This news was expected, but that doesn’t make it any easier to accept. New Orleans Saints wide receiver Deonte Harris lost his appeal against a three-game suspension from the NFL office and will be sidelined for the rest of December. He can return for Week 17’s home game with the Carolina Panthers and the Week 18 regular season finale against the Atlanta Falcons.
So that means the Saints will be without their leading receiver for upcoming contests versus the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (on the road) as well as a prime-time matchup with the visiting Miami Dolphins. Harris has paced the team with 523 receiving yards in 11 games; the next-closest player is wideout Marquez Callaway (with 409). Alvin Kamara (310), Tre’Quan Smith (251), and Adam Trautman (241) are the only other pass-catchers with more than 200 receiving yards on the season, and Trautman is on injured reserve while Kamara has missed a month with a knee injury.
While Harris hasn’t been a consistent nuisance to opposing defenses, averaging just 2.8 receptions per game, he has has been the Saints’ best big-play threat with 21 first down conversions and five catches of 20-plus yards (both top numbers on the team). It’ll be tough to replace his speed on offense as well as his aggressive return skills on special teams. But everyone knew this was coming, and the Saints must have a plan for replacing Harris during this three-game absence.
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