Two Saints Spiraling, One Exploding After 0-2 Start

DROPPING:

Chris Olave - Wide Receiver
It's very early. Olave in the long run is going to be fine. He's the No. 1 pass-catcher in this offense and the team itself is surely still working through all of the changes of the offseason. But, Olave hasn't had an explosive start to the season. There are high expectations as the No. 1 receiver and through two weeks he has 13 catches for 108 yards and zero touchdowns. He's been targeted 23 times -- most on the team -- but has hauled in just 43.5 percent of the passes. To put it in perspective, last year he was at 65.9 percent. As a rookie, he was at 53.8 percent and then at 53.6 percent in 2023. It's very early and he will be alright, but not the start that he likely wanted.

The Secondary In General
The Saints lost a key piece already in safety Julian Blackmon. Week 1, the Saints only gave up 163 yards passing to Kyler Murray and the Cardinals. Although, he did throw two touchdowns. What's worse was Week 2. Mac Jones of the 49ers threw for 279 passing yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Saints. San Francisco didn't have its top quarterback in Brock Purdy, its top tight end in George Kittle, or its top receiver in Brandon Aiyuk.

RISING:

Carl Granderson - Defensive End
He's the easiest one here. Granderson has been phenomenal so far for this Saints defense. He has been disruptive and has 3 1/2 sacks already this season, tied for the NFL lead.

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