Saints' Alvin Kamara: Gets new running mate in backfield
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Kamara has added competition for carries this coming season after the Saints agreed to a deal Wednesday with free-agent running back Jamaal Williams, ESPN.com reports.
Kamara's overall production stagnated as he dealt with numerous lingering injuries throughout the 2022 campaign, logging 1,387 total yards on 280 touches across 15 regular-season games. However, he still accounted for the vast majority of the Saints' carries at running back, as the team sorely lacked depth in the backfield and across the offense as a whole. The addition of Williams changes the backfield dynamic, with the 224-pound bruiser having come off a productive 2022 campaign in Detroit in which he logged 262 carries for 1,066 yards and a franchise-record and NFL-high 17 touchdowns. The 27-year-old Williams should once again fall into a complementary role in New Orleans while playing behind Kamara. The Saints' No. 1 running back is still set to begin trial July 31 after he was charged with conspiracy to commit battery and substantial bodily harm stemming from a February 2022 incident. Therefore, Kamara's availability for the beginning of the 2023 campaign will likely be up in the air until this case concludes.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Trial set for July 31
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Kamara has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit battery and substantial bodily harm stemming from a February 2022 incident, Michael Baca of NFL.com reports.
The report relays that Kamara's trial is set for July 31, with Patrick Magee of the New Orleans Times-Picayune noting that the timing of the scheduled proceedings could impact the running back's attendance at training camp practice. With regard to Kamara's status for the coming season, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network suggests that in the event that Kamara is found guilty, discipline from the league would likely come in 2023. In 15 games with the Saints during the 2022 campaign, Kamara carried 223 times for 897 yards and two TDs to go along with 57 catches for 490 yards and a pair of receiving scores.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Season high rushing yards Week 18
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Kamara posted 23 carries for 107 yards and gathered in one of two targets for three yards during Sunday's 10-7 defeat to Carolina.
Kamara closed out his 2022 campaign with his second 100-yard rushing game of the season. He also matched his season high for rushing attempts, and he finished with three games of 20 or more carries over the final four weeks of the regular season. Over 15 contests, Kamara recorded 223 carries for 897 yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with 57 receptions (on 77 targets) for 490 yards and two receiving touchdowns. While he didn't come close to matching his usual standard as a scorer, the 27-year-old running back still accumulated over 1,300 total yards for the sixth time in as many seasons. Kamara also started the 2022 campaign hampered by a rib injury, though he still handled 280 touches. These are both encouraging signs for his status as one of the top fantasy running backs heading into the 2023 campaign.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Loses work to Hill
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Kamara rushed the ball 16 times for 74 yards in Sunday's 20-10 win over the Eagles. He added one reception for seven yards.
Despite positive game script, Kamara saw a downtick in involvement as Taysom Hill racked up 14 rushing attempts. Kamara's loss of usage was further underscored by his continued lack of involvement as a receiver, and he has now failed to record more than two receptions in four consecutive games. Positively, Kamara was efficient with his opportunity on the ground by averaging 4.6 yards per carry, highlighted by gains of 15 and 12 yards. He now has at least 80 total yards in three consecutive games.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Possible Bust (Lineup Decisions)
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Your only saving grace if you start Kamara is that he finds his way to over 15 touches in a game that may end up being closer than people think. In nine games this season with at least 15 touches, Kamara has delivered 12 or more PPR points seven times. That's a pretty safe floor, but I wouldn't expect too much more than that in this situation. At least his O-line is (relatively) healthy. I'd still start Kamara over Brian Robinson, D'Onta Foreman and JK Dobbins, but they're all pretty close. Rookie Tyler Allgeier has more upside, as do Cam Akers and A.J. Dillon.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Ready for Sunday
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Kamara (personal/quadriceps) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's game in Philadelphia, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.
After he didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday due to a combination of a personal matter and a quad issue, Kamara returned to the field Friday and logged a full session. Afterward, coach Dennis Allen relayed to Rod Walker of The Times-Picayune that Kamara "looked good out there today, and he'll be ready to go this weekend." The preceding has come to pass, setting Kamara up to continue leading the Saints backfield Week 17.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Returns to practice
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Kamara (personal/quadriceps) returned to practice Friday, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Kamara was absent Wednesday and Thursday due to a combination of a personal matter and a quad injury. However, coach Dennis Allen put any concerns about his availability for Week 17 to rest Friday, telling Rod Walker of The Times-Picayune that the running back "looked good out there today, and he'll be ready to go this weekend." It's not yet known if Kamara will have a designation for Sunday's game at Philadelphia, but Friday's practice report will reveal as much.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Remains absent from practice
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Kamara (quadriceps/personal) wasn't spotted at Thursday's practice, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.
