Under-The-Radar Saints WR Emerging As Week 12 Fantasy Football Sleeper

The Saints might have a potential star wide receiver on their hands...

Sep 14, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Devaughn Vele (14) reacts to scoring a touchdown against San Francisco 49ers safety Jason Pinnock (25) during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints recently opted to trade Rashid Shaheed at the trade deadline before cutting ties with Brandin Cooks in a shcoking move this week.

The Saints have opened the door for their other wide receivers to grow and develop. There are multiple young wide receivers who could use the rest of the season to breakout heading into next year.

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Bleacher Report's Moe Moton recently suggested Saints wide receiver Devaughn Vele could be a Fantasy Football sleeper option in Week 12 against the rival Atlanta Falcons.

Devaughn Vele could be a Fantasy Football sleeper in Week 12

Oct 12, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) and wide receiver Devaughn Vele (14) react during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

"On Wednesday, the New Orleans Saints released Brandin Cooks. Although he didn't see a high volume of targets (25), the 32-year-old played 65.4 percent of the offensive snaps. His departure will allow another receiver to at least see more action and potentially get more looks in the passing game," Moton wrote. "Devaughn Vele could benefit most from Cooks' release. This past offseason, the Saints acquired him from the Denver Broncos. Two weeks ago, head coach Kellen Moore told reporters the second-year receiver will 'have a healthy role' and 'be very involved' in the offense for the second half of the season.

"You should take Moore's words at face value now the Saints have parted ways with Cooks. Vele could be the No. 2 receiver behind Chris Olave. If that's the case, take a shot starting him in a matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, who have allowed an average of nearly 30 points in their last four games."

Vele could be a very under-the-radar option for fantasy football players this week. Vele isn't a star for the Saints, but he could see his season high in targets this week if everything goes well.

The young wide receiver only has six catches with the Saints. The most catches he's recorded in one game was two against the New York Giants. But with the Saints very shallow at wide receiver, Vele could take on a bigger role. It would be quite a risk to roll forward with Vele this week, but Week 12 could be his breakout game with the Saints.

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