New Orleans Saints

Barion Brown

WR

Brown showed off his plus speed in the second quarter, blowing by safety Ronnie Hickman and coming down with a 52-yard bomb from quarterback Tyler Shough. One series later, though, he coughed up the football during an erratic punt return. Barring an injury to one of the wideouts ahead of him on New Orleans' depth chart, there likely won't be much room in the short term for him to earn a significant role outside of special teams.

Bryce Lance

WR

With Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) making his regular-season NFL debut against Cleveland, Lance saw his snaps cut against Cleveland. After playing 79 percent of the offensive snaps in Week 7 against Pittsburgh, Lance logged just 51 percent of the plays versus the Browns. He has nine catches for 78 yards and a touchdown on 23 targets this season.

Travis Etienne Jr.

RB

Moore noted that the Saints are still in the process of "using the time allotted" to let Etienne workout with the training staff before designating him for return from injured reserve and opening his 21-day practice window. Though the 27-year-old back hasn't played since the Saints' Week 3 loss to the Raiders, he's still just 34 yards behind quarterback Tyler Shough for the team lead in rushing yardage (162). Whether he's activated for Week 10 or at some point thereafter, Etienne's eventual return will provide a boost to a New Orleans running game that has struggled mightily through the midway point of the season.

Erik McCoy

C

doubtful

CJ Donaldson

RB

questionable

Charlie Smyth

PK

Smyth was elevated ahead of Sunday's Week 9 overtime win over Cleveland. He served as New Orleans' kicker in the contest and went 3-for-4 on FGAs while making both of his PAT attempts. That performance was likely good enough for Smyth to be elevated again for this Sunday's matchup against the Panthers.

Noah Fant

TE

The veteran tight end logged 47 percent of the offensive snaps but is mainly a blocker, while Juwan Johnson handles most of the pass-catching duties at the position. Fant has four catches for 30 yards over his last four games and is not even remotely on the fantasy radar.

Devaughn Vele

WR

With Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) making his regular-season debut against Cleveland, Vele's role remained steady, running 44 routes on Tyler Slough's 46 dropbacks. Bryce Lance and Noah Fant appeared to be the bigger losers in terms of playing time and routes. Still, Tyson figures to have an effect on Vele's target potential moving forward, as he's setting in as more of a low-floor WR4/5 in fantasy.

Jaylan Ford

LB

Mike Reid

CB

Mason Murphy

OT

John Ridgeway III

DT

Christen Miller

DT

Zach Wilson

QB

Alvin Kamara

RB

Kamara operated as the team's No. 2 option in the backfield behind Audric Estime (15-72-1) in Week 9. Estime was claimed off waivers from the Browns on Tuesday, and he immediately supplanted Kamara as the team's lead back. Kamara has yet to exceed 40 rushing yards in a game this season, and he has scored just one touchdown over the team's last four contests combined.

Juwan Johnson

TE

Johnson made a catch early in the game but wasn't heard from again until overtime, when he caught a 15-yard touchdown to open the extra period. It proved to be the game-winner after the Browns failed on their two-point conversion following their touchdown with one minute left on the clock. After a strong start to the season in which he caught three touchdowns and posted 50-plus yards in each of the first four games, Johnson has been limited to just 57 yards and one score on seven grabs across the last four contests. With rookie wideout Jordyn Tyson back to muddy the picture even further, Johnson is more of a touchdown-or-bust fantasy bet.

Jordyn Tyson

WR

It wasn't the most dynamic performance from the eighth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but it was just good to see Tyson on the field after he missed the first seven games of the season due to hamstring trouble, even if his longest gain went for just nine yards. Tyson's role in the offense figures to grow quickly if he can stay healthy, and he has the talent to put together a productive second half as the No. 2 option behind Chris Olave for quarterback Tyler Shough.

Audric Estime

RB

Claimed off waivers by New Orleans earlier in the week to add some depth to a depleted backfield, Estime ended up going up against his former Browns squad in his first game since rejoining the Saints. Since he had played for the Saints in 2025 and didn't need to learn head coach Kellen Moore's playbook, Estime was in prime position to step into a big role right away and capitalized on the opportunity, leading the backfield with 16 touches ahead of Alvin Kamara's nine. Estime capped his big performance with a two-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. While he certainly made a case for a consistent role in the offense, rookie CJ Donaldson (shoulder) could be back next week and Travis Etienne (hamstring) might be close to returning from injured reserve. Estime could still be atop the depth chart, at least temporarily, for a Week 10 clash with the Panthers.

Tyler Shough

QB

New Orleans got by with three Charlie Smyth field goals and an Audric Estime two-yard TD run in regulation, but Shough connected with Juwan Johnson for a 15-yard touchdown in OT that held up as the winning score when the Browns scored on the subsequent possession but failed on a two-point attempt -- the same way the Saints lost to the Lions in their season opener. Shough will take a 14:6 TD:INT through eight games into a Week 10 clash with the Panthers.

Chris Olave

WR

The fifth-year wideout led the Saints in catches, targets and receiving yards once again, but Juwan Johnson was on the other end of Tyler Shough's only TD of the day. Olave is the clear top option in the New Orleans passing attack, but with Jordyn Tyson finally making his pro debut Sunday, secondaries may have someone else to worry about in the second half of the season. Olave will take a 56-734-2 line on 83 targets into a Week 10 battle against the Panthers.

Kelvin Banks Jr.

OT

The Saints activated Banks from injured reserve Saturday. The starting left tackle was placed on IR in early September and had a 10-week return timeline, something the 22-year-old surpassed by a large margin. Banks is all set to suit up and protect quarterback Tyler Shough in Sunday's contest.

Martin Emerson Jr.

CB

Emerson didn't participate in Friday's practice after kicking off the week limited Wednesday and Thursday. He appears to be ready to go, as he's not on the Saints' list of inactive players. The 26-year-old has 18 total tackles (16 solo), four pass deflections and two interceptions in six games.

Asim Richards

OT

Justin Reid

S

Reid was a full participant in all three Week 9 practice sessions. The Saints' starting strong safety has cleared the NFL's five-step concussion protocol and is all set to suit up for Sunday's game against the Browns.

Cesar Ruiz

G

Ruiz missed the Saints' pre-bye game against the Steelers in Paris, but the two weeks off were apparently enough to get him ready for Week 9 against Cleveland.