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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
John Sigler, Maddy Hudak, Dylan Sanders and Ross Jackson

Demario Davis leads Saints player power rankings for Week 2

Who are the best players on the New Orleans Saints’ roster? Their performance in Week 1’s dramatic road win over the Atlanta Falcons helped give us an idea about the pecking order, and create an opportunity to highlight those who shined brightest. It’s also a good time to consider who needs to shake back in the games ahead after a rough start to the season.

The biggest risers in our Saints player power rankings were linebacker Pete Werner (+6) as well as wide receiver Michael Thomas (+3) and safety Marcus Maye (+3), while the biggest faller among those returning from Week 1’s ranking was defensive tackle David Onyemata (-6). The Saints defensive line was pushed around a bit on running downs and struggled to pressure Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota, and it appears our panel leveled much of the blame on Onyemata as the most prominent interior lineman.

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But four players who made the cut last week didn’t repeat after the Falcons game: cornerback Bradley Roby (17), defensive back P.J. Williams (22), left tackle James Hurst (24), and right guard Cesar Ruiz (25). They were replaced by newcomers including safety Justin Evans (18), tight ends Taysom Hill (20) and Juwan Johnson (21), and linebacker Kaden Elliss (23). It makes sense given Roby’s issues in pass coverage against a weak Falcons receiving corps and the pressure that Jameis Winston faced early and often.

Let’s dig into the full list going into Week 2:

25
25. RB Mark Ingram II (last week: 23)

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

24
24. S J.T. Gray (last week: 21)

AP Photo/Danny Karnik

23
23. LB Kaden Elliss (last week: N/A)

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

22
22. LG Andrus Peat (last week: 16)

AP Photo/Danny Karnik

21
21. TE Juwan Johnson (last week: N/A)

AP Photo/Matt Ludtke

20
20. TE Taysom Hill (last week: N/A)

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

19
19. P Blake Gillikin (last week: 20)

AP Photo/Danny Karnik

18
18. S Justin Evans (last week: N/A)

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

17
17. DT David Onyemata (last week: 11)

(AP Photo/Danny Karnik

16
16. DE Marcus Davenport (last week: 13)

Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

15
15. CB Paulson Adebo (last week: 12)

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

14
14. WR Chris Olave (last week: 16)

Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

13
13. K Wil Lutz (last week: 15)

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

12
12. LB Pete Werner (last week: 18)

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

11
11. S Marcus Maye (last week: 14)

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

10
19. WR Jarvis Landry (last week: 10)

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

9
9. S Tyrann Mathieu (last week: 7)

AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

8
8. RB Alvin Kamara (last week: 5)

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

7
7. QB Jameis Winston (last week: 9)

AP Photo/Danny Karnik

6
6. DE Cameron Jordan (last week: 4)

AP Photo/Danny Karnik

5
5. WR Michael Thomas (last week: 8)

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

4
4. C Erik McCoy (last week: 6)

AP Photo/Danny Karnik

3
3. CB Marshon Lattimore (last week: 2)

AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

2
2. RT Ryan Ramczyk (last week: 3)

AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

1
1. LB Demario Davis (last week: 1)

AP Photo/Jason Behnken
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