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The New Orleans Saints selected running back Alvin Kamara in the third round of the NFL Draft, and he got some sleeper hype as a talented pass-catching back despite being stuck in a muddled committee in the early part of the year. While Kamara is still splitting time with Mark Ingram, he got a much bigger role after New Orleans traded away Adrian Peterson, and is making the most of his opportunity.
Kamara had one of his best games yet in Week 9, putting up 152 total yards and two touchdowns on 16 touches against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s now up to 37 catches in eight games and is on pace for 1,304 total yards, putting him squarely in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race.
Fantasy impact: Ingram is still around, but Kamara has emerged as a legitimate weapon in the Sains’ offense, getting plenty of volume nearly every week. He’s now in the RB1 conversation in fantasy football and is a must-start every week in PPR leagues.
Look for Kamara to keep rolling against the Buffalo Bills, whose defense got gashed by the New York Jets’ running game last week. Buffalo is allowing the 13th-most fantasy points to running backs, so this isn’t a stay-away matchup by any means. Owners can fire up Kamara in every scoring format for the time being.
Recommendation: Start