Devaughn

Vele

Vele’s 40 yards were a far cry from his shocking Week 13 total of 93, but he actually led the team as Tyler Shough attempted only 20 passes in rainy conditions. One of Vele’s grabs was a huge late third-down conversion. Having now easily consolidated Rashid Shaheed’s vacated targets in this high-attempts offense, Vele is displaying some WR4 juice. It’s just so hard to tiebreak in favor of a Saint with bye weeks over and the fantasy playoffs beginning. Despite an improving Shough, this remains a below-average fantasy environment.

Vele also recovered an onside kick late in the fourth quarter to keep hope alive for the Saints. They would eventually fail to convert a quarterback sneak on fourth down, putting their comeback effort to bed. Chris Olave dealt with back spasms in practice this week. He was listed as questionable heading into today’s game. Olave suited up but posted a quiet box score outside of a touchdown, catching just four passes. The back issue likely forced the Saints to lean on Vele—normally their No. 2 receiver—in this game. Olave should be healthier next week, putting Vele’s ceiling somewhere around the WR4/5 border versus the Bucs.

Vele saw the uptick in usage expected after Rashid Shaheed was dealt at the trade deadline. He tied for second on the team with seven targets and caught three. He primarily saw intermediate targets, totaling 37 yards, his most on the season. Vele will have involvement in the post-Shaheed offense, though his upside is capped given how listless the Saints look. He is worth a look on waiver wires heading into a Week 13 matchup against the Dolphins.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Vele is going to have a fantasy-worthy role, but with Rashid Shaheed in Seattle, Vele should at least see a majority of the snaps for a team that projects to throw a lot the rest of the season. He’s a worthwhile pickup in deeper leagues. Shallow- and mid-sized leagues can monitor him from the waiver wire and see what comes of his new role.

Cooks began his second tenure with the Saints operating as the team’s No. 3 wide receiver. He caught three passes for 26 yards, ranking fourth on the team in targets. Meanwhile, the newly acquired Devaughn Vele caught 1-of-2 passes for 13 yards. Neither Cooks nor Vele are going to be fantasy relevant heading into Week 2 against the 49ers.

Vele heads to the Saints after a productive rookie season with the Broncos in 2025. He was a 26-year-old rookie, posting 41 receptions for 475 yards and three touchdowns while primarily working out of the slot. An offseason knee procedure limited Vele in camp, while the emergence of second-year receiver Troy Franklin and rookie Pat Bryant made him more expendable. The Saints add Vele’s 6-foot-5 frame to a receiver room in need of reinforcement behind Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Vele has some value as a late-round dart throw in fantasy drafts.

A core contributor on special teams for most of his career, Sherfield’s best offensive season as a pro came in 2022 when he caught 30 passes for 417 yards and two touchdowns with the Dolphins. The only other year in which he produced 100-plus receiving yards came in his 2018 rookie campaign. Head coach Sean Payton praised Sherfield for his field-stretching abilities and the work he’s done in camp as a run blocker. Given his career arc at this point, it’s hard to imagine there being a meaningful offensive role for Sherfield entering his eighth season. That said, the Broncos mixed and matched their receivers for much of last season, with Courtland Sutton and Devaughn Vele being the only two to surpass 315 routes run, per PFF. It wouldn’t be surprising if we looked back on this moment as nothing more than training camp buzz, but it’s something for fantasy managers to remember who may be eyeing secondary targets like Vele or Marvin Mims late in drafts.

Mims has yet to break out in the NFL, but the 23-year-old took a big step forward last season, registering 39 catches on 52 targets for 503 receiving yards with six touchdowns. He has made the Pro Bowl twice as a return man and only played 27 percent of the Broncos’ offensive snaps last season, so he will need to be given a larger role if he’s truly going to emerge in this offense. He led the team in catches of 40 yards or longer, so he can break a big play when given the chance, but he’ll need to beat out second-year receivers Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele — not to mention rookie Pat Bryant — if he’s going to see an uptick in snap share.

The Broncos’ mandatory minicamp has officially wrapped up, with no sign of Vele. Per Athlon Sports’ Douglas Santo, “Payton did say some players would not be attending minicamp for personal reasons.” Payton did not disclose the reason for Vele’s absence. Hopefully, this is not injury-related, and Vele is away somewhere, honing his craft. Santo adds, “reports from media who attended the Broncos’ OTAs were that Vele added muscle this offseason and his route running had been more pristine.”

Vele’s ill-timed doughnut was only his second of the entire season. A truly absurd 27 years old for a rookie, Vele had an exceptional inaugural campaign for a seventh-round pick, but it’s hard to believe there’s a whole more juice left to squeeze here. That being said, Vele’s 41/475/3 rookie slash commands that you at least keep him around in Dynasty leagues. 2025 is a contract year for fellow boundary wideout Courtland Sutton, while Vele outproduced fellow rookie Troy Franklin.