Fantasy Football: 5 Lesser Known Saints Players to Watch During Preseason
By John Hendrix
Jul 28, 2014; White Sulpher Springs, WV, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Travaris Cadet (39) stiff arms a defender during training camp at The Greenbrier. Mandatory Credit: Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports
5 Lesser Known Saints Players to Watch During Preseason
by Justin Becker, Fantasy CPR
Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham run the New Orleans Saints. Naturally, when fantasy football league managers look to their drafts this month, those are the first two guys they think to draft from their team.
Thinking even for a second that Brees and Graham is all New Orleans have to offer is a mistake, however. Darren Sproles and Lance Moore, both fantasy factors in the past, have moved on to other teams and new bodies are ready to emerge in New Orleans’ explosive system.
Add in an aging and constantly nicked up Marques Colston, as well as Mark Ingram entering a contract year, and things could change even more. To get a better ideas as to which Saints players could shock us in the fantasy football world in 2014, let’s break down five of their guys we should probably keep an eye on during the preseason:
Brandin Cooks (Wide Receiver)
Cooks definitely isn’t “lesser known” by Saints fans, but to the rest of the fantasy realm he’s still at least unproven. We have no idea what his exact role will be or how the Saints will use him. Regardless, we know he’s a heck of a talent and that it’s unlikely New Orleans spent a first round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft on him to watch him sit on the sidelines. Get a good look at him during the preseason and then assess whether he’s worth drafting ahead of fellow wide receiver Kenny Stills or not.
Khiry Robinson (Running Back)
Mark Ingram is currently rolling with the first team, but he’s always banged up and is also entering a contract year. That could mean he misses action due to poor health or that the Saints opt to fade him out. Either way, Robinson could be looking at a much bigger role in 2014. He’s fairly similar to former Saint, Chris Ivory, and has considerable upside. He could chase RB2 value if he finds himself toting the ball a lot in 2014.
Travaris Cadet (Running Back)
Word on the street is that the Saints want rookie receiver Cooks to take over Darren Sproles’ old role, but what about Cadet? Cadet is currently just the team’s fourth running back and is primarily a special teamer, but also happens to be a fairly quick and elusive runner. The best part? He’s also a gifted receiver. If Cooks isn’t actually in the plans to take over Sproles’ old role, Cadet could be a guy to watch. Pay attention to how he’s used during the preseason to see if we have a dark horse on our hands.
Nick Toon (Wide Receiver)
Toon isn’t an amazing athlete or overly physically gifted, but he’s a very solid, balanced receiver. He hasn’t been given much of a chance to thrive in New Orleans yet, but the big-bodied receiver can still be a solid possession guy and red-zone option. He probably needs Marques Colston to drop dead to have serious value, but that’s not all that impossible. He’s been reportedly looking great in camp, so he’ll be worth watching during preseason games.
Joe Morgan (Wide Receiver)
Last, but certainly not least, is the explosive Morgan, who has the speed that kills deep down the field in the Saints’ offense. Morgan unfortunately missed all of last season with a torn ACL, but is now a full go for camp and could start to work his way back up into the offense. He’s really just a one-dimensional deep threat right now, but in 2012 he took 10 catches and turned them into an insane 379 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He might not carry weekly value right away, but he’ll certainly be worth monitoring in leagues if New Orleans sustains any injuries at wide receiver.