WR · NO · GWTTKB

Chris Olave — fantasy football 2026

Every game, every stat category, and what the board says. 16.75 points per game in 2025, an ADP of 31.6, usage worth 16.7.

26 years old · 4 seasons of experience · 2022 draft class

Updated 2026-08-16 · free, no account, no paywall
Every figure below comes from our database. Where a stat is not held, the row is absent rather than zero.
ADP 31.6
Consensus across 4 books, standard deviation 3, 6.4 picks between cheapest and priciest. Cheapest on espn, priciest on cbs.
SLEEPER29.4
ESPN35.4
YAHOO32.5
UNDERDOG31.4
CBS29
FFA30

Draft-room facts

Goes aroundRound 3, pick 8 in a 12-team draft
Positional rankWR12
Bye week8
ADP standard deviation3 picks

What we project for 2026

Our board has him at 231.9 points, 14.1 per game — 88.6 catches, 1,066 yards, 5.9 TDs. That is WR2, 30 overall.

The range runs from a floor of 9.8 points per game to a ceiling of 19.5, with the median at 14.1. Boom rate 38%, bust rate 31%. The spread is the actual bet, not the middle number.

He goes at 31.6 on consensus and our board has him 30. Those agree, so there is no market disagreement to exploit. The question is whether you want the profile, not whether it is mispriced.

Our written view

Mid-3rd; on a Shough-led pace of ~100/1400/13. Great situation — but if choosing between him and Etienne three picks earlier, take the RB.

buy · medium conviction · 2026-06-05

The offense he plays in, 2026

New Orleans Saints returns 5 of 6 continuity slots, replacing rb1. Tyler Shough at quarterback, Kellen Moore as head coach, Doug Nussmeier calling it. The offense projects to 34.1 pass attempts a game at high confidence and 25.9 rushes.

In: Jordyn Tyson (wr2), Bryce Lance (wr5), Barion Brown (wr6), Bub Means (wr7), Travis Etienne Jr. (rb1), Oscar Delp (te2). Out: Kevin Austin Jr (wr3), Brandin Cooks (wr4), Taysom Hill (te2).

His own projected target share for 2026 is 22.1%, with a bear case of 22.3% and a bull case of 24.1% and a full range of 20.8% to 25.5%. That comes from 29 historical comparables, not from a depth chart.

The projected target split across the offense:

Chris Olave 22.1%
Jordyn Tyson18.6%
Juwan Johnson12.2%
Devaughn Vele8.3%
Oscar Delp7.1%
Barion Brown6.6%

Our written view on this offense in 2026

Key additions: signed RB Travis Etienne Jr in free agency on massive 4 year deal. Signed TE Noah Fant. Drafted TE oscar Delp. Drafted WR Jordyn Tyson 8th overall.

Key departures: No key departures

Notes: Saints draft Jordyn Tyson 8th overall. To start he will likely be the 1B in the offense behind Chris Olave. Hurts Olave potential, but Olave is highly talented WR. Shough surrounded with Weapons in New Orleans by signing Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency (lots of potential to be high producer). Alvin Kamara value is toast. Interested to see how Olave & Tyson split target share & if the rest of the offense other than Etienne holds fantasy value. Vele is a slept on and talented WR that could also break out in 2026. His breakout to slow down the Jordyn Tyson full breakout year 1.

How the volume number was reached: Same QB Tyler Shough returning — anchor to 2025 actuals (34.4 att/g); Regressed 30% toward league mean 33.5, floored at 30 → 34.1 att/g.

How that share projection was built

29 historical comps for WRs age ~25, prior share 27.5%, same team, OC continuity. Distribution: median 24.0%, p25-p75 [22.5%, 26.1%], tails [19.4%, 28.9%]. Closest comps: DK Metcalf 2022→2023 (SEA: 26.5%→22.5%); Allen Robinson 2020→2021 (CHI: 26.6%→20.0%); Odell Beckham 2020→2021 (CLE: 28.2%→18.2%). Adjustment: -8% from unsustainable_breakout (efficiency outlier)

self-anchored 45% to own 27.5% role (2yr), 55% to comp median 24.0%

The named comps are the closest historical matches and the arrow is what their share actually did the following season. That is the working, not a summary of it — if you disagree with the projection, this is the part to argue with.

