Olave (illness) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
Olave came ever so close to playing 17 regular-season games for the first time in his career, missing out after a blood clot was discovered in his lung earlier this week. The issue reportedly was detected early, with the expectation that he'll be fine after treatment. Olave finishes 2025 with career highs in numerous categories, including targets (156), catches (100), receiving yards (1,163) and touchdowns (nine). He'll likely be a second/third-round fantasy pick in 2026, following a strong finish to 2025 for both Olave and QB Tyler Shough.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Comes down with illness
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Olave didn't practice Wednesday due to an illness, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.
Olave has been dealing with a back issue from time to time since Week 13, but he's suited up for each of the last five contests on his way to 31 catches (on 48 targets) for 429 yards and five touchdowns during that span. Now with an illness in tow, his status bears watching as the week goes on to get a sense of his potential to play Sunday in Atlanta.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Active Sunday, as expected
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Olave (back) is active for Sunday's game at Tennessee.
Olave has periodically been bothered by a back issue since Week 13 prep, but he's suited up for each of the Saints' last four contests on his way to a 23-310-4 line on 37 targets during that span. His limited session Friday led the team to deem him questionable for Week 17 action, but Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reported Saturday that Olave was expected to be active and ready for his normal workload, the former of which now has been confirmed. Assuming he's good for his roughly better than 80 percent weekly snap share Sunday, Olave again will operate as the top pass catcher for rookie QB Tyler Shough.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Expected to play Sunday
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Olave (back) remains listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Titans, but he traveled with the Saints to Nashville and is expected to play, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Per Underhill, Olave, who was listed as a limited participant in practice Friday, is expected to be a full go against Tennessee. In any case, the wideout's status will be confirmed when the Saints post their inactive list 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Questionable for Sunday
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Olave (back) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Tennessee, Ross Jackson of WWL Louisiana reports.
Olave has been dealing with a back injury since before a Week 13 matchup with the Dolphins, but he's been able to suit up for each of the the Saints' last four contests en route to a 23-310-4 line on 37 targets during that span. Considering he was listed as full both Wednesday and Thursday before Friday's limited session, the downgrade likely was related to maintenance, but ultimately his status will be confirmed about 90 minutes before Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Season-best outing against Jets
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Olave caught 10 of 16 targets for 148 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 29-6 win over the Jets.
Olave caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Shough in the third quarter and a 38-yard touchdown pass from Taysom Hill in the fourth quarter. New Orleans' No. 1 receiver set season highs in targets and receiving yards as the Saints extended their winning streak to three games. Olave has scored five touchdowns in his last six games while showing promising chemistry with Shough heading into another favorable matchup in Week 17 against the Titans.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Game-tying TD among six catches
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Olave caught six of nine targets for 85 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 20-17 win over the Panthers.
Olave recorded a 12-yard touchdown reception with 2:29 remaining in the fourth quarter. The ensuing PAT tied the game, and Saints kicker Charlie Smyth tacked on the game-winning 47-yard field goal with two seconds left. Working as New Orleans' clear No. 1 wide receiver, Olave has reached 50 receiving yards or scored a touchdown in all but one game this season. He'll likely maintain a prominent role in Week 16 against the subpar Jets secondary.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Questionable to face Bucs
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Olave (back) will be listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Saints team reporter Erin Summers reports.
Olave's practice participation has been capped by a back injury, which also had him listed as questionable for this past Sunday's game against the Dolphins. He managed to play through it against Miami and caught four of seven targets for 47 yards and a touchdown. If he gets the green light to play against the Buccaneers, Olave will likely continue to function as the focal point of New Orleans' passing game, as he ranks fourth in the NFL with 115 targets this season.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Back at practice
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Olave (back) returned to practice Thursday, Ross Jackson of WWL Louisiana reports.
Coach Kellen Moore said Wednesday that the back injury Olave dealt with last week flared up after Sunday's loss at Miami, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, resulting in an absence to begin Week 14 prep. Olave's activity level one day later will be revealed once the Saints post Thursday's practice report.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Suiting up Sunday
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Olave (back) is listed as active Sunday at Miami.
Olave exited Wednesday's practice early due to a back injury, going down as a limited participant in the process. He was held out of drills entirely Thursday, but a capped session Friday led to a questionable designation for Week 13 action. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reported Saturday evening that Olave, who battled back spasms during the week, was slated to suit up for Sunday's game, which now has been confirmed. In three starts with rookie QB Tyler Shough under center, Olave has accrued a 17-231-1 line on 25 targets, making him an easy plug-and-play option for fantasy purposes.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Should suit up Sunday
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Olave (back), who is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Miami, is expected to play, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Olave sat out one practice and was limited in two others this week while managing the back issue, but after traveling with the Saints to Miami, he seems to be in line to suit up. The wideout has continued to be productive this season despite inconsistent play from New Orleans' quarterbacks, as he's put together a 69-734-4 receiving line through 11 games.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Listed as questionable
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Olave (back) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Miami after returning to practice Friday as a limited participant.
