Chris Olave Hospitalized with Blood Clot, We Hope for His Elite, Healthy 2026 Return

Saints fans find their hero, Chris Olave, hospitalized with a blood clot. We wish the best and to great things in the 2026 season.

Tennessee Titans cornerback Kemon Hall (40) reacts to New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) running in a touchdown during the third quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Some unfortunate news hit the injury report this week as Chris Olave was found to have a blood clot in one of his lungs. Of course, Olave is now out this week. He may even have long-term effects of this medical matter. Olave has played to a great level this year, being a mid-tier WR1 in Fantasy Football. He was going to trend highly as a first round pick in 2026, but this now adds caution to the wind. Will this affect Olave in 2026? We will dive into the matter.

Immediate Fantasy Football Impact

We are a Fantasy Football site and so, we must do our due diligence and weigh the impact. The Saints will face the Falcons this Sunday and it will be without Olave. Nonetheless, they will play to win, and it will have to come through the next man up mentality.

Tyler Shough's push for Rookie of Year concludes Sunday at ATL. Expecting his "weapons" to look like:

1. Juwan Johnson
2. Kevin Austin Jr.
3. Dante Pettis
4. Ronnie Bell

— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) January 2, 2026

The Saints are running with a thin depth chart. It consists of: Kevin Austin, Mason Tipton, Dante Pettis, and Ronnie Bell. I would not knock you for not knowing who anyone is, especially outside of Pettis.

The best of them all, if that is what we want to call it, has been Austin. This puts him at 103 Yards on the season over 9 Receptions and 14 Targets. Tipton then has 76 Yards and Pettis has 67. Bell has zero caught balls.

Surely, one Wide Receiver can breakout. However, I would not bank on it. No Saints wideout is playable given the high risk at hand.

Juwan Johnson is the sole beneficiary. He faces a 3rd ranked Falcons Defense versus Tight Ends. Johnson also has a 19% Target Share on the season. Given the new-look offense, Johnson very well could explode to beyond 30% of this Receiving Offense. It will not game easy, and it may be easy for Atlanta to game plan, but the volume should be there to make Johnson considerable.

Chris Olave Hospitalized with Blood Clot

Olave has no history of blood clots as this is a first time emergency matter. He was hospitalized for immediate care, as is protocol. Per the New York Post, the recovery process will be about four weeks. We wish to best to Olave and his family.

Long-Term Effects

The long-term treatment process is said to have Olave on blood thinners. Olave would be on them for roughly 3 months, or so, according to Jesse Morse, M.D.

Chris Olave

Reportedly has a blood clot in his lungs, also known as a pulmonary embolus.

Usually people with PE’s present with acute shortness of breath and pain in the chest.

More often than not these start in the calf (DVT) and travel up to the lungs (see diagram).… pic.twitter.com/D6lrifTAK6

— Jesse Morse, M.D. (@DrJesseMorse) January 1, 2026

NFL athletes will not be allowed to play football while on this medication. If there is any luck in this situation, it is lucky for Olave that this happens right as the offseason begins. He will not be due on to a football field until this summer, which is >6 months away.

We can expect that Olave has the best doctors by his side. With all going according to plan, Olave should be back for the 2026 season. However, this is not simple matter, and we will keep posted to Olave's return to great health as the months go on.