Saints' Devaughn Vele: Facing competition from rookies
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Vele (shoulder) faces increased competition for playing time and targets after the Saints used three picks on wide receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.
New Orleans used the No. 8 overall pick on Jordyn Tyson, who figures to start alongside Chris Olave from Day 1, and later on the Saints took Bryce Lance in the fourth round and Barion Brown in the sixth. Acquired from the Broncos during the preseason last summer, Vele appeared in 13 regular-season games for the Saints, making seven starts, and produced a 25-293-2 line on 39 targets. Following the trade of Rashid Shaheed to Seattle, Vele became a starter but was injured in Week 15 and missed the final three contests. Capable of playing the slot or outside and on special teams, Vele should have a role in 2026, but the target competition is much stiffer.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Placed on IR
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The Saints placed Vele (shoulder) on injured reserve Friday, WWLAM's Jeff Nowak reports.
Vele became a big part of the Saints offense the past three games, only to go down with a shoulder injury Week 15. It sounds like it wasn't overly serious and he would've been able to return at some point if the injury had occurred earlier in the season.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Ruled out to face Jets
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Saints head coach Kellen Moore said Wednesday that Vele (shoulder) is ruled out for Sunday's game against New York, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Vele is considered week-to-week due to a left arm injury sustained during New Orleans' win over the Panthers in Week 15, which makes his status uncertain for the Saints' remaining three regular-season games. The second-year wideout had shown improved chemistry with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough as of late, having averaged 59.8 receiving yards across his last four appearances and drawing at least five targets in each of those contests.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Considered week-to-week
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Vele (shoulder) is believed to have avoided a major injury but is considered week-to-week, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.
The timing of the injury could make it tricky for Vele to return this season, Underhill added. Vele was injured in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 20-17 win over the Panthers after he secured five of six targets for 69 yards prior to his departure. If Vele is unable to play this upcoming Sunday against the Jets, Mason Tipton, Kevin Austin and Dante Pettis would appear to be next in line for snaps behind No. 1 wideout Chris Olave.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Arm in sling after Week 15 win
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Vele (shoulder) had his left arm in a sling after Sunday's 20-17 win over the Panthers, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Vele exited due to a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter after catching five of six targets for 69 yards. The wide receiver needed a sling after the game, suggesting he's fighting an uphill battle to be ready to face the Jets in Week 16, but more clarity on Vele's status should surface when the Saints resume practicing Wednesday.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Injures shoulder in Week 15
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Vele sustained a shoulder injury during Sunday's game versus the Panthers.
Prior to his exit early in the fourth quarter, Vele had recorded five catches (on six targets) for 69 yards. In Vele's absence, the Saints are left with Mason Tipton, Dante Pettis and Kevin Austin at wide receiver behind top option Chris Olave.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Week 15 Waiver Priority List
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Vele had a quiet game in Week 14 at Tampa Bay with three catches for 40 yards on five targets, but Tyler Shough only attempted 20 passes against the Buccaneers. Vele should continue to be a go-to option for Shough moving forward, and prior to Week 14, Vele had 15 targets for 11 catches, 130 yards and a touchdown. His upcoming schedule is favorable against Carolina in Week 15, the Jets in Week 16 and Tennessee in Week 16, and Vele is worth adding in all leagues for up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Leads NOLA wideouts vs. Tampa Bay
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Vele caught three passes (on five targets) for 40 yards during the Saints' 24-20 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday.
There weren't many targets to go around Sunday as Tyler Shough completed just 13 of 20 passes for 144 yards, but Vele led all Saints pass catchers with 40 receiving yards and finished tied with Chris Olave for the second-most receptions behind Juwan Johnson (four). Vele has been more involved in the Saints' offense in the three games since the Week 11 bye, producing a 14-170-1 line (on 20 targets) over that span. Up next for Vele and the Saints is a Week 15 home tilt against the Panthers.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Sleeper WRs
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Vele is worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues in Week 14 at Tampa Bay, with the hope that his production in Week 13 against Miami is a sign of things to come. He had eight catches for 93 yards and a touchdown on eight targets against the Dolphins, and he scored 23.3 PPR points. Vele now has 15 targets in his past two games, and he should continue to be a go-to option for Tyler Shough against the Buccaneers. For the season, Tampa Bay has allowed 16 receivers to score at least 12.9 PPR points, including a pair of teammates from Seattle in Week 5 (Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tory Horton), the Rams in Week 12 (Davante Adams and Puka Nacua), and even New Orleans in Week 10 (Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave). This week, it will hopefully be Olave and Vele posting positive production against this defense.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: WRs to Sit
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Vele is worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues in Week 14 at Tampa Bay with the hope that his production in Week 13 against Miami is a sign of things to come. He had eight catches for 93 yards and a touchdown on eight targets against the Dolphins, and he scored 23.3 PPR points. Vele now has 15 targets in his past two games, and he should continue to be a go-to option for Tyler Shough against the Buccaneers. For the season, Tampa Bay has allowed 16 receivers to score at least 12.9 PPR points, including a pair of teammates from Seattle in Week 5 (Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tory Horton), the Rams in Week 12 (Davante Adams and Puka Nacua), and even New Orleans in Week 10 (Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave). This week, it will hopefully be Olave and Vele posting positive production against this defense.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Week 14 Adds (WR Preview)
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Vele has 15 targets in his last two games and looks like the clear WR2 in this offense behind Chris Olave. The Saints are perpetually playing from behind and they are an up temp offense, so there is a reasonable chance for seven targets per game from Vele rest of season. I am not sure he has much upside, but he should have a decent floor that keeps him in the borderline WR3 conversation.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Week 14 Waiver Priority List
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Vele had a huge game in Week 13 at Miami, and we'll see if he can build off that performance heading into Week 14 at Tampa Bay. Against the Dolphins, Vele had eight catches for 93 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. He now has 15 targets in his past two games, and he should continue to be the No. 2 receiver for the Saints behind Chris Olave to close the season. He'll also have to contend with Juwan Johnson, but Vele could emerge as a starter in three-receiver leagues to close the season. He's worth adding in deeper leagues for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Posts 37 yards in Week 12 loss
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Vele caught three of seven targets for 37 yards in the Saints' 24-10 loss to the Falcons on Sunday.
