New Orleans Saints Name Spencer Rattler Week 1 Starter Over Rookie Tyler Shough

Spencer Rattler has been named the New Orleans Saints’ Week 1 starter for 2025, but his inconsistent rookie season and uncertain upside keep him off the fantasy football radar outside of deep dynasty formats.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) scrambles during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. | Jon Endow-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints could be the NFL's worst team in 2025, and their quarterback situation hasn’t helped ease concerns. After the shocking decision to spend the No. 40 overall pick on Tyler Shough in the 2025 NFL Draft, speculation swirled all offseason about whether the rookie or second-year passer Spencer Rattler would win the starting job. Head coach Kellen Moore has ended the suspense, officially naming Rattler the Week 1 starter.

Spencer Rattler has been named the #Saints starting QB, Kellen Moore announced pic.twitter.com/AECr38PC2v

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 26, 2025

Many believe that Shough was the wrong decision but he could still end up starting before the season ends. However, we believe that Shedeur Sanders would have been the logical choice for a Saints franchise that has been lacking stability under center since the days of Drew Brees.

Perhaps Rattler will surprise in 2025 but fantasy football owners shouldn't expect much from the second-year pro. Yes, he has Alvin Kamara in the backfield and a healthy Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed on the outside, but Rattler is a raw, inexperienced project at this point of his career.

Spencer Rattler 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

Spencer Rattler opened his college career at Oklahoma in 2019 and flashed his best season the following year, throwing for 3,031 yards and 28 touchdowns while adding six more scores on the ground. His time as the Sooners’ starter ended midway through 2021 when Caleb Williams took over, which resulted in Rattler transferring to South Carolina. Over the next two seasons, he completed 67.5% of 798 attempts for 6,212 yards with 37 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. His mobility was limited to 150 rushing yards on 170 carries with seven scores.

The Saints selected him in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft and gave him six starts as a rookie. The results were pretty atrocious. Rattler went 0-6 while averaging 197 passing yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions. His 57% completion rate highlighted his inconsistency, though he did flash some rushing upside with 146 yards on the ground on 18 attempts.

New Orleans’ quarterback situation looks murky heading into 2025, and while Rattler should benefit from a year of experience, he should not be drafted in all but the deepest of leagues. Rattler is currently the QB34 in our 2025 Fantasy Football Rankings, but he may see a slight rise following this latest news. Shough currently sits as QB32, but the next rankings update will likely see him and Rattler swap spots.