January 4, 2025
After opening the week with a limited session, New Orleans Saints wide receiver
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (chest) practiced in full for a second consecutive day and has no designation going into the team's Week 18 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 30-year-old was sidelined in Week 16 due to a combination of a back issue and illness that interrupted his rehab. In Week 17, he was active though a massive hit in the fourth quarter took him out of the game early. Even though he will be active, it will be hard to rely on MVS for fantasy purposes. His success earlier this season was tied to touchdowns and big gains on deep passes. In his three biggest games he racked up 232 yards and four touchdowns but did so on just ten targets.
Spencer Rattler will be under center again for the season finale and while he has shown decent arm strength as a spot starter, his accuracy (or lack thereof) will not do MVS any favors. His potential would be further dampened by the return of
Chris Olave (concussion) who is listed as questionable. Valdes-Scantling was a bright spot for a few weeks in 2024 but he should not be in a starting lineup in Week 18.
--Dan Stephens - RotoBallerSource: New Orleans Saints
January 3, 2025
New Orleans Saints wide receiver
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (chest) upgraded to a full participant in practice on Thursday. This was an improvement for the veteran receiver after he had been limited on Wednesday. Valdes-Scantling has been the epitome of a boom-or-bust player this season, demonstrating a heavy dependence on big plays. Over his last six games, he has caught just 13 of 26 targets for 347 yards and four touchdowns. To make matters even worse, in two games since
Derek Carr (hand) went down, Valdes-Scantling has caught just two of nine targets for 64 yards and zero scores. He should be benched in most fantasy leagues if Carr remains sidelined, as expected, in Week 18.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Mike Triplett
January 2, 2025
New Orleans Saints wide receiver
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (chest) logged a limited practiced on Wednesday ahead of the Week 18 game against Tampa Bay. The veteran receiver has been an extreme boom-or-bust option who surprised with a WR2 finish in Week 10 and caught touchdowns in three straight weeks earlier in the season, but bottomed out with no catches on two targets last week. With the Saints likely to play out the string without quarterback
Derek Carr (left hand) and running back
Alvin Kamara (groin), MVS is a low-end WR5 option on an offense that isn't worth trusting.
--Nick Piotrowicz - RotoBallerSource: New Orleans Saints
December 30, 2024
New Orleans Saints wide receiver
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (chest) aggravated his chest injury in the Week 17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday but checked out OK after the game. Valdes-Scantling was injured in the fourth quarter and never returned. MVS missed the Week 16 loss to the Green Bay Packers because of his chest injury, so the Saints pulled him on Sunday out of caution. It sounds like he's fine, but it doesn't mean he'll play in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Buccaneers with nothing on the line for New Orleans. He had a three-game stretch from Weeks 10-13 in which he caught seven passes for 232 yards and four touchdowns, but he's since caught six of 16 targets for 115 yards and no scores in the last three games. MVS is an unreliable boom/bust deep threat that should only be considered in fantasy if quarterback
Derek Carr (hand) returns in Week 18.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NewOrleans.Football - Nick Underhill
RADIO
