X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Chris Olave NFL Rookie Profile - Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Outlook

Chris Olave - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

Justin Carter's fantasy football rookie analysis for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave. Is this NFL rookie WR a 2022 fantasy football draft sleeper?

With the 2022 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, it's time to think about how various rookies are going to fit with their new teams.

The Saints used the 11th pick in the draft on Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave, taking him just one pick after the Jets took his former college teammate, Garrett Wilson.

Olave joins a Saints team that is in flux, as the team's longtime quarterback and head coach departed the team in back-to-back years. So, what can we expect from Olave as a rookie?

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Chris Olave College Production

Olave played four seasons at Ohio State. Over that time, he caught 175 passes for 2,702 yards and 35 touchdowns. His senior season saw the former Mission Hills star set career-high marks across the board, with 65 catches for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns.

While he never really put up monster yardage numbers—he finished second in the Big Ten in receiving yards in 2020, his only appearance in the top-five of the conference in that stat—he did finish as the Big Ten's fourth-leading touchdown receiver of all-time. His overall numbers also suffered from playing in a crowded offense, with Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba also commanding looks.

 

Chris Olave's Measurables

Per MockDraftable, Olave's measurables are...weird.

His speed is apparent, with a 4.39 40-yard dash that ranks in the 86th percentile. But his 32'' vertical jump is in just the 12th percentile.

Still, let's not let one bad measurement destroy him. While we often think that receivers need to be able to leap like a basketball player to be effective, that's not necessarily the case. Looking at combine data since 1999, productive receivers Jarvis Landry, Wes Welker, Harry Douglas, Jordy Nelson, and Cooper Kupp all had worse verticals than Olave. Sure, the list of players with a vertical jump under 32'' is full of forgettable names, but any list of measurables will be full of forgettable names.

And measurables also aren't everything. I don't recall watching Olave play in college and thinking "huh, he just isn't jumping high enough." For me, the positives of his 40-time and his 72nd percentile broad jump outweigh the poor vertical number.

 

Olave's Strengths and Weaknesses

Olave was a consistent producer at Ohio State. No, he didn't have a year where he just absolutely dominated, but he was putting up good numbers year after year.

One thing he really showed in college is that he's good at running routes. PFF gave out fake awards to the wide receivers in this class and awarded Olave "Best Route-Runner" because of his ability to properly run whatever route he needed to run.

Olave is able to create separation due to his ability to quickly cut:

He shows excellent control with his lower body and is able to make these quick moves that leave the defense off balance and opens up room for easy completions.

Olave was considered the "safe" receiver in this class. He might never be the best receiver in the NFL, but he has a high floor thanks to his route running and his speed.

As for weaknesses, his strength is a concern. Going back to his measurables, he's just 18th percentile in weight and 35th in height. Olave is going to have to figure out how to win at the line of scrimmage to get into his routes—if the defenders engage him early, will he be able to shake them off? And will he be able to stay on the field on most downs due, or will the Saints need to use a better blocker on rushing downs?

 

His Fit With The Saints

It'll be really interesting to see how the Saints use Olave.

New Orleans has Michael Thomas, who is one of the NFL's best receivers when healthy. But Thomas missed all of last season with an ankle injury and still isn't back to full strength:

Let's assume Thomas is healthy. Olave would line up opposite him, with Jarvis Landry in the slot. (This assumes Olave beats out Marquez Callaway and Tre'Quan Smith for snaps, which he definitely should, but it's not completely a given.)

Pete Carmichael has been the OC in New Orleans for 14 years. Even with Sean Payton gone, I think we can assume the team's offense will still look largely the same. And that means that not a lot of targets will go the third option.

Taking the weird 2020 and 2021 seasons out of the equation since Thomas was hurt, let's look at some data for where Saints receivers landed in terms of targets in recent years.

In 2019, Thomas led the NFL in targets with 185. The Saints' WR2, Ted Ginn Jr., was tied for 27th out of 32 WR2s in targets, while the WR3, Tre'Quan Smith, was 30th out of 32 WR3s.

In 2018, Thomas was seventh in targets with 147. WR2 Smith was last out of the No. 2 receivers, while Ginn was second-to-last.

