RB Alvin Kamara - New Orleans Saints

5-10, 214

Born: 7-25-1995

College: Tennessee

Drafted: Round 3, pick 2017

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Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea, US Presswire

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Week 14: vs San Francisco 49ers

All RB vs SF

FBG says: Good matchup. The Saints ground attack has been the league's gold standard for the better part of two years, but has struggled a bit of late. They sit just 17th in raw yardage and 13th per attempt, with just 7 rushing touchdowns on the season. Alvin Kamara remains a shifty, dynamic runner, and one of football's most dangerous weapons in open space. But it appears his rushing volume has officially been scaled back. Kamara took on 72% of running back carries before his Week 6 injury, but has dipped to 59% since returning. His efficiency has gone up in the decreased role, though, with 5.5 yards per carry over the past 4 games. But he hasn't topped 75 yards since Week 1, and he hasn't found the end zone since Week 3. This attack has fully shifted back into the two-back mold of the past few years, with Latavius Murray running serviceably in the old Mark Ingram role. He doesn't produce enough for fantasy consideration, but siphons enough work to ding Kamara's upside. For all of their pass-game dominance, the San Francisco defense has struggled for most of 2019 against the run. Through 12 games, they sit 25th league-wide in yardage allowed per rush (4.7) and 22nd per game (117). That said, they've shown noticeable improvement over their past three games. There's no shame in allowing a big day to Lamar Jackson, but they've done a fine job of containing Mark Ingram (15 carries for 59 yards), Aaron Jones (13 for 38), and Kenyan Drake (16 for 67) over that span. Perhaps the biggest factor has been top linebacker Fred Warner, whose play has trended upward after a rough start to the season. There are still plenty of liabilities, though. Rookie Dre Greenlaw has been inconsistent next to Warner, and the cornerback-heavy secondary provides little help in the box. Last week, Jackson was able to use his instinct and suddenness to create room against the 49ers' light front seven. It's safe to assume Alvin Kamara, who's similarly tough to track in the open field, has taken notes.

Recent Stats and Projections

WEEK	OPP		oSNAP	RSH	YD	TD	TARG	REC	YD	TD	FumL	Pts
10	vs ATL		54	4	24	0	10	8.0	50	0	0	7.4
11	at TB		43	13	75	0	10	10.0	47	0	0	11.2
12	vs CAR		44	11	54	0	9	9.0	48	0	0	10.2
13	at ATL		41	11	61	0	8	4.0	23	0	0	8.4
14	vs SF	PROJ-Dodds	*	13	*	*		6.8	*	*	*	*
14	vs SF	PROJ-Tremblay	*	13	*	*		7.8	*	*	*	*
14	vs SF	PROJ-Bloom	*	11	*	*		6.0	*	*	*	*

Weekly Performance vs RB 1, RB 12, RB 24, RB 36

Percentile ranks

Alvin Kamara's percentile rank in each category, among RB with more than 50 fantasy points.

Recent Game Summaries

2019 Week 13 vs ATL (11 / 61 / 0 rush, 8 / 4 / 23 / 0 rec)

We finally saw some of the speed and elusiveness from Kamara that has been missing in recent weeks. He carried the brunt of the workload on the ground this week with 11 of the 18 total carries for the Saints this week. He also added 4 catches on 8 targets this week and was the third leading receiver for the Saints. The 4 for 8 is a bit surprising as he has been sure handed for most of the season. He had 1 drop where Brees led him a but far up the seam, but Kamara had a step on Deon Jones in coverage and the ball hit him in the hands. He would have run for a very long time if he had made the catch as there were no defenders anywhere in front of him. The majority of Kamara's rushing yards came on a single carry where he burst through the middle for 24 yards. He made one cut at the second level and ran through a poor tackle attempt from Damontae Kazee. It was still not one of the special games we have come to expect from Kamara, but he has been trending in the right direction in recent weeks. The idea of Kamara losing more carries to Latavius Murray went out the window this week after Murray struggled and did not average a yard per carry this week.

