New Orleans, Team Mood and Players We're In or Out On

As we race toward August, Footballguys.com will look at one team per day with our extremely in-depth Team Reports and our quick-hitting Team Mood and Players We're In and Out On, where we check out the overall mood of each team's offense and let you know the players we are in on (because they are great values at the cost it takes to acquire them) and who we're out on (because they are too expensive and won't have a good return on that investment).

Here are all of the Team Mood and Players We're In and Out On articles:
Arizona | Atlanta | Baltimore | Buffalo | Carolina | Chicago | Cincinnati | Cleveland | Dallas | Denver | Detroit | Green Bay | Houston | Indianapolis | Jacksonville | Kansas City | Las Vegas | LA Chargers | LA Rams | Miami | Minnesota | New England | New Orleans | NY Giants | NY Jets | Philadelphia | Pittsburgh | San Francisco | Seattle | Tampa Bay | Tennessee | Washington

Quick Hits

Want a brief overview? Here it is:

• Mood - Neutral
• We're In On at Cost - WR Chris Olave
• We're Out On at Cost - RB Alvin Kamara

Want a longer breakdown of how it's going in New Orleans? Read on.

New Orleans, Team Mood

• Good - 1
• Neutral - 10
• Bad - 7

Staffers in a Good Mood

• Chad Parsons: Better weapons than a year ago and (hopefully) a full season of Jameis Winston after a strong stretch in 2021 before injury.

Staffers in a Neutral Mood

• Christian Williams: A full year of Winston and added weapons in Olave and Landry will help, but Kamara's looming suspension could limit the ceiling.
• Zareh Kantzabedian: The Saints are set up to deliver fantasy points primarily through their quarterback and receivers.
• Ben Cummins: The return of Jameis Winston should neutralize the negative effect of losing Sean Payton, making this an average offense in 2022.
• Jonathan Morris: A lot of talent in this offense, but I do wonder what the Saints will look like without Sean Payton at the helm.
• Andy Hicks: There is a good infrastructure in place, but Sean Payton made this team better than it was.
• Ryan Weisse: It's basically the same quarterback situation as last year, but with better weapons.
• Craig Lakins: With a new head coach, lingering injuries, and Alvin Kamara's possible suspension, the Saints have some question marks.
• Jordan McNamara: This is a good front office trying to maintain a contending window without a franchise quarterback.
• Jeff Haseley: This is a different Saints team that beat Tom Brady and the Buccaneers twice last year, but there are seeds of hope that could sprout this season.
• Kevin Coleman: The Saints upgraded their passing attack this offseason, but with Kamara possibly being suspended for six games, it’s hard to have a ton of confidence in the offense.

Staffers in a Bad Mood

• Dave Kluge: Winston is still recovering from his ACL tear, Kamara could miss a significant chunk of the season, and I'm not sure Michael Thomas ever plays again.
• Jeff Bell: Sean Payton is gone, questions on Winston, Kamara, Thomas.
• Jason Wood: The team has lost its Hall of Fame quarterback and head coach, had to settle at quarterback, and its offensive cornerstones (Thomas and Kamara) have huge questions.
• Phil Alexander: Sean Payton is gone, Winston is coming off a significant injury, Kamara is facing a multi-game suspension, and Thomas is (somehow) still not right.
• Sam Wagman: Massive coaching downgrade in Dennis Allen, Michael Thomas still isn’t healthy, and Alvin Kamara is facing a suspension.
• Victoria Geary: The loss of Payton and Brees is just the beginning. Massive question marks abound (Kamara's legal troubles, both Thomas' and Winston's recoveries).
• Tripp Brebner: The engine of this offense might be disrupted by a supply-chain issue.

Players We're In On at Cost

• Chris Olave - 9
• Alvin Kamara - 3
• Jarvis Landry - 3
• Jameis Winston - 2
• Mark Ingram - 1
• Almost No One - 1

Reasons to be In on Chris Olave

• Christian Williams: With Michael Thomas still working back from injury, Olave could see a ton of targets early in the year.
• Jonathan Morris: Winston has always spread the ball around, and I expect Olave to exceed his current value by being an explosive vertical threat for the Saints.
• Dave Kluge: Olave is a polished route runner who is being overlooked by the fantasy community. There's a realistic shot that he's the team's WR1 to start the season.
• Jeff Bell: 4.26 40-time can stretch field immediately, talent underneath to quickly become the primary receiver.
• Jason Wood: Unless Michael Thomas returns to his former prime version, Olave will have a big role quickly.
• Sam Wagman: Olave was arguably the most NFL-ready wide receiver in this class. He could have the most targets on this team in Year 1.
• Victoria Geary: Olave has upside due to Thomas' uncertain status, though an ADP of WR47 is fairly rich for a rookie.
• Jeff Haseley: A team with multiple question marks, Olave is a gem in waiting, and it could happen sooner rather than later.
• Kevin Coleman: All reports out of camp have him as the best receiver on that roster. With Thomas' status still unknown, it would not shock me to see Olave lead in targets.

