While the New Orleans Saints weren’t able to pull out the win against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, they did get a breakout performance from Devaughn Vele. With rookie Tyler Shough now fully entrenched as the Saints’ starting quarterback, it’s worth asking if Vele could actually be fantasy relevant down the stretch.
Vele is rostered in 0.6% of ESPN leagues and 1% of Yahoo leagues, meaning he is almost universally available on waivers heading into Week 14. Is the second-year wideout worth a claim, especially with four teams on bye this week?
Where did Devaughn Vele come from?
The Saints acquired Vele in a trade with the Broncos in August. New Orleans sent a 2026 fourth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick back to Denver to complete the swap. The deal came just one year after the Broncos selected Vele in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
As a rookie out of Utah, Vele appeared in 13 games with 11 starts for Denver in 2024. He reeled in 41 of his 55 targets for 475 yards and three touchdowns, finishing as WR69 in fantasy last season.
Vele measures in at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds.
Devaughn Vele Fantasy Outlook
Vele is currently WR126 in fantasy, averaging 4.3 PPR points per game.
The middle of the season was pretty uneventful for Vele, who didn’t get much run when the Saints were working through some identity issues. He caught passes in Weeks 1 and 2, scoring a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers, only to miss Week 3 with a hip injury. He only logged four snaps upon his return to action in Week 4.
Between Week 4 and Week 10, Vele totaled 38 yards on four receptions and 10 targets. He topped out at 3.3 PPR fantasy points over that stretch, posting four goose eggs along the way. On average, he scored 1.1 PPR fantasy points per game during that midseason lull. Shough stepped in for Spencer Rattler in Week 9, though, which was the first of three major changes to New Orleans’ offense. The Saints proceeded to trade Rashid Shaheed to the Seahawks at the Week 10 deadline, just before their Week 11 bye. And now, star running back Alvin Kamara is out with an MCL sprain, too.
Vele drew seven targets coming off the hiatus in Week 12, catching three of them for 37 yards. That 6.7-point fantasy performance was his second-best of the year. In Week 13, Vele caught all eight of his targets for 93 yards. He added a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, which set up a potential game-tying two-point conversion. Even though the Dolphins picked that off, the Saints stayed alive thanks to Vele’s recovery on the ensuing onside kick. New Orleans got stuffed on fourth down to end the game, but Vele racked up 23.3 PPR fantasy points before the final whistle.
Should I add Devaughn Vele off waivers?
On the surface, the Saints offense isn’t exactly a unit ripe for a ton of fantasy production. New Orleans is 2-10, all while their offense ranks No. 26 in yards and No. 30 in points.
But your fantasy season could depend on surviving this week. And to win your league’s title, you’re going to need to keep it up for the rest of the month. The 49ers, Patriots, Panthers and Giants are on bye in Week 14, taking Jauan Johnson, Ricky Pearsall, Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, Tetairoa McMillan and Wan’Dale Robinson off the board at wide receiver. Drake London, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tee Higgins are banged up, not to mention receivers on injured reserve like Garrett Wilson, Mike Evans, Travis Hunter, Tyreek Hill and Malik Nabers. Justin Jefferson and Zay Flowers are ice cold. You are probably going to have to get creative if you are facing any combination of those roadblocks and still need to clinch a playoff berth.
Vele has proven that he has a high ceiling. He can also get looks despite sharing the field with Chris Olave, and he appears to have a good connection with Shough. Is Vele a must-start moving forward? Unless you are truly desperate, of course not. But scoop him up regardless, in case he shows he can score double figures with any level of consistency. Vele saw the field on just 30.2% of offensive snaps when Shaheed was still on the roster. Since the deadline, however, Vele has been on the field for 87.7% of offensive snaps. He also leads qualified Saints receivers in average depth of target.
Upcoming matchups with the Bucaneers, Panthers and Jets could turn into shootouts, while a championship week showdown with the Titans is ripe for another Vele eruption.
