Week 5 at Washington
With Tony Jones Jr. suffering an ankle injury that will sideline him for a few weeks, this is almost100 percent Alvin Kamara's backfield for the time being. He saw 26 carries in the overtime loss against the Giants for 120 yards. He did lose out on a couple of rushing touchdowns to Taysom Hill, but that isn't too much to worry about for Kamara. Really, Hill is taking those touchdowns from Jameis Winston, almost canceling out the quarterbacks for fantasy purposes. Kamara is our No. 2 RB this week against a middle-of-the-road Washington rush defense.
Week 4 vs Giants
Alvin Kamara got back on track in Week 3, seeing 24 carries on the ground and 27 touches for 118 total yards and a touchdown against the Patriots. This week, he gets the Giants and fantasy owners would love a repeat of his performance against the Giants in 2018, rushing for 134 yards and three touchdowns. The Giants are also allowing 4.6 yards per carry this season. Kamara may be in for another strong day and is our No. 3 RB for Week 4.
Week 3 at Patriots
Carolina swarmed Alvin Kamara to the tune of a whopping five rushing yards on eight carries and 30 total yards on 12 touches. That won't happen every week. Carolina is blossoming into a very good defense. Kamara is still the best option on the Saints offense, especially with the receivers not stepping up as we had hoped, so this offense runs through Kamara, making him a weekly RB1 option, even after this dud of a game. He saw the most targets in Week 2, a trend that will likely continue. He'll bounce back.
Week 2 at Panthers
Twenty-three touches for Alvin Kamara in Week 1. He is still the king in his backfield, while Tony Jones Jr. has assumed the Latavius Murray role. New Orleans didn't throw the ball a ton in Week 1, but Kamara still saw the second-most targets with four. Carolina did well against the run in Week 1, holding the Jets to just 45 yards on 17 carries. But this is a much tougher rushing attack Carolina will face in Week 2. Kamara likely finds the end zone again this week.
Week 1 vs Packers
There has been love for Tony Jones, who is now the backup in New Orleans after the release of Latavius Murray. But as long as Alvin Kamara is healthy, this is still his backfield, as we currently have him No. 3 in our half-PPR rankings. Jones will assume the Murray role from 2020, which saw Murray average about 10 touches in games where Kamara was healthy and active. Still, Kamara is the alpha male in this offense, especially with a new quarterback and no Michael Thomas.
Fantasy Upside
Remember when Alvin Kamara barely found the end zone in 2019? He more than made up for it in 2020 with 21 total touchdowns, including his Christmas present of six rushing touchdowns against the Vikings. And coming off an 83-catch season, he'll once again be one of the first backs off the board in 2021 in fantasy drafts, especially as arguably the top option with Michael Thomas expected to miss a few weeks to begin the season.
Fantasy Downside
You may have heard that Drew Brees retired this offseason. Brees and Kamara had one of the tightest connections among any QB/RB combo in the NFL. As our John Paulsen notes: "In the eight games that Brees missed, Kamara’s fantasy production dropped by 26.6% (half-PPR) primarily due to a drop in rushing touchdowns and receiving numbers." And with the way Taysom Hill carried the ball when he started, it's fair to believe Kamara would have much more fantasy success if Jameis Winston wins the starting role in New Orleans. Also, don't forget, Latavius Murray is still floating around and it's very possible he sees more work due to the quarterback situation.
2021 Bottom Line
Kamara is still a top fantasy option just by his play on the field. But it is going to be very interesting to see how Sean Payton utilizes the running game, both just with Kamara and how often Murray rotates. We also can't rule out Taysom Hill stealing snaps and maybe even red-zone attempts. All in all, Kamara is still a top-five back and is still being drafted in the top five of drafts.
Week 17 vs Panthers
If you had Alvin Kamara, Merry Christmas. Kamara did something we hadn't seen in over 90 years on Christmas, rushing for six touchdowns and very well could have had seven. While we're certainly not expecting six touchdowns again, he should get a score or two against the Panthers' run defense, something he didn't do in the first meeting, though he did have 148 total yards. If you're playing in Week 17, Kamara will help you ring in 2021 with a fantasy title.
Update: Kamara will not play on Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19.
Week 16 vs Vikings
Kamara registered 94 total yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs, bringing him to 80 catches for the season. He's fully healthy again and ready to see plenty of targets from Drew Brees now that Michael Thomas is out until the playoffs. Minnesota also just got shredded by David Montgomery to the tune of 146 yards on the ground. Kamara should be the driving force behind the Saints hoping to finally clinch the NFC South as well his fantasy owners looking for a fantasy championship this week.
Week 15 vs Chiefs
There's the Alvin Kamara we know and love. Seven catches last week against the Eagles and almost 100 total yards and a touchdown. Kamara is on a run of seven touchdowns in his last six games, and only one game all season failing to score 10 fantasy points. He's a top-10 option for Week 15.
Week 14 vs Eagles
Kamara may still not be active in the passing game anymore, but he took back the lead role running the football last week with 15 carries to Latavius Murray's five. Kamara's explosiveness looks back and just in time for a matchup with the 25th-ranked rush defense in Philadelphia. Kamara is back as a top-ten option this week. Just in time for the playoffs.
