The New Orleans Saints were without wide receiver Chris Olave this past Sunday, but they will not be without him in Week 16.
Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Wednesday that Olave will be available when his team takes on the Los Angeles Rams in a pivotal matchup on Thursday night, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.
Olave missed New Orleans’ Week 15 win over the New York Giants due to an ankle injury.
In 13 games this season, Olave has hauled in 72 receptions for 918 yards and four touchdowns as the club’s No. 1 receiver. Clearly, he has a critical part of the offense, so the Saints certainly need him on the field as they jostle for playoff positioning against a surging Rams club.
Olave, who played his collegiate football at Ohio State, was selected by New Orleans with the 11th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
The 23-year-old enjoyed a spectacular rookie campaign, appearing in 15 contests and catching 72 passes for 1,042 yards and four scores.
Chris Olave and the Saints were widely viewed as NFC South favorites heading into 2023, but they have been a pretty disappointing group.
They hit a low point in early December, when they lost their third straight game to fall to 5-7. They have since bounced back with a pair of wins over the Carolina Panthers and the Giants, but their schedule is about to get a bit tougher.
After taking on the Rams in Los Angeles this week, New Orleans will remain on the road and face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a matchup that could ultimately determine who wins the NFC South. The Saints are currently tied with the Buccaneers for first place in the division, although Tampa Bay technically has the edge due to the tiebreaker.
New Orleans will then wrap up the regular season when it battles the Atlanta Falcons in the final week.
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