Chris Olave looked like he was going to have a hot finish to an overall disappointing season, but an ankle injury suffered two weeks ago has derailed things. Now, he’s racing against time to make it back for New Orleans’ Week 16 Thursday night showdown against the Rams, and plenty of fantasy football owners are hoping they can get their star receiver back for the second round of the playoffs.
Fortunately, Olave owners won’t have to wait quite as long as last week to know whether the second-year stud is in or out, but one way or another, a tough start ’em, sit ’em decision will have to be made with either a banged-up Olave or a bench player.
We’ll continue to update this article with news on Olave until the official active/inactive report comes out on Thursday around 6:50 p.m. ET, so check back for the latest.
Is Chris Olave playing Thursday night Week 16?
UPDATE: Olave was a limited participant in Tuesday’s practice.
Olave (ankle) failed to practice last week, but he was still considered a game-time decision for Week 15’s game against the Giants. He was ultimately ruled out after testing his ankle in pre-game warmups, but the glimmer of hope gave Olave owners optimism for Week 16. That hope took a hit on Monday when Olave was an estimated “DNP,” but he’ll have two more chances to get on the practice field ahead of Thursday’s game in L.A.
If Olave is active, he’s a must-start even though he could potentially see fewer snaps. Still, if the Saints feel he’s healthy enough to play, we have to assume he’ll be close to full strength. Derek Carr and Olave have developed a nice rapport since Week 9, connecting on 28-of-39 targets for 401 yards and three TDs in a little over four games of action. Against a Rams’ defense that’s tied for 13th in fantasy points allowed to WRs, Olave should post WR2 numbers.
WEEK 16 PPR RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
If Olave is out again, things get interesting for New Orleans. There’s a possibility that Michael Thomas (knee) returns for his four-game hiatus, but that seems unlikely at this point. That would leave some combination of Rashid Shaheed, Keith Kirkwood, A.T. Perry, and Lynn Bowden Jr. to hold down the receiver position. Bowden led that group with five targets last week, but he managed just 31 yards. Kirkwood scored on his loan target, and Shaheed has the most yards (36). Ultimately, Alvin Kamara (44 yards) and the TEs (two TDs) did most of the damage through the air.
We still think Shaheed has the most upside of these receivers, not only because of his big-play ability but also his overall rapport with Carr. He makes for a decent boom-or-bust flex, but he might be unnecessarily risky with your season on the line. Ultimately, Kamara, Juwan Johnson, and New Orleans’ other TEs could do most of the damage in this game if Olave is out, and avoiding the Saints’ WR room altogether is probably the best course of action.
