Rashid Shaheed or Chris Olave: Which Saints WR should you draft in Fantasy Football 2025

The 2025 fantasy football season is just days away and all leagues will soon be completing their drafts if they haven't done so already. Some managers may be debating whether they want to target Rashid Shaheed or Chris Olave for one of their wide receiver spots. They both have a case for being the New Orleans Saints' WR1 this year, but here's which one is the better pick.

Rashid Shaheed fantasy outlook

Rashid Shaheed

Rashid Shaheed got off to a fast start to last season, finishing among the WR13 or better in fantasy football in three of his first five games. A knee injury then cut his year short, but he is expected to be healthy again with the 2025 season approaching.

The Saints' offense has been desperate for consistent playmakers to step up and make impact for them. If Shaheed can stay healthy this year, and he doesn't regress due to the devastating injury, he has already shown that he can be the big-play star that they have often been missing. This gives him plenty of upside in fantasy football drafts, but also a dangerously low floor.

Chris Olave fantasy outlook

Chris Olave

Chris Olave also suffered a season-ending injury last season, leaving the Saints' offense critically depleted. He was being outperformed by Shaheed in the early stages of the season, with Olave recording just one finish among the top 20 weekly wide receievrs across his first six games.

What makes Olave an intriguing option is his proven success in his first two years before his injury-shortened third season. He finished as the overall WR25 and WR19, so he could be a sleeper at his current discounted ADP, mostly due to his concerning injury and uninspiring quarterback situation for the upcoming campaign.

Rashid Shaheed vs Chris Olave: Who should I draft in fantasy football?

Olave vs Shaheed

Chris Olave is the recommended wide receiver to pick in 2025 fantasy football drafts over Rashid Shaheed. Sportskeeda's Who Should I Draft tool predicts that Olave will score more than 50 additional fantasy points than Shaheed in PPR formats, with their difference being a bit closer on half-PPR and non-PPR.

A legitimate case can be made that Shaheed has more upside, but Olave's proven results give him a much safer floor. They will both have to overcome a challenging quarterback situation with Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough, so it will be inetersting to see which of them handles the transition better.