It's unclear whether the quad issue or the personal matter is what's preventing Kamara from taking the field Thursday, as it was the latter concern that kept him away from the New Orleans facility entirely Wednesday. Whatever the case, he'll be listed as a non-participant for the second practice in a row, making Friday's session an all-important one in deciding his status for Sunday's game in Philadelphia. If Kamara isn't cleared to play this weekend, the Saints would be left with David Johnson and Eno Benjamin as their available running backs, though the jack-of-all-trades Taysom Hill is likely to factor into the equation in some capacity regardless of whether Kamara is available or not.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Sits out first Week 17 practice
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Kamara didn't practice Wednesday due to personal reasons and a quadricep injury.
Saints head coach Dennis Allen said earlier Wednesday that Kamara was a non-participant due to a "personal issue," according to Erin Summers of the Saints' official site. However, the team also listed Kamara with a health concern, so his status will be one to monitor as the week continues. Fortunately for Kamara, he'll have chances to log some drills Thursday and/or Friday before New Orleans potentially hands him a designation for Sunday's contest at Philadelphia.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Reaches milestone in win
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Kamara tallied 20 carries for 76 yards and one touchdown and hauled in two of four targets for 34 yards during Saturday's 17-10 win over the Browns.
Kamara carried the Saints' option rushing attack with versatile quarterback Taysom Hill for the second week in a row. The running back's production benefited from Saturday's blustery weather conditions along with a depleted New Orleans receiving corps, as the team attempted just 15 passes compared to 39 total rushes. Kamara also posted the final touchdown of the game with a four-yard carry late in the third quarter. This score marked the sixth-year back's 72nd touchdown of his career, tying him with wide receiver Marques Colston for the most career touchdowns in Saints history. Kamara has now posted 20 carries in back-to-back weeks for the first time this season, and his added value in the receiving game should ensure him plenty of touches over the final two regular-season games.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Could be headed for heavy usage
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New Orleans could lean more heavily on the Kamara-led ground attack in Saturday's game against the Browns due to a forecast in Cleveland that includes frigid temperatures and sustained winds of almost 30 miles per hour, John DeShazier of the Saints' official site reports.
With 32 pass attempts per game, the Saints have already ranked in the bottom half of the league this season, but the poor weather and the absence of two key receivers in Chris Olave (hamstring) and Jarvis Landry (ankle) could prompt New Orleans to skew even more run-heavy than usual. Moreover, the Browns defense has proven to be more vulnerable against the run, as the unit surrenders 133.1 rushing yards per game, tied for the eighth-worst mark in the league. Coming off a 21-carry, 91-yard effort in the Week 15 win over the Falcons, Kamara should be busy again Saturday, as should Taysom Hill. Though he's listed as a tight end, Hill essentially served as the primary backup to Kamara last week, as he carried seven times for 30 yards in addition to throwing for 80 yards and a touchdown on two pass attempts.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Contrarian DFS Play
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Kamara has not been particularly good lately and this game is threatening to set a record for the lowest over/under in history, but he might also get 30 touches in terrible weather against an awful run defense. If you wanted to face McCaffrey and Henry for a guy below five percent roster rate, Kamara is the choice.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Tops 100 total yards in win
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Kamara posted 21 carries for 91 yards and caught both of his targets for 13 yards during Sunday's 21-18 win over the Falcons.