2019 Week 12 vs CAR (11 / 54 / 0 rush, 9 / 9 / 48 / 0 rec)

There still seems to be something missing with Kamara. He does not have the same burst of speed and does not look like the special player he was a year ago. He was given 11 carries to just 7 for Murray and outside of a long 30-yard run he was ineffective again this week. His 30-yard run helped setup a Michael Thomas touchdown, but he then averaged just 2.4 yards per carry on his other 10 carries. His value continues to come as a receiver after he caught all 9 of his targets and was the third leading receiver on the team. Kamara's longest catch was a 16-yard catch and run down the side line that accounted for a third of his yards. He still has just a single touchdown this season and has watched Murray find success in the same situations he is not. Kamara could very well still be dealing with his ankle injury and the Saints could ease him back once they have locked up the division in order to keep him healthy for the playoffs. The rushing attack had a great game combined this week but most of that came from Murray and a single long run by Kamara.

2019 Week 11 vs TB (13 / 75 / 0 rush, 10 / 10 / 47 / 0 rec)

This was always going to be a tough matchup for the running game with Tampa playing so well against the run. Their pass defense was also so horrible that there was really no point in trying to force anything on the ground. Kamara seemed to get back on track this week as he averaged 5.8 yards per carry on 13 carries. This was 3 more than Latavius Murray who has carved a much bigger role in the rushing attack than the beginning of the season. Kamara's longest run went for 14 yards, but he has still not found the end zone since week 3 against Seattle. Kamara's value this week came in the passing game where he was the second leading receiver on the team and caught all 10 of his targets. His longest catch was a dump off that went for 17 yards down the sideline. The Saints have always been thin at receiver behind Thomas and Ginn and Kamara often lines up out wide and runs routes as a receiver to try and fill that void. It has been a long time since he has found the end zone and that may prove tough again next week against a stout Carolina defense.

2019 Week 10 vs ATL (4 / 24 / 0 rush, 10 / 8 / 50 / 0 rec)

Coming off the Bye week, Kamara was said to be healthy and ready for his normal work load. Murray had worked hard in his absence and was due a few more carries, but no one expected Kamara to only have 4 carries this week. He produced with those carries and averaged 6 yards per carry, but the Saints seemed to abandon the run early. As a team they only ran the ball 11 times for 52 yards and tried to do everything through the air. Kamara caught 8 of his 10 targets for 50 yards with the longest catch going for 14. This was not the game that most expected after sitting out several weeks with an ankle injury and coming in fresh off a Bye. The duo of Kamara and Murray only rushed the ball 9 times and that does not make for a very balanced offense. The Buccaneers have a surprisingly stout rush defense but look for the Saints to try and establish the run next week and put forward a more balanced offense.

2019 Week 6 vs JAX (11 / 31 / 0 rush, 8 / 7 / 35 / 0 rec)

It was a tough week for Kamara on the ground. Teams are stacking the box and making Bridgewater try and beat them through the air. They have been able to contain Kamara the last 2 weeks, but the Saints have come away with a win both times. Kamara had fewer rushing yards than Latavius Murray for the first time this season and averaged just 2.8 yards per carry. His longest run went for 7 yards and he put the ball on the ground once and was able to recover his own fumble. Kamara saw 8 targets in the passing game and caught 7 of them for 35 yards. His longest catch went for 14 yards but his receiving total matched Murray when Kamara had 4 more catches. The Saints have been pushing him with a very heavy workload this year and it appears that he is starting to slow down a little. The success for Murray this week could lead to fewer touches but Kamara is still the main guy in New Orleans. He is due for one of his breakout games in the near future, but it will be tough to do so against the Bears next week.

2019 Week 5 vs TB (16 / 62 / 0 rush, 7 / 6 / 42 / 0 rec)

It was not the normal day we are accustomed to seeing from Kamara, but he did still have 100 total yards of offense this week. Tampa Bay did a great job tackling and bottled up Kamara around the line of scrimmage on almost every run. He broke free once for 16 yards but ended the day with an average of just 3.9 yards per carry. He chipped in 6 receptions on 7 targets and wishes he could have back the one he did not catch. Kamara had what should have been an easy catch up the seam, but he bobbled the ball as he tried to pull it in, and it was taken out of the air by the defender. The ball was thrown low and out in front of him so he could turn up the field and run and he just did not secure it properly. The Saints dug into their bag of tricks with Kamara as well and dialed up a half back pass play. Kamara completed a 13-yard pass to Josh Hill on a 3rd and 1 play. Kamara led Hill a little too much and Hill had to slide and make the catch, otherwise he could have run for much longer. It was an easy first down that could have been an even bigger play with a better throw. Kamara saw carries go to Latavius Murray this week, but he is still the clear top option in that backfield.

