Drew Brees has had to deal with losing two of his best receiving options -- Jeremy Shockey and Marques Colston -- early on this season, but the stats are looking quite sparkling thus far. Will it continue? In a word, yes. Brees carved up the Broncos for 421 yards through the air, with a wildly efficient 39 completions in 48 attempts. His most reliable option has been Reggie Bush out of the backfield, and the losses of Colston and Shockey aren't going to do anything to change that. The reason is that the Saints -- through the offensive scheme of Sean Payton and horizontal field-stretching ability of Bush -- can make a weapon out of nearly any receiver. You know Terrance Copper? Well, you wouldn't had he played for any other team.
Moving forward, you can expect Brees to remain an elite QB in fantasy and in reality. He's facing the Niners at home this week, so I'm calling for at least 300 yards and multiple TD passes.
Let's check out the impact on some other players:
Reggie Bush
His value in PPR leagues skyrockets even further. He's now not only the electric one on screen passes, he's Brees' only reliable check-down option. He's averaging 14 carries per game, and that's about all you should expect. He's definitely a dual-threat, as the 26 catches in three games proves. He's a low-tier RB2 in non-PPR leagues and lower-tier RB1 in PPR leagues.
David Patten
He left the game against the Broncos with a strained groin. He wasn't putting up big enough numbers to look past a leg injury for a receiver and justify sticking with him. Move on.
Robert Meachem
It's now or never, young buck. We've seen a 19-yard TD grab in Washington and a 74-yard catch that barely missed the end zone in the past two weeks. He's going to be a deep threat in this offense, and Brees has got to start utilizing him in secondary routes as well with the absences of Shockey and Colston (and possibly Patten) sooner rather than later. For now, though, he's not getting enough of those looks to consider starting.
Devery Henderson
He's got much more experience than Meachem and will be on the field more often. Still, though, he's lost his deep looks to Meachem and has only caught four passes in the past two weeks without Colston on the field. If you really, firmly believe Henderson's one or two catches will result in a long TD, go ahead and gamble with him. I'd personally rather have Meachem.
Lance Moore
He came away with seven catches Sunday against the Broncos. That was a very telling stat, as apparently Brees trusts him more as a possession-type receiver than any other wideout. As long as Colston's still out, Moore is a viable bye week replacement for your regular starters this week against the Niners, should you lack receiving depth. Heading into Week 4, he is the most fantasy viable WR on this roster. Who'd have thought we could say that in the preseason?
Pierre Thomas
His value shouldn't be affected much. He'll still be counted on as the change-of-pace back while Bush is the outside-the-tackles speedster. You can hope for 50 yards and a touchdown per week as his ceiling.
