New Orleans

Saints

McCoy missed 10 games last season due to a torn biceps. It doesn’t sound like his injury is nearly as severe this time around, as Moore said he believes McCoy will avoid surgery. That said, it sounds like the veteran center could be headed for injured reserve with hopes he will return at some point in the season. McCoy has started all eight games he has appeared in this season, earning a PFF grade of 73.2 while allowing just five pressures on 352 pass-blocking downs. He was replaced by Will Sherman in Week 9’s win over the Browns, with Sherman being the favorite to take over in the weeks ahead while McCoy is sidelined.

Godchaux becomes the second defensive player the Jaguars have added ahead of the deadline. Early Monday morning, they went out and acquired safety Jessie Bates from the Falcons to improve their secondary, and now they’ve added Godchaux to bolster a defensive line that has been dealt a few injuries in recent weeks. Godchaux, like Bates, is also on an expiring contract, but should provide a small upgrade to what is already a top-10 defense. The 31-year-old lineman has totaled 15 tackles and one TFL this season while appearing on 163 snaps, with most of his contributions coming in run defense.

Estime was waived by the Browns on Monday. The Saints claimed him on Tuesday and he was their starting back by Sunday. Life comes at you fast. Kellen Moore made it a point to get Estime going early with three carries for him on their first three plays of the game. He gashed the Browns 32 yards on those three attempts alone. He would later punch in a goal line touchdown to give the Saints the lead in the fourth quarter. Estime will be the Saints’ lead runner until Travis Etienne is activated from injured reserve. That could happen as soon as Week 10, so fantasy managers shouldn’t count on another usable week from Estime anytime soon.

The Saints added Audric Estime via waivers on Monday and he went on to lead the team in carries today. He saw 15 rushes plus one target. Estime also found the end zone after Kamara was tackled at the two-yard line. Kamara was the team’s primary back on passing downs, but his role between the tackles remained incredibly limited. With Travis Etienne potentially returning next week, his role could take another hit in Week 10. He remains a low-upside RB4 for his upcoming matchup with the Panthers.

Shough got off to a dreadfully slow start, throwing for a measly 156 scoreless yards over the first three quarters. The Browns weren’t pushing the Saints to play fast or pass often, resulting in a noticeable lack of volume for Shough. A 64-yard touchdown for the Browns in the middle of the fourth quarter finally forced the Saints to pick up the pace. Shough responded with a 55-yard touchdown drive two series later, though Audric Estime found the end zone on the ground. Shough eventually closed out the game with a 15-yard touchdown strike to Juwan Johnson in overtime. Shough’s fantasy output is tied directly to his passing volume. He’ll remain at the top of the QB2 ranks as long as his defense keeps giving up points, which should happen versus the Panthers in Week 10.

It was business as usual for Olave, who has seen at least 10 targets in 6-of-8 games this year. He earned an astounding 38 percent target share today, and his 229 air yards are the second-most of the week, pending the two remaining games. The return of No. 8 overall pick Jorydn Tyson had no impact on his role, though Tyson was limited to 16 routes in his NFL debut. Tyson should see more work next week, but that will primarily come at the expense of Devaughn Vele. Olave will remain in the WR1 mix when he takes on the Panthers in Week 10.

Johnson split reps with Noah Fant and Oscar Delp once again. He had one catch headed into overtime but made the most of the extra drive with a game-winning touchdown grab. It was his first touchdown since Week 3. This was also his first multi-catch game since Week 5. With Jordyn Tyson set to take on a larger role in the coming weeks, Johnson’s days as a high-end TE2 appear to be over. Fantasy managers can do better off the waiver wire in Week 10.

Tyson was activated from injured reserve over the weekend and made his NFL debut today. He got off to a nightmare start by fumbling his first career reception inside the five-yard line. The Saints didn’t go away from him after the rookie mistake and rotated him onto the field rather sporadically for the rest of the game. He was deployed as the team’s WR3, running 16 routes compared to 44 for Devaughn Vele. Those two numbers should converge in the coming weeks, but it might take some time for Tyson to overtake Vele as the team’s WR2. He will be a high-risk FLEX play for Week 10 against the Panthers.

As expected, the return of Jordyn Tyson brought about the end of Vele’s time as a WR3 fantasy option. Though Vele got his normal complement of routes, Tyson out-targeted him 5-4. He also went for more yards on two extra catches. Tyson’s role is only going to grow as he gets more practice reps under his belt. Fantasy managers can thank Vele for the good times and send him to the waiver wire on this week’s run. He will be buried in the WR5/6 range for Week 10 versus the Panthers.

Tyson will make his NFL debut after missing the first two months of the year with a hamstring injury. We’re expecting a snap count for him this week, making him an extremely risky FLEX play. Inactive for the Saints are QB Zach Wilson, S Mike Reid, RB C.J. Donaldson, DT Christen Miller, LB Jaylan Ford, OL Mason Murphy, and DL John Ridgeway III.