Looking at the first injury report of the week, the New Orleans Saints had four impactful players listed. Although one Saints player was expected to be out, if any of the others had been unable to play, it would have been catastrophic.
In the end, OT Taliese Fuaga and RB Devin Neal had no game designations, but WR Chris Olave did.
Chris Olave’s Injury Update
Going into the weekend, there was some hope that Olave would be able to play after dealing with back spasms throughout the week, and if the star WR had anything to say in the decision, he would play through the injury no matter what. Ahead of Sunday’s game against the Dolphins, it seems that Olave will be ready to play.
Saints expect WR Chris Olave, listed as questionable for Sunday due to a back injury, to play vs. the Dolphins, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 30, 2025
To say the Saints needed Olave in this game is an understatement. The run game should be leaned upon in this offense, but with how inconsistent it has been, expecting that to happen is a bad idea. So, QB Tyler Shough may have to throw a good amount this game, and if Olave was going to be out, it would have been a horrible situation.
Without their star WR, the other receivers on the roster would have been Devaughn Vele, Mason Tipton, Dante Pettis, and Kevin Austin Jr.
Now, due to the Dolphins being ranked 28th in overall defense according to PFSN’s Defensive Impact Metric, if there was ever a matchup for this group to hold their own against, it may be this one, but that would still be unlikely.
This season, Olave is second in targets among all WRs, per PFSN’s WR Impact Metric. His presence in the offensive scheme is vital to the Saints’ success, and now that he is active, the offense gets a needed piece before Sunday’s game.
Other Saints Injury Updates
RB Alvin Kamara was the one player ruled out before today’s game, but besides him, the names on the inactive list are mostly the same from recent weeks:
#Saints inactives today:
S Ugo Amadi
CB Rejzohn Wright
RB Alvin Kamara (knee/ankle)
RT Barry Wesley
TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden
DT John Ridgeway III
DT Khristian Boyd— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) November 30, 2025