A quick return to practice suggests Olave's injury isn't serious. He left practice early Wednesday and didn't participate Thursday, but mixing back into drills at the end of the week -- even in a limited capacity -- suggests he's got a real chance to avoid the inactive list ahead of a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Returns to practice
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Olave (back) returned to practice Friday, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Olave left Wednesday's practice early and then didn't participate Thursday, but it appears he still has a shot to play this Sunday against the Dolphins.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Dealing with back issue
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Coach Kellen Moore said Olave was limited at Wednesday's practice due to a back injury, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Per Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football, Olave made an early exit from Wednesday's session, after which Moore revealed the reason. The Saints will post two more injury reports this week before potentially clearing up Olave's status ahead of Sunday's contest at Miami. In four games with rookie QB Tyler Shough under center, Olave has produced a 25-294-1 line on 37 targets.
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Saints' Chris Olave: WRs to Start
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Olave was great in Week 10 at Carolina with five catches for 104 yards and a touchdown on eight targets, and he should continue to be the main weapon in the passing game for Tyler Shough heading into Week 12 against the Falcons. Atlanta has allowed seven receivers to score at least 12.8 PPR points in the past five games, with eight touchdowns over that span, and Olave has scored at least 14.6 PPR points in three games in a row against the Falcons prior to this matchup.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Breaks out with rookie QB
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Olave caught five of eight targets for 104 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 17-7 win over the Panthers.
The fourth-year wideout put together his best performance of the season in terms of yardage, capped by a 62-yard TD in the second quarter. Olave failed to see double-digit targets for only the fourth time in 2025, but he's showing some good early chemistry with rookie QB Tyler Shough, who was making his second career start. Olave will take a 60-664-4 line on 94 targets through 10 games into the Saints' bye, before facing the Falcons in Week 12.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Limited to four targets Week 9
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Olave accrued three receptions (on four targets) for 57 yards during Sunday's 34-10 loss to the Rams.
Olave was not the primary target for rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, who made his first career start Sunday after replacing previous QB1 Spencer Rattler at the end of the Week 8 loss to Tampa Bay. Instead, No.2 wide receiver Rashid Shaheed led the Saints with nine targets. Olave tied with tight end Juwan Johnson for the team's second-most targets, which represented a season low for the wideout. It didn't help that LA dominated New Orleans in time of possession 43:53-16:07. If the Saints' offense continues to struggle at this rate, Olave could be in store for another low output Week 10 versus division-rival Carolina.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Strong PPR effort Sunday
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Olave corralled eight of 12 targets for 63 yards while losing three yards on his only rush attempt in Sunday's 23-3 loss to Tampa Bay.
Olave was unable to replicate last week's multi-score performance, but he still escaped Sunday's one-sided loss with a solid PPR score. The Saints' top wideout finished with double-digit targets for the sixth time in eight appearances this season. Olave has surpassed last year's production in an injury-shortened season with a 52-503-3 receiving line through eight starts in 2025. The Ohio State product checks in as New Orleans' safest fantasy option heading into next Sunday's tilt against the Rams.
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Saints' Chris Olave: WRs to Start
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Olave continues to be a star for the Saints, and he's worth starting in all leagues in Week 8 against Tampa Bay. He's now scored at least 15.8 PPR points in each of his past two outings against New England and Chicago, and he combined for 11 catches, 196 yards and two touchdowns on 17 targets over that span. The Buccaneers have allowed the opposing No. 1 receiver to score at least 19.2 PPR points in each of the past three games (Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kendrick Bourne and Amon-Ra St. Brown), and hopefully Olave will follow suit. He has top-10 upside in Week 8.
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Saints' Chris Olave: Limited in return to practice
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Olave (ankle) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.
Olave didn't appear to be nursing an injury during this past Sunday's 26-14 loss to the Bears, but the Saints nonetheless cited an ankle issue for his absence from Wednesday's practice. The receiver's ability to get back on the field Thursday as a limited participant offers hope that the injury isn't anything too serious, though he may still need to upgrade to full participation in Friday's practice to avoid carrying a questionable tag into Sunday's game versus the Buccaneers.
