DevaughnVele

News: 4 days agoVele caught two passes for 17 yards on four targets in Sunday's 23-22 overtime win over the Browns.

Spin: With Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) making his regular-season debut against Cleveland, Vele's role remained steady, running 44 routes on Tyler Slough's 46 dropbacks. Bryce Lance and Noah Fant appeared to be the bigger losers in terms of playing time and routes. Still, Tyson figures to have an effect on Vele's target potential moving forward, as he's setting in as more of a low-floor WR4/5 in fantasy.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Vele is expected to open the season as New Orleans' No. 2 receiver behind Chris Olave until Jordyn Tyson returns from injury near midseason. Vele's first season with the Saints was marred with injuries. The 2024 seventh-round pick, who posted a 41-475-3 receiving line with Denver as a rookie, barely played throughout most of 2025 prior to taking on an every-down role during Weeks 10-15. In those five games (one of which he left hurt), he averaged 5.6 targets per game, but reached 12.0 fantasy points once (an 8-93-1 effort in Week 13 against Miami). The 28-year-old has yet to show he can be relied on for consistent targets and fantasy production, but he'll play an every-down role early on, which makes him a sleeper for flex value in deep leagues. He'll be worth a roster spot until Tyson returns.