Where Do The Saints Turn Now?

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Hims:

Knowing I'd be writing today's newsletter, Nando Di Fino was kind enough to avoid the Derek Carr news yesterday … Happy belated Mother's Day to me, I guess?

Don't worry. I used all three of my Rashid Shaheed jerseys to wipe my tears. So let's just get into it already.

The Bad: A Forced Retirement

While everyone knew Carr's 2025 season was in jeopardy, the word "retirement" was never once thrown around, making his announcement on Saturday extremely unexpected, to say the least.

Having recently joined the Saints in 2023, Carr looked to lead the organization for at least a few years longer on his four-year contract. But after heavily considering surgery this offseason, the shoulder injury ultimately forced Carr's hand into throwing in the towel. It's a sad way to see his time in New Orleans come to an end.

Derek Carr retires with 41,245 yards and 257 TDs across his 11 seasons with the Raiders (9) and Saints (2).

The Good: Money On The Table

While we never like to hear about injuries, especially the career-ending kind, there are a few silver linings to come out of Carr's retirement.

The Saints save a lil' money. Had Carr decided to undergo his shoulder surgery this offseason and remain on the team's Injured Reserve, he would've pocketed $30M guaranteed for 2025. His decision to retire leaves that money on the table and now allows the Saints a little extra wiggle room in their evergreen salary-cap hellscape.

The QB room is a lil' less crowded. Kind of. Which brings me to …

The F*cking Ugly: Depth Chart Check

I present to you the New Orleans Saints’ current QB room:

25-year-old (!) rookie Tyler Shough
Spencer Rattler, who went 0-6 as an NFL starter
and the silliest dude to wear a fleur-de-lis (since Jameis Winston).

IT'S FINE. I'M FINE.

The question remains: Do the Saints feel confident enough to start the season with Shough & Co. as their starter(s)?

If the answer is "no", the franchise's options are limited to:

An ancient, drug-induced QB veteran (read: 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers)
Last year's divisional rival and former Falcon, Kirk Cousins

As a Saints fan, all I can do is breathe. Well ... breathe and remind myself of the wise words of Ian Hartitz.

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Happy Mock Monday

What do you get when you combine “f*ck*ing f*ck $h*t balls”, two colleagues turning their backs on a strong friendship, and a potential fraud check of a fellow drafter? One emotionally tormented Ian Hartitz, that’s what.

Emotional rollercoaster aspect of fantasy football mock drafts aside, we figured that with the draft behind us, it makes sense to get a sense of where the new class of fantasy football stars falls in fantasy mocks.

12 teams, 14 rounds, and round-by-round analysis of what early offseason drafts are looking like. Let’s dive in. ⬇️

SOMEONE CALM IAN DOWN, HIS TEAM IS FINE!

Now, It’s Time For A Rookie Super Model Refresh

The NFL Draft may still be a recent memory, but the great thing about the fantasy football industry is that with the picking of Mr. Irrelevant, it’s also time to fire up those dynasty rookie drafts. Have no fear, we have you covered, as Dwain McFarland was immediately in the lab adding draft capital and landing spots to the Rookie Super Model to help you get ready for those drafts. And the season ahead.

This week, we’re giving a refresh to this wonderful tool that is only available at Fantasy Life. To kick things off, let’s take a look at the introductory guide on the Rookie Super Model for a refresher course on all things rookies.👇🏼

WHAT IS THE ROOKIE SUPER MODEL?

Is Pat Bryant THE Sleeper WR In Dynasty Leagues?

When landing spot meets talent meets opportunity, magical things can happen.

The Denver Broncos selected Pat Bryant 74th overall (Round 3), and he's stepping into an offensive environment with a massive hole at WR2.

Last season, Courtland Sutton led the team with 135 targets. The second-most targets (70) went to RB Javonte Williams, and it was WR Devaughn Vele who was No. 2 in targets with 55.

Needless to say, there's room for someone else to step up in a big way.

It doesn't hurt that head coach Sean Payton has already made Michael Thomas comparisons about Bryant. Regardless, it wouldn't be a surprise if Bo Nix throws for 4,000 yards and 30+ TDs in Year 2. That means there will be plenty of scoring opportunities for someone like Bryant to immediately become relevant for dynasty managers.

Sam Wallace breaks down more offseason edges to exploit in your dynasty leagues. ⬇️

MORE DYNASTY UPDATES TO FOLLOW

Around the Watercooler

The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds.

🤔 Bijan Robinson vs. Ashton Jeanty … It’s worth a convo.

🔮 Forecasting the future isn’t easy, but this certainly helps.

🤑 Follow the money for some late-round WR sleepers.

🚨 ICYMI: Catch up on fantasy-relevant news from the weekend.

👀 Ceiling projections for QBs going outside the top 10 … what stands out?