New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave has been battling a back injury for the past week or so, but that shouldn’t stop him from seeing the field in Week 14. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the former first-round pick is expected to suit up as New Orleans faces off against a division rival in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Nov 23, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Atlanta Falcons safety Xavier Watts (31) makes the interception in front of New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
Chris Olave Injury Update: Saints WR Expected to Play Against Buccaneers
This is fantastic news for the Saints, as Chris Olave is easily the most important part of the passing attack, and an injury would make a victory against the Buccaneers all but impossible. So far on the season, the wide receiver has caught 73 of his 115 targets for 781 yards and five touchdowns. He’s found success with Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough and his value to the team is even higher with Rashid Shaheed now in Seattle. Last week against Miami, Olave hauled in four of his seven targets for 47 yards and a touchdown.
While the Saints are already out of the playoff picture thanks to their 2-10 record, they have the opportunity to play spoiler today. The Buccanners are just a half-game ahead of the Carolina Panthers in the NFC South standings and desperately need to turn their season around if they want to reach the postseason. After a hot start to the season, the team lost three of their last four games and only narrowly defeated a bad Arizona Cardinals team in Week 14. While Tampa Bay defeated New Orleans 23-3 the last time these two teams met, today could lead to a different result with second-round pick Tyler Shough improving on a weekly basis.
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