2019 Week 4 vs DAL (17 / 69 / 0 rush, 3 / 3 / 20 / 0 rec)

It was not a great week for Kamara as he failed to surpass 100 total yards this week. The Saints offense was out of sync and there were no explosive of big plays from anyone. Kamara had a long run of 13 yards on the ground and saw the ball spread around the offense more than in recent weeks. He carried the ball 17 times and other players had 10 carries. Taysom Hill had the longest run on the ground from the wild cat, and Kamara's never got a chance down around the goal line to punch in a touchdown. He caught all 3 of his targets this week but was covered by Dallas very well. Michael Thomas, Josh Hill, Jared Cook, and Ted Ginn all saw more targets in the passing game this week and the Saints did not utilize one of their best weapons out of the back field. Kamara has a great matchup next week against a Tampa Bay defense that gave up multiple touchdown to Todd Gurley and this week's game will be a distant memory.

2019 Week 3 vs SEA (16 / 69 / 1 rush, 10 / 9 / 92 / 1 rec)

It would have been a very long day for the Saints had it not been for Kamara and their defense and special teams. Kamara had 16 rushed and 9 receptions for a combined 161 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was the only rusher to have more than 3 carries and was used to grind down the clock in the second half. Kamara�s first touchdown came through the air on a 29-yard screen play. He followed his blockers into the second level, made a cut to the outside, stiff armed a defender, and sprinted to the end zone for the first offensive touchdown for the Saints this week. He added a 1-yard touchdown run off tackle late in the 2nd half to put the Saints up 33-14. New Orleans went for 2 on the play and failed, but it proved to be all the cushion they needed to sustain 2 late touchdowns from Seattle. Kamara averaged 4.1 yards per carry and had a single long run of 16 yards on the ground this week. His 10 targets and 9 receptions for 92 yards led the team in all receiving yards, including longest pass play with his 29-yard reception. Kamara was a big reason why the Saints won this week and they will continue to lean on him while Brees is out to try and stay in the playoff hunt.

2019 Week 2 vs LAR (13 / 45 / 0 rush, 3 / 1 / 15 / 0 rec)

It is not often that we see Kamara held to under 50 yards rushing or a single reception for 15 yards, but that is exactly what happened this week. When Brees went down, the offense should have gone through Kamara, but the line could not block anyone this week and the Saints were playing from behind. Kamara was met by a defender in the back field constantly and the one big pass play he had was brought back because of a holding penalty. His longest run of the game was a 12-yard burst off the right side and accounted for almost � of his total yards for the game. The Saints offense is going to have to play much better next week against Seattle if they want to get a win and the offense is going to have to go through Kamara if Brees is out for any period of time.

2019 Week 1 vs HOU (13 / 97 / 0 rush, 8 / 7 / 72 / 0 rec)

It looked like it was going to be a quiet first game for the star running back until he turned it on in the second half. Kamara did most of his damage through the air this week as the Saints routinely exploited the mismatch any time Kamara had a linebacker in coverage. The speedy back ripped off a 41-yard reception where he caught the ball across the middle and turned it up the seam for a big play. He also had a 28-yard rush where he bounced off several would be tacklers and sprinted towards the end zone. Kamara fumbled the ball on this same play and it was recovered by Jared Cook without being advanced. Had the Saints challenged the play they would have seen it was not a fumble, but no flag was thrown. Kamara was held out of the end zone this week but still managed almost 170 all-purpose yards. He carried the ball more than twice the amount Murray did and was the primary back in passing situations. Kamara will be the work horse this year and Murray does not pose much of a threat outside of being a change of pace back.

Latest News

Saints | Alvin Kamara generates 84 total yards (Fri Nov 29, 12:25 AM) - New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara had 11 carries for 64 yards during the team's Week 13 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Kamara added four receptions for 23 yards; he was targeted eight times.

Our View: Kamara's touchdown upside has dried up, but his volume is keeping him viable, especially in PPR leagues. He'll face a tough 49ers defense next week.
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Saints | Alvin Kamara nets 20 touches (Sun Nov 24, 10:18 PM) - New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara rushed 11 time for 54 yards and caught nine passes for 48 yards in a 34-31 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 12.

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