Jimmy Graham dunked the goal posts 16 times last season and outscored the next best fantasy TE by 54.5 points. The Saints have until July 15 to work out a contract extension or risk Graham holding out under the franchise tag. Photo: Icon Sportswire

Data as of June 26 | Current Cheatsheets | Current Projections

NR = Not ranked

QB Drew Brees

Ho hum. Drew Brees posted another banner season in 2013, finishing the year with 5,162 passing yards and 39 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. He became the first quarterback to ever top 5,000 passing yards in three consecutive seasons and he has finished as the 2nd, 1st, 1st, 3rd, 2nd, 1st, 3rd and 2nd ranked fantasy quarterback during his eight year run in New Orleans. Did we mention that he has averaged 42.7 touchdown passes and 28.0 PPG over the last three years and that he even chipped in three rushing touchdowns last season? On and on it could go. With Brees, you get a quarterback pretty much guaranteed to finish as a top three fantasy quarterback and we’re not changing that narrative based on the fact that Darren Sproles and Lance Moore left town. Now, if Jimmy Graham stages a long holdout, all cards are off the table, but we don’t expect that to happen. Even with a pair of largely inexperienced players in Kenny Stills and Brandin Cooks expected to hold down the 2nd and 3rd WR roles in 2014, we still love Brees as a top three quarterback. Outside of Peyton Manning (who just has too many weapons not to be the first quarterback taken in almost all scoring formats in redraft leagues), feel free to grab Brees as the second or third quarterback off the board.

RB Pierre Thomas

When it comes to Pierre Thomas as a football player, there’s a lot to like and not a lot to love. The 8th year veteran is slightly above average running the ball and in pass protection and if there is one area that he is above average, it is as a receiver out of the backfield, having averaged 55.3 receptions per year over the last three years and posting a career high 79 receptions in 2013. With Darren Sproles taking his 71 receptions to the Philadelphia Eagles and the other running backs on the Saints roster having caught just 12 passes last season, Thomas could be a PPR demon in 2014. Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson have shown little ability catching the ball, leaving only diminutive Travaris Cadet likely to challenge Thomas for that role in 2014. Unfortunately, it seems all too likely that Thomas’ increased usage would almost certainly cost him carries as the Saints have a history of not overusing their running backs. At 29 years of age, New Orleans isn’t about to turn Thomas into a workhorse back, which limits his upside. We like him as a safe option as a mid to lower tier RB3.

RB Mark Ingram

Will Mark Ingram finally get a solid opportunity to fulfill the promise he showed when the Saints used a 1st round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft to acquire him? With Darren Sproles traded away and Pierre Thomas approaching 30, you could make the case that Ingram might get a real chance to strut his stuff in 2014. But do you really believe that he would make the most of it? That’s a lot of ifs and with Khiry Robinson having played well in limited opportunities last season and the Saints proven record of using a committee approach at running back, we don’t expect that Ingram will have a breakout season. With just 24 receptions in three years, he won’t be taking on Sproles’ pass receiving role. That will go to Thomas, who posted a career high 77 receptions last season with Sproles still around. While Ingram posted a solid 4.9 yards per carry average in 11 games (he missed five games with a toe injury), it won’t be a shock if both Thomas and Robinson see more carries than him in 2014. Having declined their option to add a year to his rookie contract, this could very well be Ingram’s swan song in New Orleans.

RB Khiry Robinson

An undrafted free agent out of West Texas A&M, Robinson had a strong training camp and essentially forced his way onto the Saints roster. At 6’0” and 220 pounds, Robinson is more bulldozer than ballerina, averaging 4.1 yards per carry and scoring once on his 54 rushing attempts in 2013. He also played well in the Saints divisional playoff game in Seattle, rushing for 57 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries against a stout Seahawks run defense. Unfortunately, he offers little as a receiver out of the backfield, failing to catch a single pass in his rookie season. With Pierre Thomas not the long term answer at 29 years of age and Mark Ingram entering the final year of his rookie contract and having failed to establish himself as a consistent rushing threat, it wouldn’t rate as a huge surprise if Robinson leads the Saints in rushing attempts in 2014. He’s definitely solid sleeper material and a player whose ADP should rise as the summer comes to a close.

