Who Dat said they gonna beat them Saints! Who Dat Saint you need to target in the draft? Here we will analyze schedule, coaching strategy, and the key available players on offense and defense. Once completed you’ll have a good idea about the Saints 2010 scheme and which players you should target in the 2010 fantasy football draft.
New Orleans Saints 2010 Fantasy Football Draft Targets
Below are the New Orleans Saints players you want to target in this years fantasy football draft. Further analysis of how I came to these conclusions are detailed within the coaching strategy and schedule analysis..
Quarterback
With the most points per game in 2008 and 2009 the first QB to be drafted in your fantasy league needs to be...
- Drew Brees: Brees has lead (or tied) the NFL with the highest TD count for two years straight. Mother Nature can't stop Brees either – the Saints play 11 games indoors in 2010 and some of their outdoor games look safe weather-wise (Tampa Bay, Carolina, San Francisco).
Running Back
The Saints operate a RBBC (Running Back By Committee) which lowers the overall value of these guys however of the RBBC in existence the Bush / Thomas duo really outperforms especially in PPR (points per reception) leagues.
- Pierre Thomas - Target PT in the mid to late second round in PPR formats - and early to mid 3rd in TD heavy leagues. This varies on league size so monitor when the league takes a run on mid tier backs and be sure to target PT.
- Reggie Bush - Target Bush as a 3rd tier flex running back. If your league gives points for PPR and Return Yardage you'll need to add considerable value to Bush and consider taking him in the 3rd or 4th round depending on the size of your league.
Wide Receiver
The Saints love to spread the ball and the off season injuries are a small concern.
- Marques Colston - Red Zone Monster who progresses each year - Another 9 TD 1,000 Yard season is not out of the question.
- Robert Meachem - a low risk high reward player. If Meachem can become more consistent he could prove to be a really nice draft steal. His toe surgery plays a huge role in this years production.
Tight End
Unless you're in a really deep league you can't draft a Saints TE. Deep and Dynasty Leaguers look for Jimmy Graham to be the next Tony Gonzalez, But of course no one knows when or if this is just major hype.
Defense
I can't recommend the Saints defensive unit as a whole, the schedule is just to tough. IDP players will need to check out our 2010 IDP Rankings.
Now one may ask why I ranked the players as such. Let us now diver deeper and look at the schedule and past coaching strategies for both offense and defense.
New Orleans Saints 2010 Schedule
| Regular Season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Game | Time |
| Thu 9/9 | Minnesota Vikings Minnesota | 8:30 pm |
| Mon 9/20 | San Francisco 49ers at San Francisco | 8:30 pm |
| Sun 9/26 | Atlanta Falcons Atlanta | 1:00 pm |
| Sun 10/3 | Carolina Panthers Carolina | 1:00 pm |
| Sun 10/10 | Arizona Cardinals at Arizona | 4:05 pm |
| Sun 10/17 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tampa Bay | 1:00 pm |
| Sun 10/24 | Cleveland Browns Cleveland | 1:00 pm |
| Sun 10/31 | Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh | 8:20 pm |
| Sun 11/7 | Carolina Panthers at Carolina | 1:00 pm |
| Bye | ||
| Sun 11/21 | Seattle Seahawks Seattle | 4:05 pm |
| Thu 11/25 | Dallas Cowboys at Dallas | 4:15 pm |
| Sun 12/5 | Cincinnati Bengals at Cincinnati | 1:00 pm |
| Sun 12/12 | St. Louis Rams St. Louis | 4:05 pm |
| Sun 12/19 | Baltimore Ravens at Baltimore | 1:00 pm |
| Mon 12/27 | Atlanta Falcons at Atlanta | 8:30 pm |
| Sun 1/2 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay | 1:00 pm |
The Saints 2010 schedule leans in favor of high production for the offense. The Saints offense will get into more shootouts this year which bodes well for the entire offense. I anticipate higher fantasy statistics this year for the Saints key players, Brees being the main benefactor. If the Saints don't figure out how to stop the run we will not see a dominating regular season like we saw last year. Turn overs may save your defensive fantasy statistics but don't anticipate many scores under 21 points.
