New Orleans, Team Vibes and Players to Target and Avoid

Photo: USA Today Sports

As we race toward August, Footballguys.com will look at one team per day with our quick-hitting Team Vibes and Players to Target and Avoid, 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 give you a good return on that investment).

Go Deeper: See in-depth projections for every Saints player here >>>

This is a daily series that will stretch through July 31. If you like this and want another, come back tomorrow. Another will be here. And all 32 of them will be free to Insiders. To become an Insider, simply sign up with a free account.

And here are all of the Team Vibes and Players to Target and Avoid articles we've done so far:
New Orleans | NY Giants | NY Jets | Philadelphia | Pittsburgh | San Francisco | Seattle | Tampa Bay | Tennessee | Washington

Quick Hits

Want a brief overview? Here it is:

• General Vibes - Neutral
• We're In On at Cost - Chris Olave
• We're Out On at Cost - Alvin Kamara

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

Saints, Team Vibes

• Good - 0
• Neutral - 13
• Bad - 2

Staffers with Good Vibes

• None.

Staffers with Neutral Vibes

• Ben Cummins: Derek Carr provides a quarterback upgrade and is surrounded by multiple exciting young weapons.
• Phil Alexander: A below-average offense in 2022 improves to slightly below average with the addition of Derek Carr.
• Jeff Haseley: Derek Carr is an upgrade from 2022, but there are still uncertainties on both sides of the ball. Like Alvin Kamara, the Saints have a spark but no flame.
• Chad Parsons: Derek Carr will be a quarterback upgrade, and New Orleans has refused for years to truly enter any sort of rebuild with the division within reach annually.
• Jeff Bell: There are pieces, but Derek Carr's rough 2022 and Alvin Kamara's suspension clouds everything.
• Hutchinson Brown: There are some exciting pieces, but Derek Carr coming off a poor year, along with Kamara aging and dealing with off the field causes real concern.
• Jeff Tefertiller: Derek Carr is an upgrade from 2022, but there are still uncertainties on both sides of the ball. Like Alvin Kamara, the Saints have a spark, but no flame.
• Nick Whalen: Adding Derek Carr makes the Saints frontrunners for the division, but the team is getting weak and in a bad cap situation.
• Daniel Harms: Derek Carr gives them higher consistency at the QB position, but don't expect a high-volume passing attack.
• Dave Kluge: Derek Carr can operate an offense well enough to support multiple fantasy-relevant options.
• Craig Lakins: Adding Derek Carr is an upgrade from last year, but the uncertainty around Alvin Kamara's availability leaves the Saints in mysterious territory.
• Ryan Weisse: There are far too many questions for Derek Carr to answer, but you have to be excited about what he could mean for Chris Olave.
• Andy Hicks: How is Derek Carr in a new environment? This team will be two years removed from Sean Payton, and we have to be concerned about its direction.

Staffers with Bad Vibes

• Dan Hindery: This is a mediocre team that refuses to rebuild. 2022 Raiders vibes with the same middling quarterback.
• Jason Wood: Investing in Derek Carr makes little sense because so much of the roster needs a teardown and youth infusion. They’ll likely have a new coach and direction in 2024.