Chris Olave

Even with Michael Thomas presumably back in the fold, there was still a gaping hole at the wide receiver position in the Big Easy. Long-time general manager Mickey Loomis has had zero issues spending high-end draft capital on WRs in the past, so it's not surprising the Saints traded up to draft Chris Olave at No. 11.
The former Buckeye doesn't offer the same skill set as Thomas, but he can separate from defenders at an elite level downfield. Olave wrapped up his 2021 season in the 96th percentile in separation versus single coverage and caught seven touchdowns on throws of 20-plus air yards.
Olave draws parallels to Calvin Ridley with his impressive route running ability. But like Ridley coming out of school, Olave doesn't offer much after the catch.
His forced broken and missed tackle rate ranked 43rd among 43 qualifying wide receivers in the class. His yards after the catch per reception (4.2) ranked 37th.
Without much YAC-ability in an offense that ranked fifth in that YAC/reception last season and a firm seat in the WR2 chair behind a healthy Thomas, I have trouble getting overly excited for Olave in New Orleans as nothing more than a boom-or-bust WR4.

Chris Olave signs rookie contract with Saints

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the New Orleans Saints and WR Chris Olave have agreed to terms on a 4-year, fully-guaranteed $19,271,874 contract.

Fantasy Impact

It was a big day for the Saints passing offense, as the team agreed to terms with Olave, their 1st round pick in last month's draft, and signed veteran WR Jarvis Landry. Olave enters the NFL as what many draft analysts considered the most pro-ready rookie WR. Olave is a technically sound route runner with the speed to take the top off of defenses. The main knock on Olave is that he hasn’t been much of a threat after the catch and has gone down easily, but he brings a polished skill set to the NFL which should allow him to contribute right away. Olave is worth a late-round dart throw in redraft leagues and he can be had with a mid 1st round rookie draft pick in most dynasty leagues.