Sure, part of that is Drew Brees zeroing in on Thomas and another part is the lack of talent at receiver, two things that are different now. And 2019 Jameis Winston was good about spreading the ball around, with his No. 2 target, Mike Evans, finishing third among No. 2 targets and his No. 3, Breshad Perriman, finishing ninth.

But still, the track record of the Saints and non-Thomas receivers in years where Thomas is healthy isn't great. And the Saints have quarterback question marks, which is never great for someone's value.

 

Chris Olave Fantasy Football Outlook

So, what should we expect from Olave in fantasy this year?

Our redraft rankings have him at WR78, sandwiched between Quintez Cephus and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. That doesn't sound great, but it's a realistic outlook for Olave. The Saints offense will run through Alvin Kamara (if he's on the field), and a healthy Michael Thomas is the No. 1 receiver, while Jarvis Landry has been a target hog during his whole NFL career.

There's just not much room for Olave to get targets.

Now, he does have a lot of upside if Thomas isn't healthy, or if Kamara is suspended and the team ends up just letting Jameis rip some passes. But if things work in New Orleans the way that the Saints want them to work, Olave won't have a lot of fantasy value.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More NFL Rookie Profiles




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Collin Sexton

Hornets Have High Hopes for Collin Sexton
Rui Hachimura

Likely to Start Season Without Contract Extension
Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Hopes to Bounce Back in 2025-26
Stephen Curry

Ready to Go for New Season
Orlando Magic

Lester Quinones Agrees to Deal With Magic
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Cleared to Play on Tuesday Night
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Pulled With Hamstring Tightness
MLB

Game 2 of Brewers-Cubs on Monday Postponed
Bryce Miller

to be Activated on Tuesday
Kyle Tucker

to Get Multiple Days Off
Shane Bieber

to Make Season Debut on Friday
Joe Mixon

Could Start Season on NFI List
Zack Wheeler

has Surgery to Remove Blood Clot
De'Von Achane

Unlikely to Practice This Week
Justin Jefferson

Returning to Practice
Chris Godwin

Bucs Chris Godwin Likely to Start Season on PUP List
Joe Flacco

Browns Name Joe Flacco as Their Week 1 Starter
Jalen McDaniels

Inks Deal With New Orleans
N'Faly Dante

Signs Deal With Hawks
Matthew Stafford

Practicing on Monday
Dru Smith

Agrees to Deal With Heat
Austin Dillon

Scores an Upset Victory at Richmond
William Byron

Clinches the Regular Season Championship Title at Richmond
Denny Hamlin

Pit-Road Struggles Impede Denny Hamlin's Chances of a Top Finish at Richmond
Joey Logano

Earns A Fourth-Place Finish at Richmond
Kyle Larson

Rallies to A Top-10 Finish at Richmond
Malik Nabers

Dealing With Back Injury
Khamzat Chimaev

Is The New UFC Middleweight Champion
Dricus Du Plessis

Gets Dominated At UFC 319
Aaron Pico

Suffers Knockout Loss In His UFC Debut
Lerone Murphy

Scores Stunning First-Round Knockout
Leodalis De Vries

Earns Promotion to Double-A
Nathaniel Lowe

Finalizing Deal with Boston
Geoff Neal

Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss
Ketel Marte

Arizona Could Trade Ketel Marte in the Offseason
Carlos Prates

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Page

Dominates At UFC 319
Jared Cannonier

Gets Outclassed
Tim Elliott

Gets Submission Win
Kai Asakura

Still Winless In The UFC
Austin Cindric

has Arguably his Best Run of the Season at Richmond
Ryan Blaney

Contends for First Richmond Win but Comes Up Short
Alex Bowman

Finishes Second but Loses Ground in Playoffs
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Sets Personal Laps-Led Record at Richmond
Chris Buescher

Falls Out of Playoffs After Miserable Richmond Run
Coby White

Bulls Not Interested in Trading Coby White
Dereck Lively II

Expected to be Ready for Camp
Brian Robinson Jr.

