Saints Fantasy Football Start 'em or Sit 'em in Week 5

Saints News Network's Fantasy Analyst Brendan Boylan looks at members of the Black and Gold to start and sit in Week 4.

Author:
Brendan Boylan
Publish date:
Oct 10, 2021 11:40 AM EDT

Saints Fantasy Football: Start 'em or Sit' em returns for the 2021 Season as Saints News Network's Fantasy Football analyst Brendan Boylan provides you with weekly advise regarding members of the Black and Gold.

Follow along throughout the year to dominate your fantasy leagues and earn bragging rights at home, in the office, or amongst your friends!

Below are Saints News Network's Saints Fantasy Football Start 'em or Sit 'em for Week 4 of the 2021 NFL Regular Season.

Start 'em: WR Deonte Harris (57th in Fantasy Points Among WRs)

USATSI_16743364_168388561_lowres — Sep 12, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Deonte Harris (11) scores a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in the fourth quarter at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans has been anything but consistent in the wide receivers corps through the early goings of 2021. Sean Payton and the Saints offense are going through growing pains with a new man at the helm for the first time in 15 years but there have been some bright spots and the brightest may be WR Deonte Harris.

Harris burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2019 earning an All-Pro nod as a return man. With his elite vision and elusiveness, Sean Payton began to sprinkle him into the offense and now finds himself 6th among receivers in PFF ratings through the first four games of the season.

With Jameis Winston at the helm of the Saints offense, Harris' is a deep ball threat throughout the season which only increases his fantasy value. If you need a FLEX option this week, Harris might be your best Saints bet against a depleted Washington defense and with a Saints offense that could use a little electricity.

Projection Via Si Betting: 75th among Week 5 WRs

Start 'em: RB Alvin Kamara (13th in Fantasy Points among RBs)

USATSI_16741778_168389760_lowres — Sep 12, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) reacts after scoring a second quarter touchdown against the Green Bay Packers at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Week 4 provided a first in the NFL career of Alvin Kamara, a game in which he did not record a single target. In 2021, Kamara's role has clearly changed becoming more of a workhorse for the Saints. Through his first four NFL seasons, Kamara recorded more than 20 carries in a single game just one time. During the first month of this season, Kamara has done so three times.

New Orleans will be without Tony Jones Jr. for at least three weeks, leaving question marks in the backfield behind Alvin Kamara. Through you should expect a healthy dose of Taysom Hill, Kamara's targets (which have been far and in between this season) could be even less in the coming weeks.

However, the bright side is Kamara should receive a heavy dose of carries and potentially plenty in the red zone. He seems to be the Saints' safest fantasy bet week to week. Continue to start him and cross your fingers the touchdowns will follow.

Projection via Si Betting: 3rd among Week 5 RBs

Sit 'em: QB Jameis Winston (21st in Fantasy Points Among QBs)

USATSI_16885849_168388561_lowres — Oct 3, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) calls a play against New York Giants linebacker Tae Crowder (48) during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Rome was not built in a day and neither was Sean Payton & Drew Brees' success in New Orleans. With that in mind, neither will Payton and Jameis Winston. The New Orleans offense has sputtered through the first month of the season and to many it looks like there are some training wheels on Jameis Winston, only attempting 20-25 passes a game on average.

The lack of Jameis ripping the ball downfield as he did during his days in Tampa Bay have quickly made him a non-starting option in fantasy in 2021 and has Saints fans scratching their head. The deep ball seemed to be a missing piece to the Saints offense, but Winston has been asked to be more of a game-manager early in his life as the Bayou's starting quarterback.

New Orleans needs to find ways to utilize the talent they have on the field (i.e Alvin Kamara, Taysom Hill, and Deonte Harris). All of which can impact the game on the ground and on designed trick plays. Thus, putting Winston in an odd spot from a fantasy value standpoint.