Coaching Strategy
Offense
In 2009 the New Orleans Saints had the most successful offensive attack in the NFL. The Saints Ranked # 1 based on Points Per Game at 31.9 in 2009, and in 2008 the Saints ranked # 1 in Points Per Game at 28.9 points per game.
Receiving 2009 Stats
|
Rk
|
Team
|
Pts/G
|
TotPts
|
Rec
|
Yds
|
Avg
|
Yds/G
|
Lng
|
TD
|
20+
|
40+
|
1st
|
1st%
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Indianapolis Colts
|
26
|
416
|
402
|
4,605
|
11.5
|
287.8
|
80T
|
34
|
62
|
8
|
241
|
60.0
|
||
|
1
|
Minnesota Vikings
|
29.4
|
470
|
377
|
4,403
|
11.7
|
275.2
|
63
|
34
|
55
|
13
|
220
|
58.4
|
||
|
1
|
New Orleans Saints
|
31.9
|
510
|
378
|
4,490
|
11.9
|
280.6
|
75T
|
34
|
58
|
11
|
215
|
56.9
|
||
|
4
|
Green Bay Packers
|
28.8
|
461
|
357
|
4,492
|
12.6
|
280.8
|
83T
|
30
|
55
|
17
|
201
|
56.3
|
Rushing 2009 Stats
|
Rk
|
Team
|
Att
|
Yds
|
Avg
|
Yds/G
|
TD
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Baltimore Ravens
|
468
|
2,200
|
4.7
|
137.5
|
22
|
|
1
|
Miami Dolphins
|
509
|
2,231
|
4.4
|
139.4
|
22
|
|
3
|
New Orleans Saints
|
468
|
2,106
|
4.5
|
131.6
|
21
|
|
3
|
New York Jets
|
607
|
2,756
|
4.5
|
172.2
|
21
|
Coming into the 2010 season the receiving group is unchanged however I have concerns with Henderson's and Meachem's off seasons surgeries being a cause for concern. Obviously the coaching staff saw reason for concern because they have packed the off season WR competition in preparation for whatever may come from the Henderson's and Meachem's off season surgeries. Running the ball improved from 2008 to 2009 where New Orleans had the 5th highest TD total in 2008 then in 2009 they had the 2nd highest TD total. This perfected balance improved as the year progressed however the schedule this year is a bit more formidable than 2009.
Sean Payton has created one of the most exciting offensive packages in the NFL. Guaranteed to get into the red zone every single Sunday the Saints provide plenty of fantasy points... if you have Drew Brees. Peyton likes to spread the ball between receivers and running backs so you just won't find a consistently productive fantasy running back or wide receiver in New Orleans. But since the Saints are in the Red Zone so much and have the lead the NFL in points scored for 2 years in a row the prime two WR and RB are still extremely draft able and highly recommenced. PPR leagues rejoice at this pass happy offense and Drew Brees loves to dump the ball off to his RB's. This won't change in 2010, why change what isn't broken?
Defense
Coming into 2010 the Saints new they had issues on defense. After allowing 122 rushing yards per game and 235 passing yards per game the needs were obvious; depth in the secondary and some improved run stopping. Half of last year the Saints were missing half of the secondary due to injury and the lack of depth showed, so the Saints draft a DB in the first round. They are also making free agency moved including Clint Ingram from Jacksonville and Alex Brown from the Bears. Both proven mid age vets that will bolster the New Orleans Defense for the next couple years.
Greg Williams coming into his second year with the Saints has really done well with forcing turn overs. 26 Interceptions were 3rd highest in the NFL and 35 sacks landed them at 13th in the NFL. These stats show the aggressiveness of Greg Williams which plays well into this teams focus, keeping the ball in Drew Brees's hands. 2010 should be a better year for the Saints on defense, not like last year was bad, I see lower points allowed as well as a higher sack statistic. The DB's should gather plenty of tackles as teams pass to keep up and the sacks will increase with Alex Brown playing Defensive End.
