Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.Meet the ...
The Shootouts (it sounds nicer than the "Aints"). Not that New Orleans can't be good -- they can. And they're a nice unit for fantasy football teams, because, in theory, they have a ton of offense. But theorizing is fine until you end up burning through three top 50 picks, which is what Drew Brees, Marques Colston and Reggie Bush will cost you.
The Breakout
Perhaps I'm being old fashioned, but Deuce McAllister seems to me like the best possible "breakout" option on this team. Sure, he's gone through more ACL's than Alonzo Mourning has kidneys, but the Saints can't function without a strong between the tackles runner. Oh, and he "don't cost nuthin'!" Which, to me, is the ideal scenario for finding a breakout -- cheap, easy and late.
The Bust
I thought that people had stopped sweating Bush, but judging from his ADP (30), I guess not. Seriously, he's going 30th. (30!!!) It just goes to show how much potential, upside, etc can drive someone's fantasy value. Anywho, I wouldn't draft Reginald with your pick, personally. What justifies taking him? The 3.7 YPC last year or the 3.6 the year before? Granted, the 80+ catches per year are nice, and he's a nice RB2 in PPR leagues but let someone else fall prey.
The Depth Chart
QB - Drew Brees
RB1 - Reggie Bush
RB2 - Deuce McAllister
RB3 - Aaron Stecker
WR1 - Marques Colston
WR2 - David Patten
WR3 - Terrence Copper
TE - Mark Campbell
TE2 - Eric Johnson
The Team DS/T
It kind of pains me to say this, but the Saints might be a sleeper defense this year. They added Jonathan Vilma and Randall Gay to a defense that stuffed the run but got thrashed through the air last year. Josh Bullocks and Roman Harper are improving, and while they aren't my first, second or third choice for a D/ST, I would consider a late round flier.
The Skinny
I would draft Brees and Colston if they dropped to reasonable levels; Brees somewhere in the late five or sixth round range and Colston I would take in the third or fourth round (not that he'll make it that far). Ideally, you'd land Colston as a WR2 in a sick tandem, but his contract status (to-be-FA) and third year status won't let that happen. Avoid Bush at all costs and look for Stecker and Deuce in the later rounds -- Stecker's a nice 10th or so option while Deuce could end up being a great flier. Patten and Copper have late round WR flier written all over them.
