Saints' Chris Olave Reportedly Expected to Play vs. Lions After Concussion

New Orleans Saints wideout Chris Olave is reportedly expected to play on Sunday against the Detroit Lions, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, despited carrying a questionable designation throughout the week due to a concussion.

Olave left Sunday's loss against the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter after landing hard while attempting to make a leaping, acrobatic catch. He remained out for the duration of the contest and was put into the concussion protocol this week.

He was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday before being a full participant on Friday, though he has yet to officially clear the concussion protocol.

The Saints are already incredibly thin at wideout, with Michael Thomas on injured reserve and Rashid Shaheed ruled out with a thigh injury.

Olave, 23, is having another excellent season after a stellar rookie campaign in 2022 that saw him register 72 catches for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games. He's on pace to surpass those numbers, with 63 receptions for 771 yards and three touchdowns through 11 contests.

Outside of running back Alvin Kamara since his return from a three-game suspension to start the year, there isn't a bigger playmaker on New Orleans' offense than Olave. And with the 5-6 Saints fighting to keep pace with the Falcons (5-6) in the mediocre NFC South, having him available for a tough matchup against the Lions would be huge.

"There are going to be some guys that have to step up," head coach Dennis Allen told reporters this week regarding the team's receiving corps, given the potential absence of the top three options at the position. "Any time that you have guys that go down, it creates an opportunity for someone to step up."

That would leave the Saints with Marquez Callaway, A.T. Perry, Lynn Bowden and Keith Kirkwood, a very unproven group. The good news for the Saints, however, is that Olave is trending toward playing.

"We know he's a valuable part of this offense," Callaway told reporters regardin Olave. "We hope he can play, but you've got to take care of safety first. So if he doesn't play, we can't look at that as anything. We got to go out there and still perform, still compete. Everybody in our group is ready. We've just got to wait for our number to be called."