NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
NFC South•6-11 SU · 9-8 ATS•Caesars Superdome
2026 Just J Football Companion profile
Schedule
Next up · Week 1
at Detroit Lions
Sun 9/13 · 1:00 PM
2026 schedule
- Wk 1at Detroit LionsSpread —Total —Sun 9/13 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 2at Baltimore RavensSpread —Total —Sun 9/20 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 3vs Las Vegas RaidersSpread —Total —Sun 9/27 · 4:25 PM
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- Wk 4vs Atlanta FalconsSpread —Total —Mon 10/5 · 8:15 PM
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- Wk 5vs Minnesota VikingsSpread —Total —Sun 10/11 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 6at New York GiantsSpread —Total —Sun 10/18 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 7vs Pittsburgh Steelers (Paris)Spread —Total —Sun 10/25 · 9:30 AM
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- Wk 8Bye week
- Wk 9vs Cleveland BrownsSpread —Total —Sun 11/8 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 10vs Carolina PanthersSpread —Total —Sun 11/15 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 11at Chicago BearsSpread —Total —Sun 11/22 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 12at Cincinnati BengalsSpread —Total —Sun 11/29 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 13at Green Bay PackersSpread —Total —Sun 12/6 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 14at Carolina PanthersSpread —Total —Sun 12/13 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 15at Tampa Bay BuccaneersSpread —Total —Sun 12/20 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 16vs Arizona CardinalsSpread —Total —Sun 12/27 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 17at Atlanta FalconsSpread —Total —Sun 1/3 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 18vs Tampa Bay BuccaneersSpread —Total —
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Every game gets a JustJ pick — ATS side and total. Posted numbers are used the moment books hang them; until then the pick is quoted on the JustJ line and refreshes each week.
Schedule & market notes
- Bye: Week 8 — a mid-season bye, giving a roughly even split on either side.
- Short-week / non-Sunday games: 1 Monday — short-rest games carry their own well-documented ATS variance, worth flagging on your calendar as they approach.
- International game(s): Week 7 vs Pittsburgh Steelers (Paris) — a true road game with no home-field advantage and real short-week/travel logistics even when technically the “home” team.
53-MAN ROSTER
Handicapping
Betting profile — vs. the number
2025 ATS
9-8
52.9% cover rate — 11th of 32
2025 Straight up
6-11
Point differential -77
Scoring environment
40.5
Combined points per game — 29th highest of 32
Home venue
Turf
Caesars Superdome
Points scored / allowed
18 per game scored (28th) · 22.5 allowed (16th)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory -4.5 (25th) · Strength of schedule -0.3
- Trend: New RB Travis Etienne joins a Kellen Moore offense still finding its footing behind Tyler Shough — real early-season variance on that side of the ball.
Power ratings — strength against the field
SRS power rating
-4.9
25th of 32 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
-5.5
29th of 32
Defensive SRS
+0.6
15th of 32
Points (margin of victory)
-4.5 · 25th of 32
Against the spread
9-8 (52.9%) · 11th of 32
Totals (combined PPG)
40.5 · 29th of 32
Turnover differential -4 · 2025 results, Just J Football Companion / Pro-Football-Reference.
Power ratings & 2025 results
- 2025 record: 6-11-0 — Points For 306, Points Against 383 (differential -77).
- Margin of Victory: -4.5 pts/game — the average scoring margin across all 2025 games, win or lose.
- Strength of Schedule (SoS): -0.3 — Pro-Football-Reference's SRS-based measure of 2025 opponent quality; positive means a tougher slate than average.
- SRS (power rating): -4.9 — Simple Rating System score, which converts directly to a projected point spread on a neutral field against a leagueaverage team.
- Offensive SRS: -5.5 · Defensive SRS: +0.6 — the SRS power rating split into offensive and defensive components; higher offensive and higher defensive figures are both better.
- Turnover differential: -4 — total takeaways minus giveaways across the 2025 season, one of the more volatile year-to-year metrics and worth weighing against the rest of this profile rather than on its own.
League-wide unit ranks
Offensive Line
16
Defensive Line / Front Seven
28
No interior starter graded above 65; Chase Young, Cameron Jordan, Carl Granderson solid on edge
Linebackers
19
Kaden Elliss returns with pass-rush juice; Pete Werner coming off a career-low grade
Defensive Backs / Secondary
—
Special Teams
—
Kicker: Charlie Smyth
Overall Offense
29
Offensive SRS: -5.5
Overall Defense
15
Defensive SRS: +0.6
Handicapping notes
- Turf: Caesars Superdome — 2025: 6-11 straight-up, 9-8 against the spread.
- : New RB Travis Etienne joins a Kellen Moore offense still finding its footing behind Tyler Shough — real early-season variance on that side of the ball.
Pro Bowlers
- Offense: None — no Saints offensive player made the 2025-season Pro Bowl.
- Defense: None — the Saints had no initial Pro Bowl selections for the second straight year (C Erik McCoy was an alternate).
