Fantasy Football: What is the Saints' Outlook After Derek Carr's Retirement?

In a Saturday morning bombshell, New Orleans Saints presumed starting quarterback Derek Carr is retiring from professional football.

This, seemingly, caps a bizarre offseason where the Saints were publicly moving on from Carr due to ambiguity about the shoulder issue mentioned in his retirement notice. The team drafted former Louisville Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough with its early second-round selection in last month's draft.

Still, it's a totally unexpected move that Carr won't be apart of New Orleans' plans in 2025 at all. On a team filled with fantasy football-relevant options in a weak division, how does this impact some of the Saints' top skill players? Who will start at quarterback? Let's dive in.

The Saints' Quarterback Situation in Fantasy Football

In keeper or dynasty leagues and other "superflex" formats, one of 32 valuable chairs just opened up as a starting quarterback in the NFL.

New Orleans now seems positioned for what will, truly, be a two-man race for the starting job this year.

The incumbent will be 2024 fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler, who showed flashes of ability on individual plays but struggled mightily through seven starts in 2025. Rattler's -0.32 expected points added per drop back (EPA/db) was worst in the NFL among players with at least 200 drop backs.

In his defense, Chris Olave was only active for one of those starts, Alvin Kamara missed three games outright and left a fourth early, and Rashid Shaheed was absent for all seven contests with an ACL tear he suffered in Week 5. That's a lot of firepower on the sidelines.

New Orleans didn't give him that grace, though. They used the 40th overall pick on Tyler Shough last month, and that investment has to make the rookie the presumed starter.

Shough didn't have many friends at FanDuel Research before the draft. At 25.6 years old, his on-field production at Louisville (75.5 QBR in 2024) was fine but didn't match what you'd expect from someone that's actually two weeks older than Trevor Lawrence. That's problematic for his projection at a tougher competition level.

My initial assessment of this situation is that Shough should start, but at 24.6 years old, Rattler might actually be the prospect with more room to grow. Either option doesn't seem to be super appealing for a significant investment in fantasy football, and the first New Orleans QB taken in superflex redraft leagues might be the last team represented in the NFL.

Impact of Carr's Retirement for the Saints in Fantasy Football

Alvin Kamara

Alvin Kamara was last year's RB6 on a points-per-game (16.5 PPG) basis and deserves the most attention. Of course, Kamara is a wizard as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, so an overwhelmed quarterback could actually bump or maintain what was a 21.4% target share (6.4 per game) last season.

He only scored eight touchdowns to do this, so it's not like an inefficient offense hurts him a ton. To me, my largest concern about Kamara was present with Carr, which is sixth-round pick Devin Neal being a real threat to finally lift some of the veteran's heavy workload. It'll come down to Kamara's ADP to determine if he's an avoid or value target.

Chris Olave

Many were concerned about Chris Olave's outlook before this news. Olave has suffered four concussions in two seasons, seeing a specialist last December. Olave had just an 18.8% target share in 2024 (5.5 per game), but 3.4 of those targets per game were 10-plus yards downfield or in the red zone.

He's a talented receiver that does his best work deep, and he'll be NOLA's clear top option as long as he's healthy. I could see him being significantly undervalued in 2025 drafts.

Rashid Shaheed

However, I think the biggest downgrade has to be Rashid Shaheed. The vertical, "go ball" option is at his best to compliment a fearsome attack, and Rattler's pitiful aDOT (7.8) would have hurt him if the two had played together last year. Shough's 9.5 aDOT in college last year ranked 57th of 128 quarterbacks with at least 200 drop backs, so I can't see him being a total bomber at the NFL level, either.

I have long remained skeptical of Shaheed's continued fantasy viability as a long score-or-bust option, and I'd project to rank him in an undraftable position now -- even if fully healthy.

Others

Tight ends Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau should cannibalize each other once again as traditional in-line options. Moreau's connection with Carr back to days with the Las Vegas Raiders might even bring his roster spot into question.

Who knows what Taysom Hill's role will be under new head coach Kellen Moore? Hill saw some of his best action as a traditional running back last year, but now, Neal is a clear backup option to Kamara. I'd forecast his role as the offense's "gadget" as even less reliable.

Overall, this is a huge downgrade to the Saints' offensive outlook in 2025, and we should tread with caution around any of these players.

New Orleans might now end up in an unfortunate position to snag the services of local LSU Tigers QB Garrett Nussmeier, who is also the son of NOLA's current offensive coordinator, in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Which futures stand out to you this offseason? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL betting odds to see the full menu of options.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.