Kamara looked like his old self coming off the Saints' Week 14 bye. The 27-year-old accumulated more than 100 total yards for the first time in his last six games, as he posted his third-most touches of the season. With Mark Ingram (knee) set to miss the remainder of the season on IR, Kamara easily paced New Orleans in rushing attempts ahead of swiss-army-knife Taysom Hill (seven) and new No. 2 back David Johnson (four). While Kamara was kept out of the end zone for the sixth straight game, this significant uptick in usage is an encouraging sign for his production moving heading into Week 16's matchup against Cleveland's porous rush defense, which has allowed 5.0 yards per carry this season.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: RBs to Start
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It's been a rough year for Kamara to the point where we can actually talk about him in this column. He's no longer an automatic start since he has scored nine PPR points or less in four of his past five games and hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 8. But coming off his bye in Week 14, he should hopefully close the season on a high note, starting with the Falcons this week. The Falcons have allowed a running back to score at least 18 PPR points in six of their past seven games, and Kamara won't have to compete with Mark Ingram (knee) for touches since he's out. It sets up for Kamara to hopefully reward Fantasy managers, and I like him as a No. 1 running back in all leagues once again.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Stifled in Week 13 loss
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Kamara tallied 12 carries for 26 yards and caught two of three targets for 11 yards during Monday's 17-16 defeat versus the Buccaneers.
Kamara continued to underperform expectations, averaging less than four yards per carry for the sixth game in a row. While the five-time Pro Bowler was limited by three of the league's best rushing defenses in his previous three outings, he did not manage to break a run longer than five yards against a Buccaneers defense that allowed 4.6 yards per carry coming into Week 13. Kamara also posted his worst receiving stat line of the season despite quarterback Andy Dalton's solid performance Monday night. The running back has been forced to operate behind a banged-up offensive line recently, and this unit should have some time to recover during New Orleans' upcoming Week 14 bye.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: No listing Thursday
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Kamara (undisclosed) wasn't listed on Thursday's injury report.
Kamara's last snap in this past Sunday's loss at San Francisco was a lost fumble at the goal line, which resulted in the running back visiting the sideline tent and continuing to don pads in the waning minutes of the contest. No injury was reported at the time or in its aftermath, and now he's avoided the Saints' initial practice report of Week 13. Kamara thus is in line to remain the team's primary backfield option Monday in Tampa Bay, especially with Mark Ingram (foot, limited Thursday) dealing with a new health concern.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Possible Bust (Lineup Decisions)
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Kamara has been saved by his work in the passing game, but even that's not as strong as it once was. It would make so much sense for the Saints to lean on Kamara as a check-down option against the Bucs' zone-heavy defense, but they've faced matchups like that before this season (including against the Bucs in Week 2!) and they haven't done it. Sitting Kamara takes some guts but if you've got capable backs with 15-touch potential like Rachaad White and Ezekiel Elliott, you can do it. There's more upside in using Christian Watson or Zay Jones in PPR as flexes than Kamara, too.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Coughs up ball twice
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Kamara was limited to 13 rushing yards on seven carries and 37 receiving yards on six receptions (seven targets) in Sunday's 13-0 loss to the 49ers. He also lost two fumbles.
Kamara coughed up the ball on the Saints' first and last offensive drives, effectively hamstringing the offense in a winnable contest. The latter fumble was especially tough to swallow for fantasy owners, as the ball was punched out at the goal line as the back was fighting for a potential touchdown. To add insult to injury for Kamara's fantasy managers, the star player was seen being treated in the medical tent following the aforementioned play, John Hendrix of SI.com reports. The 27-year-old remained in pads and returned to the sidelines for the final couple minutes of garbage time. It wouldn't be surprising to see Kamara pop up on the injury report this week ahead of next Monday's tilt against the Buccaneers.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: No injury designation
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Kamara (illness) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at San Francisco.
The Saints listed Kamara as a full participant Friday after he missed practice Thursday, though multiple reporters said the running back left Friday's session early. Regardless, head coach Dennis Allen doesn't expect the illness to affect Kamara on Sunday, with the Saints apparently confident enough to leave their lead runner off the final injury report. Meanwhile, top backup Mark Ingram, who missed the past three games with a knee injury, is listed as questionable.
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Saints' Alvin Kamara: Solid performance in win
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Kamara notched 12 carries for 42 yards and reeled in four of five targets for 47 yards during Sunday's 27-20 win over the Rams.
Kamara bounced back following two of his worst outings of the season. While his rushing average remained below 3.6 yards per carry for the fourth straight game, Kamara recorded double-digit carries for the first time since his three-touchdown performance against the Raiders in Week 8. The versatile back also tied tight end Juwan Johnson as the Saints' second-leading receiver behind wideout Chris Olave, as quarterback Andy Dalton had a resurgent passing performance against the Rams. Kamara will look to notch just his fourth touchdown of the season next week against San Francisco.