With Brandin Cooks booted from the roster over the weekend following the trade of Rashid Shaheed at the deadline a couple weeks ago, Vele has taken over as the Saints' WR2 behind Chris Olave. His seven targets versus Atlanta tied for second on the team behind Olave's 13. Vele will need to show more of a ceiling in the box score before he can be trusted as a fantasy contributor.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Catches one pass Week 10
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Vele had one reception (on three targets) for 15 yards during Sunday's 17-7 win against Carolina.
Vele was expected to see more playing time after the Saints traded away their WR2 Rashid Shaheed on Tuesday, but the second-year wideout didn't see a corresponding uptick in targets. Four of New Orleans' pass-catchers logged three targets, including running backs Alvin Kamara and Devin Neal along with tight end Foster Moreau. WR1 Chris Olave and TE1 Juwan Johnson led the team with eight and four targets, respectively. If New Orleans' offense continues to lean into their running backs and tight ends, then Vele doesn't figure to see much increase in production after this Shaheed trade. His next opportunity to play will be after the Saints' Week 11 bye week when they face Atlanta on Sunday, Nov. 23.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Taking on larger role
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Vele should get more playing time after the Saints dealt Rashid Shaheed to the Seahawks on Tuesday, Nola.com's Luke Johnson reports.
Vele has merely been the No. 4 receiver in New Orleans even though the Saints gave up a fourth-round pick to acquire him from Denver in August. He now figures to get more playing time alongside Chris Olave and Brandin Cooks instead of coming off the bench to spell them from time to time. The Saints also have WR Mason Tipton, who took just two snaps in Sunday's loss at the Rams. Vele played 12 snaps (29 percent) and also finished without a catch or target, leaving him with just five catches for 36 yards (on 10 targets) across 152 snaps this season.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Week 10 Waiver Priority List
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The Saints traded Rashid Shaheed to Seattle on Tuesday, and we'll see if that's a significant boost for Vele, who should be the No. 2 receiver opposite Chris Olave moving forward. Vele hasn't done much so far this season with five catches for 39 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets, but he could emerge as a playmaker for Tyler Shough as the season goes on. He's worth adding in deeper leagues for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Grabs two passes Week 5
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Vele hauled in both targets for 13 yards during Sunday's 26-14 win versus the Giants.
Vele saw a slight uptick in playing time and targets compared to his last two outings, when he played 34.0 and 6.0 percent of offensive snaps in Week 2 and Week 4, respectively. The second-year wideout has had a much slower start with New Orleans than he did during his 2024 rookie campaign in Denver, where he logged 41 catches (on 55 targets) for 475 yards over 13 regular-season games. Vele's fantasy value will be suppressed so long as he operates as the WR4 behind Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Brandin Cooks, especially in the Saints' struggling passing offense.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Plays four snaps in return Sunday
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Vele accrued zero targets during Sunday's 31-19 loss versus the Bills.
Vele missed the Saints' Week 3 loss to Seattle with a hip injury, and he was listed as questionable with a hamstring injury ahead of Sunday's matchup versus Buffalo. The 27-year-old played just four offensive snaps after he logged 17 in Week 1 and 24 in Week 2. Vele will look for more usage during the Week 5 contest versus the Giants on Sunday, Oct. 5, but his fantasy value will remain extremely minimal so long as Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Juwan Johnson and Brandin Cooks are healthy.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Available against Bills
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Vele (hamstring) is active for Sunday's game against the Bills, Ross Jackson of WWL Louisiana reports.
Vele was bothered by a hamstring injury that cost him Week 3, but he'll be back in the mix against the Bills. He earned only four targets through the first two contests of the season while in a rotational role. With Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Juwan Johnson all healthy, Vele is likely going to continue to struggle to find consistent targets.
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Saints' Devaughn Vele: Questionable for Week 4
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Vele (hamstring) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Bills, Ross Jackson of WWL Louisiana reports.
Vele missed last Sunday's game against the Seahawks and played just 28 percent of the offensive snaps across the Saints' first two contests, recording two catches for 16 yards and one touchdown on three targets. He has extremely minimal fantasy appeal.
