Chris Olave’s brother had the same thought as anyone hoping the Saints’ No. 1 receiver would help them win any fantasy matchups Monday.
“1 target ?” Josh Olave tweeted during the first half of the Saints’ 26-13 loss to the Chiefs on “Monday Night Football.”
Olave had just one receiving target during the first 30 minutes and finished with two catches for 10 yards on just four targets — with two of those targets coming on the final drive from backup quarterback Jake Haener after quarterback Derek Carr exited the game due to an oblique injury.
“That’s frustrating,” Carr said of Olave’s quiet night. “It’s not from a lack of me wanting to throw to — I tell [the media] all the time, everybody knows I want to throw it to Chris. Chris knows I want to throw it to Chris. … It’s frustrating when you grab the sheet afterwards and see that because he’s an unbelievable player and an unbelievable person and a good friend. I never want that to happen for him.”
It’s not a good sign when family members feel compelled to comment on the developments in games, but Olave’s usage Monday puzzled many.
Olave is the Saints’ No. 1 receiver, yet he’s now had two games with four or fewer targets and he has topped six targets only once this season.
The Chiefs have a standout cornerback in Trent McDuffie, but top receivers are usually peppered with targets to keep them involved in the offense.
Carr cited a potential big play being missed due to a sack and another lengthy completion being taken away due to a penalty as plays that could have changed Olave’s production.
“Those two plays right there would have felt a lot different,” Carr said. “We were able to hit other guys on some things when they did try to take him away, but still you never want to see that at the end. That’s not a good feeling.”
Saints coach Dennis Allen did not offer much of an explanation for why Olave basically ran cardio all night, saying he’d have to examine the tape.
“They did some good things to try to take him away,” Allen said.
Olave now has separate games with 11 and 10 receiving yards sandwiched around three 80-plus-yard efforts, and sits with 22 catches for 275 yards and one touchdown through five games.
Olave is tied for the second-most targets on the team behind wide receiver Rashid Shaheed.
Carr and Olave had issues in the past with the quarterback screaming at his receiver for running a route wrong last year.
Olave should be in a better spot to rebound in Week 6 against a Buccaneers pass defense that allowed Kirk Cousins to throw for a career-high 509 yards in the Falcons’ overtime win last Thursday.
