Emmanuel Sanders - What to expect this year

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Wow, actually a Saints related topic on this board! How refreshing.

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Last year Eric Decker went to the Titans at age 30. He had 54 receptions and 1 TDs. That was good enough for second best for the Titans on a run heavy team.

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Drew has been in Denver throwing balls to Sanders. I’m not concerned with two vets like that

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even if you project Sanders for modest totals such as 56 catches, 746 yards and six touchdowns (as ESPN fantasy analyst Mike Clay does), that could be enough to finally push the Saints over the top.

But will anyone else step up in the Saints’ receiving corps once Thomas, Sanders, running back Alvin Kamara and tight end Jared Cook gobble up an estimated 27-28 targets per game?

Will this finally be the year Tre'Quan Smith makes a consistent impact? Will New Orleans find a role on offense for last year’s breakout return specialist Deonte Harris? Can a hidden gem emerge from the jam-packed battle for the final one or two roster spots?

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Sanders also proved what a quick study he is by fitting in smoothly with the San Francisco 49ers following a midseason trade last year -- though both Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. and receivers coach Ronald Curry mentioned that the things Sanders did with Manning in Denver from 2014 to '15 are most similar to what he might do in New Orleans.

"He'll be able to play inside and outside," Carmichael said. "Obviously, there are some differences between maybe what he's been doing as of late to going back to a few years ago. But again, one thing that [Saints coach Sean Payton] is really big on is making sure that we're putting those guys in the position where they can be successful.”

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"We have a vision for him on third down and how we can use him, maybe taking some of that option stuff off of [Kamara's] plate and some of the stuff that [former Saints deep threat] Ted Ginn was doing, double moves, transitional stuff."

Sanders averaged 8.6 targets per game during his prime with the Broncos from 2014 to '18, but six per game is a realistic estimate in New Orleans.

The Saints should use Sanders a lot like they used receivers Lance Moore and Willie Snead in the past. Moore averaged six targets per game during his prime from 2008 to '12, with highs of 7.6 in 2008 and 6.9 in 2012. Snead averaged 6.7 in 2015 and 6.9 in 2016. But the Saints threw the ball a lot more during those eras -- and they didn’t have a No. 1 receiver like Thomas dominating so much of the target share.

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