The New Orleans Saints had one of the worst defenses in NFL history last season. So they can’t help but be better in 2016. But let’s face it -- you’re not going to draft them in your fantasy league. The only question is whether you still want to load up with offensive players that face them every week.
ESPN fantasy projection: Ranked 28th among fantasy defenses. 33.8 sacks, 12.7 interceptions, 8.7 fumble recoveries, 3.8 TDs, 399.4 points against, 6,362.6 yards against
Over or under: Under. The Saints can’t help but improve on defense this season, and they have gotten off to a promising start under defensive coordinator Dennis Allen (who replaced Rob Ryan in November). But the best-case scenario is still just a middle-of-the-road defense. They don’t have a dynamic pass rush outside of Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Jordan, so they probably won’t load up on sacks and turnovers. Their kick return game is just average, as well.
The bigger question is whether you should keep stacking your lineups with Saints opponents every week (like, for example, Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and running back Latavius Murray in Week 1). For now, at least, you probably should -- until the Saints can prove they are vastly improved from last season, when they set NFL records for touchdown passes allowed in a season (45) and opponents’ passer rating (116.1). They also ranked last in the NFL in yards allowed per rush last season.
It’s not all negative with the Saints' defense, though. Their big push this season has been to cut down on assignment and alignment errors, which is why they replaced Ryan with Allen and why they brought in veteran middle linebacker James Laurinaitis to "quarterback" their unit. And they do have some decent talent, starting with Jordan, cornerback Delvin Breaux and safety Kenny Vaccaro.
And if you're looking for a deep sleeper among individual defensive players, pass-rusher Kasim Edebali could flirt with 10 sacks if he locks down a starting job.
