Fantasy Football Team Preview: Saints

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet the...
League's highest scoring, most powerful offense. Who cares if they don't make the playoffs. As fantasy owners we couldn't care less if the Saints are 0-16 or 16-0. We want lots of positive yardage plays and lots of touchdowns. And those are things the Saints offer in droves. Drew Brees has replaced Tom Brady and Peyton Manning as the most prolific fantasy quarterback and head coach Sean Payton keeps the Saints high-powered offense burning away. Last season the team threw the ball 62% of the time. Don't expect that to change too much in 2009.

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The Breakout
Pierre Thomas only rushed for 625 yards in 2008. But pay close attention to his last six games. In five of those last six games he rushed for 75-plus yards and scored six touchdowns. When you finish the season like that, you can expect good things to happen in the following year. A healthy Reggie Bush will take some of the carries away from Thomas, but you can be sure that Thomas will blow past the 129 carries mark he set last season. It's also a pretty safe bet that Thomas will eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark too. And don't be too worried about the Saints' pass-first mantra. Thomas has pillow-soft hands as he caught 31 passes in 2008 for three touchdowns. The saints will find ways to get Thomas in the end zone.

The Bust
While the 10 touchdowns, 79 receptions and 928 yards receiving look fantastic, you need to remember that Lance Moore flourished because Marques Colston went down with a thumb injury and missed six weeks. With Colston back, Moore isn't going to be the go-to guy. And even though the Saints offense throws the ball a ton, he might not be able to duplicate the season he had in 2008. Don't forget that Moore underwent off-season shoulder surgery and is going to be limited in the early weeks of training camp. Moore was a waiver wire darling for many a team last year. But be careful not to spend too much on him at draft day this season.

The Depth Chart
QB1 - Drew Brees
QB2 - Mark Brunell
RB1 - Pierre Thomas
RB2 - Reggie Bush
WR1 - Marques Colston
WR2 - Devery Henderson
WR3 - Lance Moore
WR4 - Skyler Green
TE1 - Jeremy Shockey
TE2 - Dan Campbell
K - Garrett Hartley

The D/ST
Do you know what happens when your offense puts up more points than anyone else in the NFL? It forces the other team to try and keep up. When the Saints are on defense it was their job to keep that from happening. They didn't do a fantastic job with that in 2008. They allowed 339.5 yards per game and ranked 17th against the run and 23rd against the pass. This squad just isn't ever going to be a top-five rated fantasy defense. But new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams plans to be aggressive and attack every chance the Saints get. It will take Williams a while to beef this defense up, so you're better off spending your time elsewhere when it comes to team defense.

New Orleans ranked fourth in the NFL in punt return average with 11.9 yards per return and scored three times, which tied them for league's best. You can thank Reggie Bush for that. Expect more of the same in 2009, as long as Bush is healthy.

The Skinny
• Reggie Bush spent time away from the club due to a torn meniscus in his left knee and a torn MCL, injuries that happened at separate times. Everyone knows that Bush can be explosive. The question is can he remain healthy enough to benefit fantasy owners. As it sits right now, he questionable for the start of training camp as he is recovering from off-season micro-fracture surgery.

• Devery Henderson averaged an amazing 24.8 yards per catch in 2008. He caught three touchdown passes and is considered one of the best deep threats in the NFL. Unfortunately, he's not consistent enough for early- or middle-round draft consideration. There are too many other options for Drew Brees to consider before he locks eyes with Henderson.

• Here's one for the category of deep sleeper. Mike Bell is fighting in camp and looks to become more a part of the Saints offense. The only way that happens is if Reggie Bush remains or gets hurt or the team becomes disenchanted with Bush the running back. We already know that Sean Payton has an affinity for bigger backs and that he was impressed with what Bell did at OTA's.