Is Chris Olave the No. 1 receiver for the New Orleans Saints this season?

Will New Orleans Saints veteran receiver Chris Olave be the team’s No. 1 receiver in 2024? Let’s explore.

Olave, 24, has played in 31 of 34 regular season games with the Saints since they selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Oddly enough, former offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael allowed Olave to start just 20 of those 31 games overall.

While Micheal Thomas and Jarvis Landry were injured for most of his rookie season, Olave led the team with 72 receptions on 119 targets for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns. The following year, Olave caught 87 of 138 targets for 1,123 yards and five touchdowns. His yards per target remained constant, increasing from 8.1 to 8.8, but the receiver’s yards per reception decreased from 14.5 to 12.9.

“I’m just going into this offseason knowing that (the Saints) believe in me as a No. 1 receiver, I’m excited to get to work. But I’m just trying to take the next step and trying to move from a good player to an elite player, I’m just trying to be consistent every day and work so I can be one of the best receivers in the game” -.

Staying healthy is a concern for leading receiver Derek Carr. He missed two games as a rookie and one last season. Recently, Dennis Allen confirmed that “Olave injured his shoulder” in the weight room, according to Matthew Paras of T/P. With a new offensive coordinator, the setup of games will be different in New Orleans. Veterans Rashid Shaheed, Cedrick Wilson, Equanimeous St. Brown and AT Perry will battle for playing time and football goals. Rookies Bub Means, Jermaine Jackson and Mason Tipton want to solidify their spots on the roster, so expect a very competitive training camp in Irvine.

If you take a snapshot of Kubiak’s old team during its Super Bowl campaign, it wasn’t Deebo Samuels as the 49er’s leading receiver. Instead, Brandon Aiyuk totaled 1,342 yards and 7 touchdowns, compared to Samuels’ 892 yards and 7 touchdowns. Shannahan and Kubiak like big, strong players who have productive YAC.

Samuels held the YAC advantage of 527 YAC to 382 YAC. Aiyuk averaged 17.9 yards at 14.9 yards per reception – a delta of 3 yards per catch. Who could give Kubiak those similar numbers in New Orleans?

Olave’s 2023 average of 12.9 yards per reception is 2 yards less than Deebo Samuels’. Additionally, he totaled 347 YAC yards last season. Perry, a second-year player, led the Saints with a staggering 20.5 yards passing average, and Shaheed was second, with 15.6 yards per catch.

A fantasy football blog recently came out against the selection of Olave as a first-round wide receiver. CBS Sports’ fantasy outlook for Olave is lukewarm:

“Olave will have to work for him another year of relationship with Derek Carr, no Michael Thomas to compete with for targets, and a possible positive regression in touchdowns to come. Olave leaves the board at the end of the second round or the beginning of the round 3 and should provide a WR2 floor with upside for more.”

Could Olave be the consistent playmaker who delivers the big blow and extends plays with his impressive YAC? He’s a ballhawk and runs some fantastic routes, but is he consistent enough to produce big numbers as the No. 1 receiver for the New Orleans Saints?

Right now, I don’t see where New Orleans would have any other choice. Unless another wideout decides to break away from the pack in training camp or the Saints sign or trade for another wideout, Olave is still the top target.