Devaughn

Vele

Vele’s season is over. He caught 25-of-36 targets for 293 yards and two touchdowns this season. The Saints acquired him via trade from the Broncos in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick. Vele recently showed chemistry with Saints QB Tyler Shough, catching 5-of-6 targets for 69 yards in Week 15 against the Panthers before leaving due to the shoulder injury. He may be allowed to compete for No. 2 receiving duties behind WR Chris Olave next season.

Vele flew too high, winning multiple contested catches in Week 15 against the Panthers. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound wide receiver will now miss Week 16 after picking up a shoulder injury last week. Ideally, Vele returns in time to play in at least one more game and continues to carve out a role as a possession receiver in the Saints’ offense for next year. Saints WR Chris Olave became QB Tyler Shough’s go-to receiver only after Vele left last week’s contest.

Initially questionable to return, Vele never did. Vele was diving all over the place against the Panthers, catching 5-of-6 targets for 69 yards before exiting. The big-bodied wide receiver picked up multiple first downs and played a key role on the Saints’ 17-play third drive. He first found a soft spot in the Panthers’ zone coverage, gaining 10 yards on a curl route by picking up a few yards after the catch. He later went sky-high on a dagger route and high-pointed the ball before being met in the air by CB Mike Jackson, who tackled him for a 17-yard gain. He could be a boom-bust FLEX against the Jets next week, if active.

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.