Fantasy Football players will have to be wary of drafting a firm fan favorite in New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara this year.
Alvin Kamara has always been a hot commodity for Fantasy Football players, particularly PPR players, who benefit from his use in the checkdown passing game.
The New Orleans Saints star has mostly been in the category of a team’s RB1 in Fantasy Football, rarely finishing outside of that level.
NFL Analysis recently looked at how Saquon Barkley saved the bell cow position and changed Fantasy strategies for many players.
While the following advice wasn’t necessarily directed at Fantasy Football fans, it is something you will want to take note of when looking at the draft boards.
New Orleans Saints will look at managing Alvin Kamara’s snap count, Fantasy Football fans take note
One to take note of for Fantasy Football fans, New Orleans Football founder Nick Underhill believes the Saints and Kamara himself will want to reduce his carries below 200.
Kamara had 228 carries in 14 games last year and has just turned 30 years old. Derrick Henry might be 31, but they are looking to utilize Kamara in a different way than the Baltimore Ravens do with Henry.
Speaking on the NFL Spotlight with Ari Meirov podcast, Underhill said: “Yeah, I think he wants it to go down a little bit. You know, he definitely does not want to see like Saquon Barkley-type carries.
“I think getting him below 200 is really where they want to be. And I think that’s where he needs to be. I think that’s where he would like to be at as well.
“I think he’s been at his best when he’s been around that 170, 180 number since 2020. They’ve kind of leaned on him a lot more. Last year was high for his usage.
“He manages his body probably as well as anybody in the league. I spent time with him last year at his house. Practice ended, he goes home, and he’s on a massage table.
“Legitimately, I thought I was going there for an hour. It was a six-and-a-half-hour thing, and then the next day he did the same thing.
“So like he’s putting so much into staying just ready, young, on top of things that I don’t really see him fading quickly anytime soon.” What he went on to say next about the Saints’ prospects under Kellen Moore is even more important.
Saints will be ‘mindful of where they’re at now’ when utilizing Alvin Kamara, May no longer be Fantasy RB1 level
With the New Orleans Saints’ offense nowhere near a finished product, Underhill believes that Kellen Moore will be wary of how much he uses Kamara next year.
Underhill added: “I would hope that there’s some mindfulness to like where they’re at now, where they’re at next year. I think that you can back off a little bit and just extend that longevity quite a bit.
“He’s just such a good presence for this team. He’s the heart and soul of the organization, honestly. I think they go as he goes. Just keeping him around, keeping him going is really important.
“I just hope they won’t run them into the ground in a season where they’re probably going to win, you know, four or five games.”
The Saints are in for a solid rebuild year, especially considering their uncertainty at QB. Sometimes that can be good for elite running backs’ productivity, but in this case, it might be sensible not to pick him early on.
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