Commanders "Shopping" Brian Robinson Jr.
John Metchie III

Texans Trade John Metchie III to Eagles
Victor Scott II

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Trey Hendrickson

Bengals Listening to Trade Offers for Trey Hendrickson
Marcelo Mayer

to Have Season-Ending Wrist Surgery
Samuel Basallo

Called Up From Triple-A Norfolk
J.K. Dobbins

Expected to Win Starting RB Job?
Quentin Johnston

Suffers Concussion in Preseason Loss
Jaxson Dart

Plays Well on Saturday Night
Marcus Semien

Avoids Serious Injury
Kyle Stowers

Heads to Injured List With Left-Side Strain
Zack Wheeler

Placed on Injured List With Blood Clot in Shoulder
Terry McLaurin

Commanders Optimistic Terry McLaurin Deal Can Get Done Soon
De'Von Achane

De’Von Achane Dealing With Lower-Body Injury
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Likely Avoids Serious Injury
Josh Hader

Unlikely to Return During Regular Season
Denny Hamlin

the Heavy Favorite to Win at Richmond
Christopher Bell

Has Been Great at Richmond
Kyle Stowers

Out Saturday With Left-Side Tightness
Tyrese Haliburton

No Longer Using a Scooter, Crutches
Ryan Blaney

Can Ryan Blaney Finally Break Through at Richmond?
Joey Logano

Will Start Last at Richmond After Practice Trouble
Chase Elliott

Lack of Top-Line Speed Hurts his DFS Potential
Kyle Larson

Recent String of Crashes Make Him a Big Risk at Richmond
William Byron

Probably Slightly Too Inconsistent at Richmond to Start for DFS
Ryan Preece

on Pole at Richmond as Playoff Deadline Looms Closer
Brad Keselowski

Probably the Best RFK Racing DFS Option at Richmond
Chase Briscoe

Still Figuring Out Richmond
Chris Buescher

a Solid Choice for DFS Play, but Teammates Look Faster
Jhoan Duran

Feels "100%"
Marcus Semien

Out on Saturday, Going for X-Rays on his Wrist
George Springer

Activated and Starting on Saturday
Dylan Beavers

Called Up by Orioles
Terry McLaurin

Commanders Activate Terry McLaurin From PUP List
Rashee Rice

NFL Could Reach Settlement Before Hearing
Joe Mixon

Not a Lock to be Ready For Week 1
Rashee Rice

Receives Clearance to Travel to Brazil for Week 1
Haywood Highsmith

Dealt to Brooklyn on Friday
Amir Coffey

Signs One-Year Deal With Bucks
Khamzat Chimaev

A Favorite At UFC 319
Dricus Du Plessis

Set For His Third Title Defense
Aaron Pico

Set For UFC Debut
Lerone Murphy

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Geoff Neal

Looks For His Second Win In A Row
Travis Hunter

Dealing With Upper-Body Injury, Could be Held Out of Preseason Game
Michael Page

Set For His Second Middleweight Bout
Jared Cannonier

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kai Asakura

Looks For His First UFC Win
Tim Elliott

Set To Open Up UFC 309 Main Card
CBJ

Mikael Pyyhtia Re-Signs With Blue Jackets for One Year
UTA

Caleb Desnoyers Expected to Miss 12 Weeks After Wrist Procedure
Tyson Foerster

on Track to Be Healthy for Season Opener
NHL

Olivier Rodrigue Signs KHL Deal
NHL

Emil Bemstrom to Join Swiss Team
Payton Pritchard

Reportedly Moving Into Starting Lineup
Quinshon Judkins

Won't Face Formal Charges
Kevin Durant

Rockets Not Interested in Keeping Kevin Durant with Max Extension
NBA

Isaiah Mobley Joins Turkish Team
NBA

Cole Swider Links Up with EuroLeague Powerhouse
Ethan Thompson

Joins Heat for Training Camp
Los Angeles Clippers

Clippers Add Jason Preston for Training Camp
Akshay Bhatia

a High-Upside Play at BMW Championship
Robert MacIntyre

a Safe Play at BMW Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im a Risky Play at BMW Championship
Xander Schauffele

Chases Big Week at BMW Championship
Shane Lowry

Aims to Rebound at BMW Championship
Si Woo Kim

Looks to Build Momentum at BMW Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick

Looking to Rebound at BMW Championship
Patrick Cantlay

Eyeing Another BMW Championship Victory

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP