Experts send an important fantasy football message about Chris Olave

Wide receiver Chris Olave is entering his third season in the NFL and for the first time he is expected to be the New Orleans Saints’ best receiver. Michael Thomas is no longer on the team, so Olave is now the one who carries all the expectations and responsibilities. Whether Olave can make the leap the Saints hope for him remains to be seen.

While New Orleans fans will be closely following Olave’s development, so will many other fans – especially fantasy football fans. The fantasy football community looks at the game from a very different perspective. A great game or a good player doesn’t always translate directly to the fantasy football realm.

With Olave expected to make another jump, he’s now an interesting fantasy player. Olave is officially a WR1 for the Saints in real life, but is he ready to be a WR1 for fantasy football teams? Gary Davenport answered that question in a recent Bleacher Report article, offering fantasy-specific advice for all 32 teams. For New Orleans, Davenport argued that “Chris Olave is an excellent young WR who is being plated.”

Davenport acknowledges that Olave has been impressive in his young career, recording over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons. He expects Olave to have another solid season, but not the kind of production that would justify recruiting him early as a fantasy team’s No. 1 receiver.

“The Saints’ wide receivers are no better this year than they were last year – Olave will be the focal point of opposing defenses. We saw one season with Olave and Derek Carr together – and it looked a lot like Olave’s rookie season.”

– Gary Davenport (Bleacher Report)

When you understand the wide receiver tiers in the NFL, this hire makes a lot of sense. The good WR1s in fantasy football are the elite of the elite receivers. Olave has not proven he is at that level yet. He certainly aspires to be and could reach that tier this season, but it doesn’t make sense to draft him as a WR1 just yet.

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