Reasons to be In on Alvin Kamara

• Zareh Kantzabedian: Despite a possible six-game suspension, Alvin Kamara is a league winner and should be drafted as his ADP continues to fall.
• Tripp Brebner: If Kamara is unchained, he could be paired with McCaffrey to fuel a dominant fantasy team at the current ADP of each.
• Jordan McNamara: Kamara can be a difference-maker if the team remains run-heavy in 2022. He can be RB1 overall if they throw more frequently than the 32nd team in pass rate.

Reasons to be In on Jarvis Landry

• Ryan Weisse: If Michael Thomas does not play, Landry is going to be a target-hog in an offense that may be forced to pass a lot.
• Craig Lakins: Reports out of OTAs say Landry has looked dominant. He should have plenty of opportunities to rack up points in PPR formats.
• Jeff Haseley: I have a feeling Landry will pick up the slack early in the season.

Reasons to be In on Jameis Winston

• Chad Parsons: 2021 had Winston with a career-best stretch and that was without Thomas, Olave, and Landry, all notable additions for 2022.
• Andy Hicks: Winston was credible in a diminished offense last year. More weapons and playing from behind should be good for fantasy.

Reasons to be In on Mark Ingram

• Ben Cummins: With a reported impending suspension coming Alvin Kamara’s way at some point, Ingram is a value target late.

Reasons to be In on Almost No One

• Phil Alexander: Targeting Saints players is probably not your path to a fantasy championship in 2022. Maybe consider Kamara if his ADP dips a bit further.

Players We're Out On at Cost

• Alvin Kamara - 6
• Michael Thomas - 5
• Jarvis Landry - 2
• Adam Trautman - 2
• Mark Ingram - 1
• Jameis Winston - 1
• No One - 1

Reasons to be Out on Alvin Kamara

• Dave Kluge: When he plays, Kamara is electric. But with legal issues looming, there's a lot of risk that hasn't been reflected by a big enough drop in ADP.
• Jeff Bell: RB13 and overall 23 is not near enough discount if he misses six games.
• Jason Wood: A looming suspension and loss of QB/play-caller from his prime are too much to overcome.
• Victoria Geary: Kamara's current RB13 ADP has none of the looming suspension built in. Completely out.
• Jeff Haseley: While it is not known yet that he will be suspended, the writing is on the wall and yet people are still drafting him hoping for the opposite.
• Kevin Coleman: Until we know the length of his suspension, he’s just not a player worth drafting in redraft

Reasons to be Out on Michael Thomas

• Christian Williams: Some have speculated he may begin the year on the PUP list, and it has been a long time since Thomas even played football.
• Zareh Kantzabedian: Thomas still presents too much risk at his ADP, considering that he’s a 29-year-old who's been recovering from ankle surgery for nearly two years.
• Sam Wagman: There is a nonzero chance that we don’t see Michael Thomas play football this year once again.
• Ryan Weisse: His ADP is far too high for a guy we haven't seen play in 20 months. If he does come back, it will be to a very different team.
• Craig Lakins: Until Thomas is able to get practice reps with his new QB Jameis Winston, I don't trust his injury situation or his return to 2019 form.

Reasons to be Out on Jarvis Landry

• Ben Cummins: I have no interest in Landry at this stage of his career.
• Jonathan Morris: Landry has been trending down the last two seasons and I expect his target share to shrink even more this year.

Reasons to be Out on Adam Trautman

• Chad Parsons: Trautman has a ton of competition for targets with a crowded wide receiver room and Kamara all notably ahead in the pecking order.
• Andy Hicks: The tight ends all have question marks and picking one as a flyer is a waste of resources.

Reasons to be Out on Mark Ingram

• Phil Alexander: Even if Kamara misses six games, you won't feel great about starting Ingram as he nears age 33.

Reasons to be Out on Jameis Winston

• Tripp Brebner: Winston ran the 2021 offense with a governor on it, and now the coordinator of the Saints' staunch defense is in charge.

Reasons to be Out on No One

• Jordan McNamara: No one is overvalued.