If you were surprised in the least by the thunderbolts of production hurled by Marquez Valdes-Scantling during the New Orleans Saints' current two-game winning streak, well, that's on you.
The seventh-year receiver isn't new to this – "this" being receptions of 40 (touchdown), 67, 2 (touchdown), 71 (touchdown) and 16 yards in victories over Atlanta and Cleveland.
The Saints (4-7) face the Rams (5-6) 3:05 p.m. Sunday in the Caesars Superdome, with Valdez-Scantling, a free agent who signed Oct. 22, poised to make his fourth consecutive start for New Orleans.
MVS averaged 17.5 yards per catch in 59 games over four seasons with Green Bay – including a league-leading 20.9 in 2020 – and 15.9 yards per catch on 63 catches in two seasons with Kansas City.
And in those seasons, he had receptions of 78, 75, 74, 71, 60, 57 and 46 yards.
"I've been doing it my whole career, so it's not like a fluke," Valdes-Scantling said. "I've led the league in yards per catch, I've done all these big plays year in and year out.
"It's not a fluke, I've been doing it for the seven years that I've been around. I've been known as a big-play receiver and I think I'm averaging somewhere around 16, 17 yards a catch. It's not an anomaly."
Officially, for his career it's 17.4 yards per catch and as a Saint – including his 5-yard catch in his first start, against Carolina – it's 33.5 yards and three touchdowns on six catches.
Valdes-Scantling played six games with Buffalo earlier this season and caught two passes for 26 yards before he was released.
"I know just as well as he probably does, some situations are better than others for each player," Saints quarterback Derek Carr said. "Each player doesn't fit every scheme or every organization. But I think he's found a place where he fits – here.
"I don't know what happened, I just know that we got a really good one. I know that he's really smart, so he was able to pick up our offense. He's run some similar routes; that kind of stuff helps him play faster. He's experienced on top of that."
He's exactly what the Saints needed after receivers Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave went down with injuries.
Shaheed (meniscus surgery) is out for the season and Olave (concussion) very well could be; Shaheed was injured Oct. 13 and Olave suffered his second concussion this year, and fourth in three NFL seasons, on Nov. 3.
"I wouldn't say I'm a perfect fit," Valdes-Scantling said. "Sometimes God puts you in positions to succeed. I think everything happens for a reason, and I think it was just the right time and the right place.
"It's a similar offense to what I ran when I was in Green Bay, which was my first four years. It's a pretty similar offense, but I take pride in just being a smart receiver and being able to come in and learn fast.
"I take a lot of time and effort, and coaches have helped me out to get up to speed and I just try to get in as fast as I could. Obviously, some injuries kind of accelerated that. You don't want to see anybody go down, but those things happen in football. You've got to be ready to go, I was the next guy in line."
The "next" guy has been "the" guy among Saints receivers the last two games. He beat Atlanta's secondary deep twice and scored his 71-yarder against Cleveland on a catch-and-run.
"If the ball comes my way, then I'm going to go make a play," he said. "That's always the goal. Derek is feeling comfortable enough to give me some shots and the coaching staff is trusting me enough to get out there and play in my short time here, and I've been just trying to make any play that I could."
Quickly, he established an understanding with Carr.
"Derek can throw the ball to anybody, and I love that about him," Valdes-Scantling said. "I love that he doesn't have to have a, this is my favorite receiver so I'm going to throw him the ball.
"It's like, 'If you're in there and I like the matchup, I'm going to give you a shot.' I love that about him."
