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2009 Team Report: New Orleans Saints

Quarterbacks

Starter: Drew Brees
Backup(s): Mark Brunell, Joey Harrington

Starting QB: Drew Brees should be one of the first quarterbacks taken in fantasy drafts this year. He is coming off a recordbreaking season where he was one completion away from breaking Dan Marino's passing yardage record. Brees has one of the deepest groups of receivers in the league and can afford to distribute the ball accordingly. The Saints have made an effort to improve their defense in the offseason, so it is reasonable to presume that 600 pass attempts would be an extreme upper limit. Even if Brees does pass the ball less, he is still capable of being a prolific scorer for your fantasy team. If you like to get a QB early, then one of the safest options you could choose would be Drew Brees.

Backup QB: There is a big drop off from Drew Brees to Mark Brunell and Joey Harrington. The 39-year old Brunell is currently favored to play should Brees miss time, but he is a long way past his best and would not be a decent fantasy option should he get the chance. The reason Brunell is currently the No. 2 is that the No. 3 is Joey Harrington. Harrington would probably get an extended run should Brees be out for a significant period of time, but he has been below average at every single one of his NFL stops so far and expecting him to turn into a viable fantasy option in New Orleans is unrealistic.

Running Backs

Starter: Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas
Backup(s): Mike Bell, Lynell Hamilton, P.J Hill, Herb Donaldson
Fullback(s): Heath Evans, Darian Barnes

Starting RB: Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas offer that rare possibility of two backs from the same team being viable fantasy starters. Pierre Thomas should dominate the carries, while Bush should dominate the receptions. Both had stretches in 2008 which would put them among the fantasy elite. For the first six weeks of the season, Reggie Bush ranked as a RB1 with a reception total that would have shattered the record for a RB were he not to subsequently get injured. Pierre Thomas was arguably the dominant fantasy back between Week 11 and Week 16, recording eight touchdowns, 19 receptions and over a hundred yards a game in combined yardage. Both will be useful to the New Orleans Saints in keeping a balanced offense but will hurt each other as fantasy options. Thomas was clearly not the same back when Bush was fit, and Bush can't move the ball as well as Thomas on the ground. Bush has an injury history and has to recover from off season knee surgery placing doubts about his long term viability, so a little caution needs to be exercised before drafting Bush too high.

Backup RBs: Like the quarterback position there is a huge gap between the starters and the backups here. Mike Bell is the name most familiar to fantasy owners following his brief spell as a starter in Denver, but since then he has been average. If any of the younger guys outperform Bell, then you can bet he'll be looking for another club sooner rather than later. Lynell Hamilton, like Pierre Thomas is an undrafted free agent, but unlike Thomas he's a big back who could be a nice replacement for Deuce McAllister. P.J. Hill is from this years undrafted free agent class and displayed astonishing stupidity by trying to escape from the Police while drunk behind the wheel leading up to the draft. If he makes the final roster then he'll be worth paying attention to. Herb Donaldson is a hard running back who was also undrafted. Any of these four guys could make the roster and any could be cut. Whichever one does will be valuable to fantasy owners given the injury history of Reggie Bush and the high fantasy output from the Saints offense.

Fullback: Heath Evans has spent the last three-and-half seasons with the New England Patriots, and like most Patriot backs, got a chance to touch the football, averaging about 25 carries and five receptions a season. He even scored three times in 2007 and was the lead back for New England on at least two occasions when injury knocked out other players. His impact to the Saints is not likely to be as prominent, but he could join the growing list of players the Saints call upon to contribute. Darian Barnes joined the Saints late in 2008 after brief stints with three of the four AFC East teams. He has also played for Detroit, Tampa Bay & Dallas. As a fantasy option he is almost nonexistent. He has not had a carry since 2004 and only five receptions since then.

Wide Receivers

Starters: Marques Colston, Lance Moore
Backups: Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem, Adrian Arrington

Starting WRs: Marques Colston is a dominant fantasy option and should be one of the first 12 receivers taken in your draft. He overcame a thumb injury which caused him to basically miss half the season, to finish the season with 22 receptions, four TDs and 306 yards from his final three games. As the No. 1 receiver on the No. 1 passing offense in the NFL he actually may be undervalued this season. He is tough, can make any catch and is reliable as a red zone threat. The Saints like to mix their offense up, so for some plays Devery Henderson will start. However, for the majority of plays Lance Moore should be in on the action. Moore has been successfully developed by the Saints going from an undrafted free agent to the 13th ranked receiver in 2008. With 10 touchdowns and almost 80 receptions, Moore caught most fantasy owners off guard. Following a training accident in the offseason, however, which caused severe damage to his shoulder, he could be drafted too early by those not paying attention. If he comes back in time for training camp then his value will still be negated by the return of Colston, but he could still be a nice choice if his value slips.

Backup WRs: Devery Henderson is one of the most dangerous receivers in the game. Averaging over 20 yards a catch for the last three seasons, he re-signed with the Saints in the offseason, and more of the same can be expected this season. As a fantasy option his value is limited as he averages two catches a game, but he's capable of numerous big games a season making him perfect for survivor leagues. Robert Meachem is an inferior version of Devery Henderson, and to avoid the label of first-round bust he must produce something this season. Unlike his rookie season he at least got onto the field in 2008, but after some bright early moments, he once again lost the trust of the coaching staff. Adrian Arrington was placed on injured reserve in his rookie season, and it remains to be seen whether he can make any impact this year.

Tight Ends

Starters: Jeremy Shockey
Backups: Billy Miller, Dan Campbell

Jeremy Shockey faces a crucial year in 2009. Injuries have limited his play in the last couple of seasons, and his style of play lends itself to further injuries. If healthy, he could leap back into the fantasy elite. Despite his injury problems in 2008 he still registered 50 catches. Although he didn't score, he can usually be relied upon to get a few each season so it could be a pleasant surprise if he is available late in your draft. Even if Shockey is healthy, veteran Billy Miller could still see playing time, but his biggest impact will come if Shockey is out of the lineup. With Shockey hampered or injured he became a favorite target of Drew Brees in 2008 registering 45 catches. Unless Shockey misses time, Miller shouldn't be a draft consideration. Dan Campbell has briefly registered on fantasy radars during spells with Detroit, Dallas and the Giants, but it would be a shock if that happened this season.

Place Kicker

Garrett Hartley, John Carney : The Olindo Mare experiment failed in 2007. The Martin Gramatica band aid didn't hold up. The Taylor Mehlhaff experiment failed twice in 2008. Half way through the year, Garrett Hartley won the job in tryouts over Billy Cundiff, Aaron Elling, A.J. Haglund, and Dave Rayner. His high school and University of Oklahoma success carried over when he kicked for the Saints for the final eight games last year. He was perfect on 13 of his field goal attempts and perfect on all 28 of his PAT attempts. On kickoffs he averaged 65.5 yards and had nine touchbacks. The Saints ranked 15th in kicker scoring last year with 119 points. Last year's scoring feature twice as many PAT attempts as field goal attempts. If that balances out this year, Hartley could have been looking the Top 10. But a four game suspension put a damper on that. The Team subsequently signed veteran John Carney.

Kick and Punt Returners

Kick Returners: Courtney Roby, Skyler Green, Pierre Thomas, Lance Moore, Mike Bell, Reggie Bush

In 2007, RB Pierre Thomas emerged as the lead kickoff returner (36 returns, 24.0 avg.). He started 2008 in that role (31 returns, 25.6 avg.); however his returns were scaled back when he became more involved on offense, which should also be the case in 2009. WR Courtney Roby took over on kickoff returns during the latter part of last year (19 returns, 24.8 avg.), and will likely keep that role this year. The one potential challenger to Roby is WR Skyler Green/ Although Green was unable to carryover his college success on kickoff returns from LSU to Dallas in 2006, he has since shown flashes with Cincinnati and last year with the Saints (4 returns, 33.3 avg.). Potential backups and upmen include WR Lance Moore (one return for 36 yards) and free agent acquisition RB Mike Bell (5 returns, 19.4 avg. for Denver in 2006). RB Reggie Bush might be the team's most talented player, however they have kept him off kickoff returns so he can focus on offense and punt returns.

Punt Returners: Reggie Bush, Lance Moore, Skyler Green, Tracy Porter, Jason David

Reggie Bush's first NFL TD was on a punt return as a rookie in 2006. In 2007 he was more involved on offense and less involved on special teams averaging only 4.0 yards on only three punt returns. Last year the Saints correctly decided they needed to use him on punt returns, and the decision paid off (20 returns, 13.5 avg., and 3 TDs) until knee injuries took their toll. WR Lance Moore took over the lead role in 2007 (20 returns, 9.3 avg.), and was the only player other than Bush to have any punt returns last year (6 returns, 6.7 avg., 13 fair catches). Skyler Green averaged 13.3 yards (15th) on punt returns during his final year at LSU. He averaged 5.2 yards on five returns for Dallas in 2006, 4.2 yards on nine returns for Cincinnati in 2007, and had one fair catch for the Saints last year. CB Tracy Porter averaged 13.6 yards on 35 returns during his college career at Indiana and scored once. CB Jason David will also see some practice on punt returns, although he hasn't had a return in a game since his first two years in Indianapolis. After ranking 27th in fantasy returns in 2007, the Saints jumped to 4th last year.

Offensive Line

Projected Starters: LT Jammal Brown, LG Carl Nicks, C Jonathon Goodwin, RG Jahri Evans, RT Jon Stinchcomb
Key Backups: G/C Nick Leckey, G Jamar Nesbit, T Jermon Bushrod

The Saints offensive line is very good at protecting Drew Brees but struggles in opening holes for the rushing game. The unit did make some strides last season and should continue to improve through 2009. The starting five are likely set although newcomer Nick Leckey may compete for the starting center job.

