Josh Hill is a nice sleeper candidate as the main tight end in New Orleans

Here’s the latest in our team preview series, a look at the 2015 New Orleans Saints.

2014 Team Record: 7-9

Key players: Drew Brees (QB), Mark Ingram (RB), Brandin Cooks (WR)

Notable offseason additions: C.J. Spiller (RB), Garrett Grayson (QB)

After missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, the New Orleans Saints seemed to want to start all over again. While they didn’t go full fire sale like early signs suggested, they did ship out Jimmy Graham, Kenny Stills and Ben Grubbs in exchange for draft picks and players.

And though Graham left a gaping hole in their offense, a bevy of draft picks and the strengthening of other areas on the team have made the Saints a force to be reckoned with in the NFL. But even if they do look good on paper, will their players be up to the mark in the fantasy game?

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Quarterback

They don’t come too much better than Drew Brees. Considering he had somewhat of a down year in 2014, Brees still led the league in passing yards and had the sixth-most fantasy points overall. He was also the second-most accurate passer among quarterbacks with at least 200 passing attempts, only behind Dallas’ Tony Romo.

One worry heading into 2015 other than Brees’ age is the loss of Jimmy Graham, who the team traded away to Seattle this offseason. Graham has led the team in both targets and receptions in each of the last four seasons, and will be sorely missed by their QB. That will hurt Brees’ fantasy value, even if he is a top tier quarterback.

Nevertheless, New Orleans’ offense still has playmakers. Look no further than second-year receiver Brandin Cooks, who was playing magnificently before his season-ending injury last year. They also have running backs capable of helping out in the passing game, so Brees should still be able to reap rewards for your team. He’s probably fallen out of the first couple of rounds with Graham gone, but you should feel no shame taking him in the third or the fourth. He’ll still get it done.

Running Back

With the addition of C.J. Spiller this offseason, the Saints are in a very strong position when it comes to the running game. But the problem lies only in fantasy land. Spiller joins Mark Ingram, who enjoyed somewhat of a breakout season last year, making the Pro Bowl despite missing three games with a hand injury.

Ingram was the lead back in Pete Carmichael’s offense last year and didn’t have his snaps threatened by Khiry Robinson and Pierre Thomas. But Spiller, however, has proved his mettle in Buffalo and has the talent to force the dreaded running back by committee approach. That’s something that should only start to materialize once training camp begins. Plus, Spiller still has a lot to show if he is going to bounce back after tailing off the past couple of seasons. Fantasy players should view Ingram as a flex option while steering clear of Spiller. But, hey, it could all change come September.

Wide Receiver

Brandin Cooks and Marques Colston aside, there are no inspiring names that play at wide receiver for the Saints. The vast majority are likely to be bit-part players while the versatile Cooks could be a fantasy star. He’ll be the lead receiver in the offense and can play both in the slot and on the outside. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him attain four-digit receiving yards with an attractive touchdown total to boot.

Colston, on the other hand, is a proven commodity. And while he may not be at Cooks’ level, he could still have a solid fantasy return this year. 900 yards and five touchdowns is not out of the question, and he would be a good receiver handcuff for his sophomore teammate if he were to get injured again.

Tight End

Jimmy Graham’s surprise departure back in March has paved the way for a fantasy football sleeper of the year candidate in Josh Hill. Brees loved having Graham to throw to, and Hill will still provide a big target for his quarterback. The potential is most certainly there. Last season, Hill only had 176 receiving yards and was sparsely used. But when he was used in the passing game he was an offensive asset, scoring five touchdowns on just 14 receptions. In fact, he averaged a score every four targets. Even if he doesn’t rack up a monster yardage total last season, he is enough of a threat in the red zone to warrant serious fantasy consideration. Like with any TE who isn’t named Gronkowski, he should be taken with a pinch of salt and not drafted too high. But if Hill is still there in the middle of the draft, it may well be a wise choice to pull the trigger.

Kicker

The Saints will have new blood at the kicker position after releasing Shayne Graham earlier on in the year. Dustin Hopkins and Zach Hocker are the two men competing for a place on the roster, despite neither ever recording an NFL kick. Playing on the Saints’ high-scoring offense should help them score fantasy points this year. But as they are unknown quantities, it would be a good idea to see if they’re worth a waiver pickup once the season has already started.

Defense/Special Teams

If it weren’t for the Oakland Raiders, then the Saints would have been at the bottom of the D/ST rankings last year. But even though they weren’t, a paltry 39 points was still a cause for concern. By comparison, the Eagles’ D/ST scored 31 points in their Week 10 matchup alone, which shows you just how awful New Orleans was in that category.

But despite their low floor, the Saints are very talented on that side of the ball. Cameron Jordan and Kevin Williams are now up front. The linebacker corps includes Dannell Ellerbe, Junior Galette and newly-drafted Stephone Anthony. Plus, the defensive backfield now consists of Brandon Browner, Kenny Vaccaro and Jairus Byrd solidifying. All this defensive talent should push the Louisiana outfit to be much better in 2015.

As far as special teams go, they’re not that good, so don’t expect a plethora of points from that aspect of their game. But if their defense plays as well as the personnel suggests, then the Saints could be one of the most-improved in fantasy for 2015. A final round flier may just be worth it.

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Tom Woods is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Tom, check out his archive and follow him @RealTomWoods.