Who Should I Start? Chris Olave or Ladd McConkey

Thursday, May 22, 3:14 PM

New Orleans Saints wide receivers Chris Olave (head) and Rashid Shaheed (knee) look fully recovered during OTAs, according to team beat writer Matthew Paras. Olave missed nine games last season due to multiple head injuries/concussions, while Shaheed's season ended in Week 6 after he suffered a torn meniscus. Both New Orleans wideouts are explosive play-makers with blazing speed, but health will be a concern in 2025. Additionally, they are likely to be catching passes from rookie quarterback Tyler Shough for most of the year, and rookie signal-callers traditionally struggle to support multiple fantasy-relevant pass-catchers. All that said, their positive injury updates early in the offseason are promising. Olave, priced as a mid-range WR3, could present value if Shough exceeds expectations. Shaheed remains a late-round best ball dart throw.

Monday, June 23, 6:52 PM

The additions to the Los Angeles Chargers' offense this year should make second-year wide receiver Ladd McConkey even more dangerous, according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper. The different is that last year the offense was stunted because they lacked vertical threats. This year, the Chargers have options that can attack defenses vertically from various alignments, which will open up short and intermediate areas for McConkey. Rookie wideout Tre' Harris and rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden both have the ability to make plays down the field for the Bolts and take attention away from McConkey. McConkey was a fantasy stud in his first year in the NFL with 82 catches on 112 targets for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 regular-season games (14 starts). The Chargers will remain a run-first offense, but McConkey should still be in play as a low-end WR1/high-end WR2 in fantasy.