Our 2021 Fantasy Football Projections will be viewable by both position and team.
Below you will find our 2021 fantasy football projections for the New Orleans Saints.
MORE: Fantasy football projections for more NFL teams
QUARTERBACKS
| Player | Att. | Comp. | Yards | TD | INT | Rush | Yards | TD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jameis Winston | 376.1 | 243.5 | 2801.9 | 17.3 | 12.04 | 42.5 | 174.3 | 1.7 | 184.83 |
| Taysom Hill | 157.4 | 102.3 | 1156.9 | 6.45 | 3.46 | 72.4 | 391 | 5.25 | 150.52 |
Jameis Winston: Taysom Hill drew four starts when Drew Brees was sidelined last season. Earlier in the offseason, most expected Winston to be named the starter with Brees decided to hang up his cleats this offseason. Now that training camp is underway, however, the team in the midst of a legitimate quarterback competition.
Perhaps both quarterbacks will make starts during the season, but I believe Winston will begin the season as the starter in part so that New Orleans can maximize Hill's versatility, especially given the state of their receiving corps. Two seasons ago in Tampa, Winston led the NFL in both passing yards (5,109) and interceptions thrown (30) and ball security will be critical to keeping the starting gig (should be named the starter).
Taysom Hill: Whenever/if he gets the opportunity to start, Hill will flirt with top-12 production. During his four starts last season, he performed as a top-12 fantasy quarterback every week. At a minimum, Hill should be owned in all two-QB and Super Flex leagues (even if he isn't named the starter).
RUNNING BACKS
| Player | Att. | Yards | TD | Rec. | Yards | TD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alvin Kamara | 204.9 | 942.5 | 8.5 | 72.6 | 653.2 | 3.7 | 269.07 |
| Latavius Murray | 139.9 | 622.6 | 4.34 | 25.4 | 201.9 | 1.1 | 127.79 |
| Ty Montgomery | 20 | 88 | 0.5 | 10.4 | 118.8 | 0.6 | 32.48 |
| Devonta Freeman | 7.5 | 29.3 | 0.19 | 2.6 | 21.8 | 0.2 | 8.75 |
| Alex Armah | 5 | 11 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 9.9 | 0.1 | 5.19 |
Alvin Kamara: No running back scored more fantasy points in half-PPR formats than Kamara in 2020. The versatile back had exactly 81 receptions in each of his first three NFL seasons and then set a career high (83) in 2020. That said, he was on pace for an even better career-best number before Drew Brees (ribs) missed four weeks. The only three games that Kamara failed to reach three catches came with Brees sidelined.
If the Saints utilize Taysom Hill as their starter, it would likely cap Kamara's upside and lead to more volatility in his weekly production. In 11 games with Brees, Kamara was a top-10 weekly producer in all but one game last season. In four games with Hill, Kamara posted weekly finishes (half-PPR) of RB25, RB36, RB9 and RB9, respectively.
Latavius Murray: Provided Murray isn't a cap casualty, he flirts with stand-alone flex value -- especially during bye weeks -- when both Kamara and Murray are active. For any week(s) that Kamara may miss, however, Murray becomes a must-start play. In the two games that Kamara missed and Murray was active, Murray had a total of 62 touches, 307 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns.
Ty Montgomery: The Saints have moved Montgomery to receiver. While ESPN lists him as a WR, he is still listed at RB in Yahoo! leagues.
WIDE RECEIVERS
| Player | Rec. | Yards | TD | Rush | Yards | TD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Thomas | 70 | 870.9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 152.09 |
| Tre'quan Smith | 38.9 | 581.9 | 3.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 99.24 |
| Marquez Callaway | 35.4 | 451.3 | 2.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78.43 |
| Deonte Harris | 15.2 | 184.1 | 1.1 | 7.5 | 61.9 | 0.15 | 39.7 |
| Juwan Johnson | 12.1 | 162.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28.28 |
| Chris Hogan | 2.1 | 27.7 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.02 |
| Lil'Jordan Humphrey | 0.9 | 11.9 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.24 |
Michael Thomas: It was an injury-plagued 2020 season for Thomas, who failed to score in seven regular-season appearances. Thomas decided to postpone ankle surgery until June and now he's likely to miss the start of the 2021 season. While Thomas appears to be "ahead of schedule," it's unclear how much time he will actually miss.
Before 2020, Thomas had improved every season -- 1,137 yards (2016), 1,245 (2017), 1,405 (2018) and 1,725 (2019). In his last full season (2019), he led the NFL in both receptions (149) and yards (1,725). Drew Brees' retirement and his injury significantly diminishes his fantasy outlook for the upcoming season.
Tre'quan Smith: Smith posted career numbers in receptions (34) and yards (448) in 2020. Even with Brees retiring, Smith should set new career highs with Emmanuel Sanders leaving for Buffalo and Thomas likely to miss the start of the season.
Marquez Callaway: Callaway has generated some training camp buzz and has the potential to be the team's most productive receiver for as long as Michael Thomas (ankle) is out. Either way, he's an upside sleeper pick in the double-digit rounds.
Fun watching Marquez Callaway really take ownership of being the top dog at receiver right now. Playing with so much confidence.
— Luke Johnson (@ByLukeJohnson) August 6, 2021
Juwan Johnson: While some sites like Yahoo! still list Johnson as a WR, he has converted to TE and the transition has been going well enough that he has some sleeper appeal.
TIGHT ENDS
| Player | Rec. | Yards | TD | Rush | Yards | TD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Trautman | 45.8 | 514.6 | 3.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 94.16 |
| Nick Vannett | 5.2 | 49.5 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.95 |
Adam Trautman: Set for an expanded role with Jared Cook now in L.A., Trautman is a breakout candidate that will be a popular sleeper pick at tight end. In addition to his move up the TE depth chart, Emmanuel Sanders is now in Buffalo and Michael Thomas will likely miss the start of the season following offseason ankle surgery.
More New Orleans Saints pages:
- New Orleans Saints Mock Draft Roundup
- New Orleans Saints NFL Power Rankings Roundup
- New Orleans Saints Snap Counts
- New Orleans Saints Franchise Leaders
- New Orleans Saints Draft History
- New Orleans Saints Schedule
- New Orleans Saints Tickets
More of our content:
- 2022 NFL Mock Draft
- 2023 NFL Mock Draft
- Fantasy Football Mock Drafts
- Fantasy Football Rankings
- Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule
- Fantasy Football ADP
- NFL Power Rankings
Keep track of our site's updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) like us on Facebook and/or (3) subscribe to our newsletter.