Offensive environment: NO rates 21.4 against a league average of 23, 1.6 below it on opponent-adjusted least squares (multi-capture merge).

2026 schedule

Opponent-adjusted pass defense faced, against 2025 ratings. Positive is an easier slate.

Full season+0.9 · neutral
Weeks 1–6-0.3 · neutral
Weeks 12–17+1.6 · easier
Fantasy playoffs (15–17)+5.4 · easier

Read this narrowly. Our own testing found that season-long strength of schedule does not survive as a draft input — defensive quality is among the least stable team properties year to year, and a preseason slate is built on last year's identities. The playoff-weeks column is the only one we would let break a tie, and even then it is a tiebreaker rather than a reason. The finding.

What happened when he missed time

From the absence record rather than a depth chart — who actually gained when he was out.

SeasonGames missedMain beneficiaryTheir PPR gain
20243Cedrick Wilson+8.1
Read the full Chris Olave study →

Dynasty context not redraft

Everything in this section is about his dynasty trade value — what he is worth as a long-term asset in the trade market. It is not a forecast of his 2026 fantasy scoring. A player can be a fine redraft pick while his dynasty value falls, and the reverse. The redraft read is above; this is a different question with a different answer.

Where he sits in the dynasty value cycle

His dynasty value has moved +26.5% over the last twelve months. The market cycle classifies him as stable.

For context on how long this lasts at the position: the average career at his position produces 2.1 elite seasons and 2.6 startable seasons.

The five most similar seasons, and what their dynasty value did next

Matched on production profile — production-driven (pedigree ignored). The last column is how that player’s dynasty value moved the following year — a market outcome, not a scoring one.

PlayerSeasonTheir PPGSimilarityNext year
Michael Pittman202315.886%-19%
A.J. Brown202217.674%+23%
Garrett Wilson202414.873%+4.8%
A.J. Brown20231773%+12.8%
Christian Kirk202214.270%+11.6%

Of the 5 with a following season on record, 4 gained value, 1 lost it and 0 held roughly flat.

Four years of dynasty value

02,0004,0006,0002023202420252026
Monthly superflex value, 2022-03 to 2026-07. Up 36% across the series, peaking at 6,776.

The player

Draft capital and athletic profile

Drafted2022, round 1, pick 11 by NOR
CollegeOhio St.
Age at draft22
Height6′0″
Weight187 lb
40-yard dash4.39s
Vertical32″
Broad jump124″

Availability and volatility

Career PPR per game14
Week-to-week variation0.5
Boom rate16.3%
Bust rate16.3%
Games missed per season1.3
Injury historyHamstring, Concussion, Head
Correlation between his posted line and his actual score0.07

That correlation is how closely the books’ posted line tracked what he actually scored, week to week. A higher number means the market has him figured out and there is less to exploit; a lower one means his weeks are harder to price.

Injury type matters more than games missed. Measured across our injury database, knee and foot returns stay below a player’s pre-injury baseline for all three of the first games back, while hamstring returns over-recover by the third.

The record, season by season

2025 · NO · 16 games

His best game was Week 16 against NYJ — 36.8 PPR on 16 targets and a 34% target share, in a game that finished 29-6. His worst was Week 14 against TB at 6, on 5 targets, final score 24-20. Across 16 games he cleared 20 points 5 times and came in under 8 points 1 time. In the 7 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 15.2; in the 9 decided by more, 17.9. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 16.7 points per game. He scored 16.75, 0.6% above it. The engine classified the season as neutral. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 5 against 3.23 expected, a gap of 1.8.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1ARI13-2012.471354031.7%85%
2SF21-2611.461054029.4%100%
3SEA13-4415.7101457034.1%85%
4BUF19-3193620124%85%
5NYG26-1412.971159035.5%73%
6NE19-2515.861098038.5%88%
7CHI14-2626.85798222.6%84%
8TB3-231481263024%93%
9LA10-348.73457016.7%88%
10CAR17-721.458104130.8%54%
12ATL10-241691370030.2%80%
13MIA17-2114.74747120.6%88%
14TB24-2063530025%93%
15CAR20-1720.56985129%84%
16NYJ29-636.81016148234%78%
17TEN34-2625.9811119140.7%91%

