Entering this year, there had been 165 regular season shutouts since 2000. That comes to 6.88 per campaign. Last night marked the year's first shutout. It was a near-perfect storm of a top-10 defense at home versus an overmatched rookie quarterback, an inexperienced second-year RB, and a receiving corps led by Dante Pettis, Kevin Austin Jr., and Foster Moreau.
There are no useful fantasy takeaways for the Saints, which averaged 45.5 points in their first two games and only 16.8 since, making them one of the league's worst offenses since Week 3. According to Spotrac, the Browns are currently $19 million over the cap entering next season. The only franchise in a worse hole is New Orleans, which is $78 million over the cap.
If you have Alvin Kamara in dynasty, brace for volatility. The same goes for the more aged Taysom Hill, along with post-prime Derek Carr. Those three are going to cost the Saints somewhere in the ballpark of $93 million combined next year. #1 WR Chris Olave will enter the final year of his rookie deal and probably wants to get paid over the summer. #2 WR Rashid Shaheed will be a free agent and might command more money than New Orleans can comfortably offer.
This is why it's so difficult to size up the Saints' 2025 fantasy outlook. Yes, Kendre Miller's stock seemingly points upward. But this team almost surely will add another backfield body during the offseason. So the only known quantity will be Olave, and who knows if his quarterback(s) will be able to consistently get him the ball.
The Packers have their own chaos. Receivers Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Bo Melton, and Tucker Kraft all picked up at least one carry last night. Only Dontayvion Wicks had more than four targets. The return of 2023 second-rounder Luke Musgrave further muddies the offense. Love hasn't attempted more than 28 passes in any of his last six starts.
In fact, Green Bay is 2-3 when Love's made more than 28 throws . . . and 7-1 when he hasn't. It's a remarkable stat that should scare managers leaning on any Packers (besides Josh Jacobs) in Week 17.
The biggest fantasy news might be Watson, who left early and might be considered questionable for next weekend. Reed would be a big winner, as his recent descent has coincided with Watson's yardage uptick since mid-November.
Finally, I realize many of you are now eliminated from title contention. Congrats on getting as far as you did. Most managers don't, plain and simple. And good luck to those still in the fight . . . and remember that it's a short week as we gear up for Wednesday Night Football.
---