Back in August we had our friend of the program, and New Orleans Advocate writer Nick Underhill on The Fantasy Fullback Dive to gain some inside info on the Saints’ explosive offensive attack. While we were high on Cameron Meredith for the WR2 job across from Michael Thomas, Underhill couldn’t stop gushing about rookie wideout, Tre’Quan Smith. After dominating the preseason, it took a few weeks and a Ted Ginn knee injury for Smith to get his chance to crack the starting lineup — and he took advantage of his opportunity. Smith had a monster game with three catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns, including the 62-yard touchdown that etched Drew Brees’ name into the NFL record book.
“I knew I had to step up,” Smith said. “I knew my teammates counted on me and they believed in me and they trusted me. So this week I’ve been telling myself it was my time to shine. You’re up, don’t make any mistakes.”
With Ginn out of the lineup, Smith made the most of his snaps. He played 44-of-66 offensive snaps (67 percent) and found the end zone twice on those three receptions. He showed off his smarts on the record-breaking 62-yard touchdown reception when he slowed down in the soft spot of the Redskins’ zone coverage and then out-raced the defense to the end zone.
Smith is still only 4 percent owned, which makes sense considering he’ll likely be back behind Ginn once he returns. However, he could get some more action after the bye week since he showed his potential in Week 5. Will Sean Payton script up ways to get the rookie more involved? Time will only tell.