Production

Receptions100
Targets156
Receiving yards1,163
Carries1
Rushing yards-3
Touchdowns9
Points per game16.75
Yards per target7.46
Catch rate64.1%
Yards per carry-3

Role

Snap share84.31%
Target share29.18%
Air-yards share41%
WOPR0.726
RACR0.651

Efficiency

Average depth of target11.8
Yards after catch per reception2.9
Yards before catch per reception8.7
Total YAC289
Broken tackles2
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted95.1
Receiving EPA per game2.23
Rushing EPA per game-0.08

Scoring position

Red-zone targets15
Red-zone target share29.4%
End-zone target share39.1%
Expected receiving TDs3.23
Actual receiving TDs5
Receiving TD luck1.77

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game7 of 44
Yards per target30 of 44
Target share9 of 44
Air-yards share4 of 44

Who else ate

The offense threw it 591 times. He took 27.71% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Chris Olave 27.71%
Juwan Johnson18.12%
Rashid Shaheed11.72%
Alvin Kamara6.93%
Devaughn Vele6.93%
Brandin Cooks4.44%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Tyler Shough98518.228.5127.89%
Spencer Rattler77114.866.230.83%

Blowouts against close games

4 of his 16 games were blowouts, 28.1% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 18.8 in those and 15.24 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2024 · NO · 8 games

His best game was Week 3 against PHI — 20.6 PPR on 6 targets and a 26.1% target share, in a game that finished 12-15. His worst was Week 6 against TB at -0.5, on 1 targets, final score 27-51. Across 8 games he cleared 20 points 1 time and came in under 8 points 4 times. In the 3 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 13.2; in the 5 decided by more, 7.4. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 9.8 points per game. He scored 9.59, 1.7% below it. The engine classified the season as neutral.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1CAR47-103.1221108.3%79%
2DAL44-1912.84681040%71%
3PHI12-1520.66686126.1%80%
4ATL24-2616.781087027.8%78%
5KC13-2632410012.5%94%
6TB27-51-0.511502.6%3%
8LAC8-2618.7814107036.8%79%
9CAR22-232.3111303.6%10%

Production

Receptions32
Targets44
Receiving yards400
Carries1
Rushing yards7
Touchdowns1
Points per game9.59
Yards per target9.09
Catch rate72.73%
Yards per carry7

Role

Snap share61.75%
Target share19.71%
Air-yards share27.05%
WOPR0.486
RACR1.174

Efficiency

Average depth of target10.3
Yards after catch per reception3.8
Yards before catch per reception8.7
Total YAC121
Broken tackles1
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted89.2
Receiving EPA per game0.19
Rushing EPA per game0.11

Scoring position

Red-zone targets6
Red-zone target share14%
End-zone target share17.6%
Expected receiving TDs1.18
Actual receiving TDs1
Receiving TD luck-0.18

Who else ate

The offense threw it 551 times. He took 8.58% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Alvin Kamara17.35%
Juwan Johnson12.87%
Chris Olave 8.58%
Foster Moreau8.38%
Rashid Shaheed7.99%
Marquez Valdes-Scantling6.82%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Derek Carr6299.759.9319.72%
Spencer Rattler2159.17.4719.7%

Blowouts against close games

4 of his 8 games were blowouts, 44.5% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 8.53 in those and 13.2 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2023 · NO · 16 games

His best game was Week 16 against LA — 23.3 PPR on 13 targets and a 32.5% target share, in a game that finished 22-30. His worst was Week 4 against TB at 1.4, on 6 targets, final score 9-26. Across 16 games he cleared 20 points 2 times and came in under 8 points 2 times. In the 9 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 17.7; in the 7 decided by more, 10.2. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 14.8 points per game. He scored 14.46, 2.4% below it. The engine classified the season as neutral. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 4 against 2.86 expected, a gap of 1.1.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1TEN16-1519.2810112030.3%78%
2CAR20-1714.661186032.4%79%
3GB17-1818.4811104032.4%80%
4TB9-261.4164015.8%82%
5NE34-09.22512120%79%
6HOU13-2016.671096021.7%88%
7JAX24-3112.771557028.3%81%
8IND38-279.65946031%74%
9CHI24-1716.66846125%71%
10MIN19-2721.46994122.5%81%
12ATL15-2418.479114024.3%47%
13DET28-3316.958119027.6%61%
14CAR28-612.84528122.7%65%
16LA22-3023.3913123032.5%75%
17TB23-135.63626017.6%67%
18ATL48-1714.63356112%73%

