Saints Stock Report: 3 Players Trending Up Despite Raiders Loss

New Orleans’ fourth-quarter collapse dominated the aftermath of its loss to Las Vegas, but three players continued impressive starts and strengthened their roles entering Week 4.

New Orleans Saints edge rusher Chase Young (99) celebrates a play against Detroit Lions during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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The New Orleans Saints' fourth-quarter collapse against the Las Vegas Raiders overshadowed several encouraging individual performances.

New Orleans surrendered an 11-point second-half lead in its 35-27 loss, committing four turnovers in the fourth quarter as a winnable game quickly unraveled. But while the final result was disappointing, several Saints continued to strengthen their cases as key pieces on both sides of the ball.

Here are three players whose stock is rising coming out of the loss.

EDGE Chase Young

Sep 20, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive end Chase Young (99) prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chase Young continues to look like one of the Saints' most disruptive defenders.

The veteran edge rusher recorded two sacks, giving him his third career multi-sack game and second since joining New Orleans. Young now has 3.5 sacks on the year, the most on the Saints and is tied fifth in the NFL.

That production was particularly important because the Saints weren't consistently affecting Kirk Cousins otherwise. Young supplied some of their best individual pass-rush moments and continues to make a strong case for being one of the centerpieces of this defensive front.

Young picked up a 81.1 defense grade and a 87.0 pass rush grade according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). Young has a 79.4 overall grade (16th best among edge rushers) and a 90.3 pass rush grade, the third-best among edge rushers.

WR Chris Olave

Sep 27, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) is brought down by Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Hezekiah Masses (35) in the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There wasn't much flashy about Chris Olave's performance, but the production was undeniable.

Olave caught nine passes on 12 targets for 107 yards, accounting for more than 40% of Tyler Shough's passing yardage. Olave did not drop a pass for the second consecutive game and caught three passes on the four contested targets thrown his way.

Perhaps more importantly, he provided Shough with a reliable option throughout a game in which the Saints repeatedly moved the chains, as seven of Olave’s catches resulted in a first down. Olave continues to look like the clear centerpiece of the passing game. 

TE Noah Fant

Sep 27, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Noah Fant (87) reacts after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Noah Fant's emergence might be one of the more interesting developments through three weeks.

He caught four passes for 33 yards and two touchdowns, including a 16-yard score immediately after New Orleans recovered a Raiders kickoff fumble. 

The Saints scored only four touchdowns through tight ends during all of last season. They scored four against Las Vegas alone and already have six this year.

With Juwan Johnson also catching two touchdowns, Kellen Moore suddenly has legitimate flexibility at tight end.

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