The Saints spent the eighth pick on Jordyn Tyson and watched him begin to click with Tyler Shough in camp, only for an August hamstring injury to put his NFL debut on hold. Now he’s traveled with New Orleans to Paris for Week 7, and although he hasn’t resumed practice, eagle-eyed fantasy managers are likely wondering whether or not he’s worth acquiring.
Below, I break down Tyson’s appeal, and how I’d handle trying to go out and get him this week to maximize his value.
Jordyn Tyson fantasy outlook: Week 7, rest-of-season
Tyson gave Arizona State plenty to fall in love with: 75 catches, 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024, followed by eight more touchdowns in nine games last season. His feel for finding room against zone was exceptional. Across Reception Perception’s sample of those two seasons, he succeeded on 85.6% of his routes against zone, the fifth-best mark among major-conference prospects charted since 2021. He was especially accomplished on digs, pushing upfield before breaking across the middle: those routes accounted for more than a fifth of his work, and he won 78.8% of them. For a quarterback trying to get the ball out as the pocket tightens, that ability to uncover inside is an awfully attractive quality.
Longer, more physical corners could still draw unnecessary steps out of him, and his 67.7% success rate against man left room for refinement. But New Orleans had good reason to spend the eighth pick on him. The Saints initially brought Tyson along in the slot before expanding his work outside, and coach Kellen Moore began putting that versatility to work in camp. During one notable practice, Shough found him over the middle and on fourth-and-six. Those early completions gave the college promise someplace to crystallize—and gives us, now, something more substantial than draft position and college pedigree to hold onto while we wait for his hamstring to heal.
Shough could certainly use him now. He’s averaged 42.8 dropbacks per game through six games, fourth-most in the NFL, yet scraped together just 240 passing yards on 55 attempts over the last two weeks. Playing through two broken bones in his non-throwing hand takes some stubborn courage. Those four total touchdowns against the Giants rescued his fantasy afternoon; his receivers still had to share 144 passing yards. Losing left tackle Kelvin Banks has made the protection uglier, too.
Tyson gives Moore another way to attack inside, where his knack for finding gaps could spare Shough some difficult throws toward the boundary. Dave Kluge noted just two passes between the hashes among Shough’s 149 attempts in Weeks 2–5. The hashes enclose only a sliver of the field, admittedly, but Tyson’s work on digs makes the possibility of opening things up awfully enticing. He can push Devaughn Vele for second billing behind Chris Olave.
Bottom line
I’d go after Jordyn Tyson this week, especially if his manager needs somebody who can help immediately. In a 12-team PPR league, I’m happy to swap a useful reserve for the Saints rookie and wait through their Week 8 bye. He traveled to Paris, but he still hasn’t returned to practice.
I’d offer Saints running back (and Tyson’s teammate) Kendre Miller or Dolphins receiver Malik Washington, straight up. Miller just carried 20 times, although Travis Etienne’s eventual return threatens that workload; Washington supplies catches for a depleted PPR lineup. With Tyson available in 52% of Yahoo leagues, there may be no need to trade. I’d bid 5–8% of my original FAAB budget.
Ask for Carolina’s Jalen Coker or Pittsburgh’s Germie Bernard, though, and I’m out. They drew 13 and 12 targets Sunday, respectively. That’s substantial work for two young receivers already making their quarterbacks look good. Tyson still has to get healthy and earn the role, catch the throws, trust his own body, etc.
