Noah Fant just showed how important he can be to the New Orleans Saints.
A week ago, he found the end zone twice in what was a fantastic day for Saints tight ends — Juwan Johnson caught two touchdowns, too.
Fant, though, may have gotten hurt at some point during that loss to the Raiders. He’s not a sure thing to run it back in Week 4.
The Saints have the final game of the week, featuring on Monday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons.
The New Orleans offense is already without a couple of notable pieces — Travis Etienne is on injured reserve, and the first-round rookie Jordyn Tyson has yet to play this season.
The Saints would certainly like to have Fant on the field on Monday night, though. It’s just not certain yet.
Is Noah Fant Playing Tonight?
Fant seems to be a true question mark as far as his availability for playing on Monday Night Football.
The veteran tight end was officially listed as questionable on the Saints’ final injury report of the week, which came out on Saturday.
Fant was listed as a limited participant in all three days of practice denoted on the report.
The fact that he was on the field every day seems to bode well for Fant, but the fact that he never got up to full participation could cause the Saints to be cautious.
Fant is dealing with an abdominal injury. It’s not clear exactly when it may have happened, but it seems to have existed from the beginning of the practice week, because Fant’s injury report status never changed.
The Saints have to release the inactive report 90 minutes before kickoff on Monday night. There may be no further clarity until then on Fant’s status.
Saints TE Depth Chart
The Saints have a relatively deep group of tight ends, a position that is growing in popularity around the league as teams go to more 2-TE and even 3-TE formations.
Fant has been New Orleans’ TE2 in the early going, although that often means he shares the field with the first-string tight end, Juwan Johnson.
Johnson’s role shouldn’t change much if Fant ends up being ruled out. It could mean an additional target or two, but Johnson gets thrown to a bunch already anyway.
If Fant is out, his spot goes to one of two players: Oscar Delp or Treyton Welch.
Delp has the better pedigree and is a promising rookie. It would make the most sense for him to get a real chance at claiming some playing time if Fant is out.
Even if Fant plays, there’s no telling if he’s fully available. The Saints might have to go deep into their TE depth chart to effectively handle Monday’s matchup with the Falcons.
Is Noah Fant Playing Tonight? Saints TE Injury Status Impacts Depth Chart