Who Should I Start? Chris Olave or Zay Flowers

Sunday, August 10, 2:52 PM

New Orleans Saints wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed are not going through pre-game warm-ups for the team's preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, according to Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune. That means Spencer Rattler, who is getting the start against Los Angeles as he competes with Tyler Shough and Jake Haener for the QB1 job, will be without his top two wide receivers. Both Olave and Shaheed had their 2024 seasons significantly impacted by injuries, so it makes sense that the team would want to be cautious with them in the preseason.

Wednesday, July 30, 3:58 PM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (knee/leg) did not practice on Wednesday, but head coach John Harbaugh said the Pro Bowl wideout had "camp-like" stuff pop up and will get a day or a few days off. It sounds like Flowers is dealing with a minor ailment, so fantasy managers should not be concerned at this point. In his second NFL season last year, Flowers secured 74 of his 116 targets for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns. The former first-round pick out of Boston College has been excellent to start his NFL career, but high-end WR1 upside for fantasy football is likely out of reach thanks to the Ravens' dominance on the ground. Either way, he's a solid WR2/3 or flex option and has the big-play ability to produce spike weeks. His competition for targets in the wide receiver room remains weak entering 2025.