Coaches
Coaching staff
Head Coach
Kellen Moore
2nd season
Offensive Coordinator
Doug Nussmeier
2nd season
Offensive Line Coach
Brendan Nugent
Defensive Coordinator
Brandon Staley
2nd season
Defensive Line Coach
Bo Davis
Offense
Offensive unit ranks
Offensive Line Rank
16/32
Sharp Football Analysis, 2026 preseason
Key skill players
- QB1Tyler ShoughQB17
- RB1Travis Etienne(free-agent addition; Alvin Kamara now RB2)RB16 range
- WR1Chris OlaveWR22 range
- WR2Jordyn Tyson(rookie)
- TE1Juwan JohnsonTE20
- TEAM DEFENSE (D/ST)Saints D/ST
Key Offensive Line
LT Kelvin Banks Jr.Texas
still on his rookie contract (2025 No. 9 overall pick). 2nd NFL season; a 17-game starter as a rookie, paired with Taliese Fuaga to give New Orleans a promising young tackle duo.
LG David EdwardsWisconsin
4 yr / $61M free-agent signing (2026), $30M guaranteed; ~$15.25M AAV.
C Erik McCoyTexas A&M
5 yr / $63.75M extension; ~$12M AAV. 8th NFL season; a 2x Pro Bowler working back from a 2025 biceps injury who has played just seven games in each of the past two seasons.
Defense
Defensive unit ranks
Defensive Line Rank (front seven)
28/32
Sharp Football Analysis, 2026 preseason
Defensive efficiency
- 4.8 yards allowed per play, 6th of 32.
- 24.7% pressure rate generated (blitzed on 22.5% of dropbacks), 8th of 32.
- 40.2% opponent drive scoring rate — a below-average mark.
- 11.2% opponent drive turnover rate — roughly league-average.
- 94 missed tackles on the season.
Key Defensive Line
Edge Cameron JordanCalifornia
re-signed to a 1-year deal (2026) for his 16th season; the franchise's all-time sack leader and one of the last links to the Drew Brees/Sean Payton era.
Edge Chase YoungOhio State
3 yr / $51M extension (2025); ~$17M AAV. 7th NFL season; a former No. 2 overall pick looking to recapture his early-career form.
DT Bryan BreseeClemson
still on his rookie-era extension window (2023 1st-round pick). 4th NFL season; the only defensive lineman under 30 seeing meaningful snaps on a unit one beat writer called "a mess."
Key Linebackers
LB Pete WernerOhio State
entering his 6th NFL season as a returning starter, facing real competition to hold off a rising 2025 draft class linebacker for snaps.
LB Danny StutsmanOklahoma
still on his rookie contract (2025 4th-round pick). 2nd NFL season; saw increased playing time over the final three games of 2025 and is considered New Orleans' top breakout candidate on defense.
LB Jaylan FordTexas
still on his rookie-scale contract. Depth linebacker in a room beat reporters have called possibly the weakest unit on the team following Demario Davis's free-agent departure to the Jets.
Key Defensive Backs
CB Kool-Aid McKinstryAlabama
still on his rookie contract (2024 2nd-round pick, No. 41 overall). 3rd NFL season; a First-team All-American at Alabama who logged the 6th-most pass breakups in the NFL (17) during a breakout 2025.
CB Martin Emerson Jr.Mississippi State
free-agent addition after starting the previous two seasons in Cleveland; needs to prove full health after tearing his Achilles last July.
S Justin ReidStanford
veteran returning starter at safety; 8th NFL season, providing experienced leadership across from a retooled cornerback room. NF C S OU TH NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Fantasy
Projected fantasy points per game · 2026
Standard 12-team scoring (non-PPR): 1 pt / 25 pass yds, 4 pts pass TD, -2 INT, 1 pt / 10 rush+rec yds, 6 pts TD, -2 fumble lost. Projections are modeled from each player's 2026 positional rank.
| Player | Rank | Proj FPPG | Proj season | Actual FPPG | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 Tyler Shough | QB17 | 16.4 | 279 | — | — |
| RB1 Travis Etienne | RB16 range | — | — | — | — |
| WR1 Chris Olave | WR22 range | — | — | — | — |
| WR2 Jordyn Tyson | — | — | — | — | — |
| TE1 Juwan Johnson | TE20 | 6.9 | 117 | — | — |
| TEAM DEFENSE (D/ST) Saints D/ST | — | — | — | — | — |
Season fantasy tracker
Weekly fantasy scoring for these players appears here once 2026 games go final — each week's points are graded in standard 12-team scoring and rolled into the actual FPPG above.
Environment
- Home games: played under a fixed or retractable roof — every home date is a weather-neutral, full-strength fantasy environment for this offense.
- Road dome/retractable-roof games: ideal weather-neutral spots for maximum fantasy production: Wk 1 (Detroit Lions), Wk 17 (Atlanta Falcons).
- 2025 recap: Chris Olave remained a target earner despite the QB carousel, while the backfield stayed muddled between an aging Alvin Kamara and a rotating cast behind him.
- 2026 projection: Travis Etienne's arrival gives New Orleans a clearer lead role at RB, pushing Kamara into a change-of-pace part. Olave projects as a solid WR2/3 if Shough provides even league-average QB play. This offense stays a lower-priority fantasy target overall.
- Travis Etienne: Pro: a clear path to the lead role in a backfield that badly needed one. Con: touchdown competition with Kamara and an uncertain offensive line.
- Chris Olave: Pro: proven target earner even through QB instability. Con: overall offensive uncertainty caps his weekly ceiling. NF C S OU TH NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
NOTES
No notes on NEW ORLEANS SAINTS yet.