Tyler Shough put in a blender by Vikings’ defense

So, probably, then. The hand hasn’t really been a contributing factor to New Orleans’ decline so much as the Saints offensive line has just been in the blender for two weeks against Atlanta and Minnesota’s fronts, but it sure looks like Shough is managing through something and we should probably break ties against him in the rankings.

As expected, he’ll start and be on the QB1/QB2 borderline against an extremely pesky and attacking Vikings defense that has held down quarterback scoring quite well so far this year.

As a right-handed quarterback, Shough should be fine despite his surprise appearance on the injury report. Even in a blowout loss on Monday, the second-year passer racked up 286 yards and a touchdown on 48 attempts. As long as the volume is there, Shough is good for low-end QB1 numbers. He will remain inside the top 12 at his position for Week 5 against Minnesota.

Shough and the Saints stayed true to recent form as they quickly fell into a 14-point hole in the first quarter, with the team now averaging an almost eight point deficit at the half since head coach Kellen Moore took over to start the 2025 season. The team was unable to reproduce the second half magic they so frequently muster behind an overmatched offensive line. Shough needed a late touchdown toss to Devaughn Vele with less than two minutes to play to give fantasy managers something of value. Moore and Shough have their work cut out for them with Brian Flores’ relentless defense coming to town in Week 5, where Shough will be on the QB1/2 border in fantasy circles.

Shough funneled four touchdown passes to Saints TEs Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant, bringing the game’s total to six tight end touchdowns, which tied a league record. The Saints’ quarterback played well overall, though his interception was due to a poor throw. Both fumbles were caused by Raiders pass rushers, and Shough had a third fumble reversed by an illegal contact penalty on the Raiders. Regardless, he can be trusted to throw the ball voluminously while adding a little extra with his legs. He warrants low-end QB1 treatment against the Falcons next week.

Shough played mistake-free football all afternoon, chipping away at the Ravens’ defense before leading his team to 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Shough repeatedly connected with Chris Olave all afternoon, and he found the star receiver uncontested in the end zone for his lone touchdown. Shough punched in a one-yard score on a QB sneak with 1:21 left to put the Saints up 24-17 and complete the upset of the Ravens on the road. It wasn’t an overly flashy outing by Shough, but he was efficient against a stout Ravens defense, which still managed three sacks on the day. He’s now strung together two strong fantasy performances and will be on the radar as a high-end QB2 next week against the Raiders.

Shough was nearly seeing ghosts in the first half. The Saints had zero points and their longest drive resulted in 36 yards with a punt. Then, in the second half, Shough turned the ball over on each of his first two drives. The game looked truly over at this point, but Shough battled back and got points on the board on each of his next four drives. Detroit played passively on defense and Shough routinely punished them with long throws to Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele. Shough nearly won the game with a touchdown pass to Noah Fant in overtime. Kellen Moore went for two and Shough was unable to find his target in the back of the end zone. With the first-half rust hopefully shaken off, Shough will be a high-end QB2 versus the Ravens.

Underhill compared Tyson’s best routes with Shough’s highest-targeted areas of the field and declared, “it’s the same diagram.” Coincidentally, Tyson’s route tree closely overlaps with that of No. 1 WR Chris Olave. Underhill believes that this dynamic will allow coach Kellen Moore to use Tyson and Olave interchangeably. They will both line up in the perimeter and in the slot. Underhill believes Olave will remain the team’s top pass catcher “for the near future,” but eventually both he and Tyson will work as two “top receivers.” Tyson missed most of spring practices with a hamstring injury, but Underhill said he will not worry about the issue unless Tyson misses training camp. Underhill closed the segment by saying a 55/700/5 receiving line on 90 targets is a “safe projection” for Tyson’s rookie season, though he believes Tyson is capable of doing more. The “safe” stat line equates to 155.0 PPR points and would have made him the WR40 last season.

Underhill’s colleagues, Mike Triplett and John Hendrix, agree. Triplett was the most bearish of the bunch, saying he is not sure that Shough will be able to crack the position’s top 10. Underhill notes that Vegas sports books have Shough in a five-way tie for the sixth-best odds to lead the NFL in passing yards. He adds that he is “not sure” if he can get to sixth, but he knows for sure that he can’t get to 13th. Shough was the QB10 in per-game fantasy scoring from Weeks 8-18, and the upgraded offense is expected to take another step in Year 2 under head coach Kellen Moore. Shough’s top-12 passing potential seems legit, and he has a shot to finish in that range in fantasy as well.

The Saints will host the Steelers in a Paris matchup, the inaugural Paris game for the NFL at the Stade de France. The Saints did not play an international game in 2025 while the Steelers will play overseas for the second straight year, defeating the Vikings in Ireland last season. The game will be during Week 7 of the 2026 season, potentially meaning a bye for both teams before or after the game.