Production

Receptions87
Targets138
Receiving yards1,123
Touchdowns5
Points per game14.46
Yards per target8.14
Catch rate63.04%

Role

Snap share73.81%
Target share24.76%
Air-yards share38.86%
WOPR0.644
RACR0.644

Efficiency

Average depth of target13.3
Yards after catch per reception4
Yards before catch per reception8.9
Total YAC347
Broken tackles3
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted91.5
Receiving EPA per game2.71

Scoring position

Red-zone targets12
Red-zone target share17.6%
End-zone target share18.8%
Expected receiving TDs2.86
Actual receiving TDs4
Receiving TD luck1.14

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game18 of 51
Yards per target28 of 51
Target share19 of 51
Air-yards share12 of 51

Who else ate

The offense threw it 606 times. He took 23.96% of the targets. 0 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Chris Olave 23.96%
Alvin Kamara14.93%
Rashid Shaheed13.02%
Michael Thomas11.11%
Juwan Johnson10.24%
Taysom Hill6.94%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Derek Carr1512913.997.9824.91%
Jameis Winston1921.410.4422.5%

Blowouts against close games

4 of his 16 games were blowouts, 16.4% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 9.5 in those and 17.74 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2022 · NO · 15 games

His best game was Week 3 against CAR — 23.7 PPR on 13 targets and a 33.3% target share, in a game that finished 14-22. His worst was Week 10 against PIT at 7, on 5 targets, final score 10-20. Across 15 games he cleared 20 points 2 times and came in under 8 points 1 time. In the 9 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 15.3; in the 6 decided by more, 10.1. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 13.6 points per game. He scored 13.21, 2.5% below it. The engine classified the season as neutral.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1ATL27-269.1334109.4%74%
2TB10-201151380032.5%75%
3CAR14-2223.7913147033.3%77%
4MIN25-2816.74767125%68%
5SEA39-3215.44654124%40%
7ARI34-4217.6714106030.4%76%
8LV24-010.25752023.3%58%
9BAL13-2713.16971032.1%90%
10PIT10-2073540017.9%77%
11LA27-2021.256102122.2%49%
12SF0-1311.25962030%67%
13TB16-1710.54665021.4%69%
15ATL21-188.33453021.1%49%
17PHI20-108.24542021.7%61%
18CAR7-101551260148%60%

Production

Receptions72
Targets119
Receiving yards1,042
Touchdowns4
Points per game13.21
Yards per target8.76
Catch rate60.5%

Role

Snap share66%
Target share26.15%
Air-yards share39.13%
WOPR0.666
RACR0.737

Efficiency

Average depth of target14.2
Yards after catch per reception2.9
Yards before catch per reception11.6
Total YAC210
Broken tackles2
Drop rate0.1%
Passer rating when targeted82.7
Receiving EPA per game1.66

Scoring position

Red-zone targets11
Red-zone target share17.7%
End-zone target share16%
Expected receiving TDs1.91
Actual receiving TDs2
Receiving TD luck0.09

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game26 of 51
Yards per target19 of 51
Target share16 of 51
Air-yards share6 of 51

Who else ate

The offense threw it 512 times. He took 24.29% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Chris Olave 24.29%
Alvin Kamara15.71%
Juwan Johnson13.27%
Jarvis Landry7.96%
Rashid Shaheed6.94%
Marquez Callaway6.53%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Andy Dalton129012.878.626.43%
Jameis Winston32914.69.2425.07%

Blowouts against close games

1 of his 15 games were blowouts, 5.2% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 10.2 in those and 15.28 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

Ask the Coach about Chris Olave →
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