WR Marques Colston

The shine started to come off the Saints Marques Colston in 2013. After finishing as the 14th, 8th, 32nd (five games missed in 2008), 12th, 18th, 10th and 11th ranked fantasy wide receiver during the first seven years of his career, he slumped to 27th last season as he failed to top 1,000 yards for the first time since his injury shortened 2008 campaign and he matched a career low with just five touchdowns. Part of the reason for his reduced production was a lingering foot injury but at 31 years of age, there are some legitimate concerns that Colston, never the fastest of wide receivers, could be on the decline. While that is almost certainly true, what is also true is that he remains the Saints leading wide receiver if not their top receiving threat due to the presence of tight end Jimmy Graham. Since neither Kenny Stills nor rookie 1st round pick Brandin Cooks is ready to assume the lead role, Colston should easily match his 110 target count from a year ago. Given that and the fact that he has averaged 7.9 touchdowns per season during his career, we like Colston as a lower tier WR3 or upper tier WR4.

WR Kenny Stills

Considered a development prospect when taken in the 5th round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Stills had a surprisingly productive rookie season, catching 32 of his 51 targets for 641 yards and five touchdowns. Possessed with outstanding speed, the 6’0”, 194 pound Stills regularly blew past opposing defensive backs on his way to posting a league high average of 20.0 yards per reception. With Lance Moore released and Darren Sproles traded, Stills will battle rookie 1st round pick Brandin Cooks to earn a larger role in his second season. He will need to improve his consistency but we like to odds of him holding Cooks off for the starting position opposite Marques Colston. Consider Stills a solid dynasty prospect and a low end WR3 or high end fantasy reserve with upside in redraft formats.

WR Brandin Cooks

Saints quarterback Drew Brees gets a shiny new toy in 2014 in the form of Brandin Cooks. Taken in the 1st round of this year’s draft, the diminutive Oregon State wide receiver should easily slide into the Saints passing arsenal and earn a decent portion of the targets left open with the departure of Darren Sproles. At 5’9”, 189 pounds, Cooks is built like Sproles and possesses the same agility and speed that allowed him to excel in the Saints offense for the past three years. While he isn’t going to be asked to run the ball out of the backfield much, Cooks shapes up as a solid option out of the slot with the ability to slide outside and blow past opposing defenders on deep patterns. There’s a lot to like when it comes to Cooks except one thing: experience. Even considering his solid skill set and opportunity to quickly earn a role in the Saints high powered offense, we don’t expect Cooks to emerge as a consistent fantasy threat due to the continued presence of Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston and the still developing Kenny Stills. Grab Cooks with a late round flier in redraft formats and definitely make an effort to get him stashed on your roster in dynasty leagues.

WR Joseph Morgan

One year after looking like a potential breakout candidate at wide receiver, Morgan will have to fight tooth and nail to earn a roster spot with the Saints in 2014. Expected to provide a deep threat in the New Orleans offense after averaging a ridiculous 37.9 yards per reception in 2012, Morgan suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason and watched as rookie 5th round pick Kenny Stills took over his role. If that wasn’t bad enough, the team used a 1st round pick in this year’s draft to acquire another speedster, Brandin Cooks.

WR Nick Toon

Drafted out of Wisconsin with a 4th round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Toon has done little during his first two years in the league. The 6’4”, 218 pounds, Toon missed all of his rookie season with a foot injury and appeared in eight games last season, catching four passes for 68 yards. A polished product as a route runner but lacking deep speed, Toon will have to hold off the likes of Robert Meachem and Joe Morgan to earn a roster spot in 2014. Even if he winds up on the roster on opening day, we don’t hold out much hope that he will have any fantasy value.

TE Jimmy Graham

When it comes to Jimmy Graham, you can trot out pretty much all the superlatives you want. Speed, skill, athleticism – let’s start with that and throw in consistency as well. For the second straight season Graham led all tight ends in fantasy points, topping runner up Vernon Davis by 54.5 points. He finished the season with 86 receptions (on what seems a surprisingly low 144 targets) for 1,215 yards and a career-high 16 touchdowns, topping double digit fantasy points in 12 games. With Darren Sproles having taken his talents to Philadelphia and the wide receiver position in transition and expected to lean heavily on 2nd year player Kenny Stills and rookie 1st round pick Brandin Cooks, Graham should see his targets on the rise in 2014. Given Graham’s consistent production and the clear advantage he gives fantasy owners over the next best tight end, you can justify grabbing him late in the 1st round of your fantasy draft. The only risk lies in his contract squabble with the Saints, a situation that could be rectified prior to opening day.