Dynasty Rookie Draft Debate: Chris Olave (2022 Fantasy Football)

The 2022 NFL Draft has come and gone, and that means it’s time for dynasty rookie and startup drafts to really take off. We’ll have you covered throughout the draft season. You can find our full dynasty startup, dynasty rookie, and dynasty superflex rookie rankings that will be updated through draft season.

When it comes to rookie drafts, there are so many factors that come into play when deciding who to target and select. While it’s great to practice using our free dynasty rookie mock draft simulator, decisions will come down to your dynasty roster and those of your league mates. Still, when putting together dynasty rookie rankings, there is plenty of room for debate. That is certainly the case this year. To help you navigate your dynasty rookie draft prep, our analysts are providing the cases for and against certain polarizing rookies of this draft class.

Let’s take a look at the dynasty rookie draft debate of Saints wide receiver Chris Olave.

Dynasty Rookie Draft Debate: Chris Olave

The case for Olave (Pick 6 overall, WR4)
Olave is the best route-runner in this WR class and will instantly be an above-average NFL route-runner. He also has 4.39 speed to blow by defenders who bite on one of his expertly sold feints. If you’re thinking of drafting Jameson Williams over Olave in a rookie draft, just remember that Olave’s presence was a big reason Williams had to transfer from Ohio State in order to find playing time. Olave’s landing spot isn’t a bad one. Michael Thomas is a volume receiver but runs a different route tree than Olave does, and QB Jameis Winston isn’t shy about making aggressive downfield throws and letting his receivers make plays.
– Pat Fitzmaurice

The case against Olave (Pick 11 overall, WR8)
Olave draws parallels to Calvin Ridley with his impressive route running ability. But like Ridley coming out of school, Olave doesn’t offer much after the catch.

His forced broken and missed tackle rate ranked 43rd among 43 qualifying wide receivers in the class. His yards after the catch per reception (4.2) ranked 37th.

Without much YAC-ability in an offense that ranked fifth in that YAC/reception last season and a firm seat in the WR2 chair behind Thomas, I have trouble getting overly excited for Olave in New Orleans.

New Orleans did their best to reel back Jameis Winston in 2021 from his turnover-prone Tampa Bay Buccaneers days – 26th out of 33 qualifying quarterbacks in attempts of 20-plus air yards per game – and I’m afraid that might result in more of a rushing attack than vertical aerial assault.

Olave can be good in New Orleans – but maybe not great enough to move the needle in fantasy. With rhetoric certain to swirl that he will see a boatload of targets after New Orleans traded up for him, he is likely going to be a massive riser in dynasty rookie drafts post-draft. I’ll likely be lower on him than the consensus.
– Andrew Erickson