense they are going to be a hard defense to play, because they are going to be in a lot of shootouts.

    Need help making roster decisions? Need help on who to pick off the waiver wire? Need an opinion on that trade offer that’s in your inbox? I’m your guy, follow me on Twitter @bmatz08, and I’ll give you the guidance you need to make the best choice for your fantasy team.

    Next: Carolina Panthers Season Preview

    More from FanSided

    Home/Fantasy Football