Olave appears set to serve as the Saints' top wideout for the rest of the season after head coach Dennis Allen announced Thursday that Michael Thomas (toe) was set to undergo surgery and unlikely to play again in 2022, John Sigler of USA Today reports.
Thomas is heading to injured reserve on account of a dislocated second toe on his right foot, an injury that has prevented the three-time Pro Bowler from playing since Week 3. With Allen noting that the Saints aren't counting on Thomas to return before season's end, Olave should remain locked in for high target counts throughout the second half of the campaign. In the four games in which he's played that Thomas has missed -- the rookie sat out Week 6 with a concussion -- Olave has averaged five receptions for 69.8 yards on 8.5 targets per contest. Jarvis Landry (ankle) has also sat out three of those games and could siphon some looks away from Olave once he returns, but there should be enough targets to go around to keep both wideouts highly involved.