Team Defense

The Saints likely weren't drafted as a fantasy defense last year and did nothing to earn their way off free agent lists during the season. They finished in the bottom third of the league in points against and yardage allowed, were barely average in creating sacks and turnovers and were one of three teams to not score a defensive touchdown. The team looked to get more aggressive in the offseason, so they brought in Gregg Williams to replace Gary Gibbs as defensive coordinator. The Saints also continued to address weaknesses in the secondary, adding CB Jabari Greer and FS Darren Sharper in free agency and drafting physical playmaking CB Malcolm Jenkins with the 14th-overall pick. All three should be significant improvements in coverage over last season's starters. The Saints aren't ready to be drafted as a starting defense yet, but an improvement in pass rush from veterans Will Smith and Charles Grant and in pass defense could make this group into a respectable DST2 or match up play. Watch for improvement early in the season.

Defensive Line

Starters: RDE Will Smith, DT Sedrick Ellis, DT Kendrick Clancy, LDE Charles Grant
Backups: DE Bobby McCray, DE Paul Spicer, DE Jeff Charleston, DT Rod Coleman, DT Demarrio Pressley

Starting DL: Will Smith and Charles Grant are expected to enter the season as the starting ends, though the substance abuse issue that threatened to end in a four game suspension last season remains unresolved. Smith remained solid against the run last season, but his pass rush numbers continued to disappoint. After three seasons with more than seven sacks each, including 10 in 2006, Smith has had only 9.5 sacks in his last two seasons and just three last season. New defensive coordinator Gregg Williams may help Smith's numbers improve this season. Grant is recovering from a triceps injury that cost him the last eight games of 2008. He's one of the better all-around ends in the league and a threat to post big run support numbers and a handful of sacks if healthy. Sedrick Ellis battled knee issues during his rookie season, but the team holds high hopes that he'll develop into an all-around penetrating force at tackle. Kendrick Clancy replaced an injured Brian Young at the other tackle position, but will have to compete for snaps again this summer.

Backup DL: The Saints have a solid veteran rotation behind the starting line. Bobby McCray was forced to play a larger role after Charles Grant went down with an arm injury last year and will likely play more of a situational pass rushing role this year. Paul Spicer was signed in March as a hedge against the possible suspension of Grant and Will Smith. Rod Coleman could see heavy time in rotation with Kendrick Clancy, with Demarrio Pressley also competing for time.

Linebackers

Starters: OLB Scott Fujita, MLB Jonathan Vilma, OLB Scott Shanle
Backups: LB Dan Morgan, LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar, LB Mark Simoneau, LB Marvin Mitchell, LB Troy Evans, LB Stanley Arnoux [R]

Starting LBs: Jonathan Vilma rebounded nicely in his return to a 4-3 front, producing over 130 total tackles, a handful of big plays and a more dynamic presence in the middle than the Saints had in recent seasons. He was rewarded with a long term deal in the offseason and should remain productive this season. Scott Fujita turned in another solid campaign at outside linebacker. The team pulled him from some nickel packages during the second half of the season, however, which dropped his pass rush numbers. Scott Shanle picked up some of Fujita's pass rush responsibility and should stay in the same role this season.

Backup LBs: The Saints have an interesting mix of depth. Veteran Mark Simoneau's best days are well behind him and he may not be around on opening weekend. Dan Morgan has the most raw talent, but a laundry list of significant injuries makes him a very unreliable backup. Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Troy Evans are impressive at times, but may be too inconsistent to trust in the starting lineup. Marvin Mitchell is one of the team's better special teams players. Mid round draft pick Stanley Arnoux will start out on the weak side, but may never be a serious threat to start at OLB.

Defensive Backs

Starters: CB Jabari Greer, SS Roman Harper, FS Darren Sharper, CB Tracy Porter
Backups: CB Malcolm Jenkins [R], CB Randall Gay, S Usama Young, CB Jason David, S Pierson Prioleau, S Chip Vaughn [R]

Starting DBs: After struggling through the disappointing signing of Jason David, the Saints will likely turn to Jabari Greer at one corner position this year, hoping that Greer will perform much better outside the zone coverage schemes than David did. Tracy Porter was ably proving himself in his rookie season before an arm injury landed him on injured reserve. He's a heavy favorite to start and will provide a good mix of man coverage and ball skills. Last summer, the Saints were considering a rotation of safeties, with Roman Harper, Kevin Kaesviharn and Josh Bullocks all in the mix for significant snaps. Both Kaesviharn and Bullocks are now ex-Saints and Harper is the unquestioned starter at SS. Harper has coverage lapses at times, but is above-average in run support and pass rush and is able to make plays on the ball in coverage. The team signed veteran Darren Sharper to play FS until the young corners improve and a replacement is ready.

Backup DBs: Randall Gay will face a stiff challenge from first round draft pick Malcolm Jenkins for nickel snaps early, though Jenkins will eventually start alongside Tracy Porter. The team will move Usama Young to free safety, where he'll compete with Pierson Prioleau and mid round draft pick Chip Vaughn for depth snaps. Jason David has struggled greatly in man coverage since joining the team and is a longshot to last through training camp.

Last modified: 2009-08-15 20:41:22