New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara missed the first three games of the 2023 NFL season due to a suspension stemming from an incident that occurred around the 2022 Pro Bowl. Will Kamara play this week, and how would his return impact the fantasy football landscape?
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Is Alvin Kamara Going To Play Week 4?
It’s been a bit of a struggle for the Saints over the first three weeks of the season. Without Alvin Kamara, they utilized Jamaal Williams in a near-every-down role in Week 1. That was the plan for the Saints while Kamara was serving his suspension.
Unfortunately, Williams suffered a hamstring strain in the first half of Week 2. As a result, they had to ride Tony Jones for the rest of the game, and then he and rookie Kendre Miller split snaps in Week 3. Neither was particularly effective.
Fortunately, help is on the way. Kamara’s three-game suspension is up. He officially returned to the team on Monday, is fully healthy, and will play on Sunday in the Saints’ divisional showdown against the Bucs.
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Coming off the least efficient season of his career, Kamara reinvented himself in the offseason and is ready to rock as he makes his 2023 season debut.
Kamara is always looking for ways to improve and evolve.
He got with his new trainer, fixed a muscle asymmetry in his legs, learned how to control his heart rate to combat fatigue.
His process has worked. And the Saints have the data to prove it.
✍️: https://t.co/QfmVKbjtdj pic.twitter.com/oXxNNFWfJb
— NOF (@nofnetwork) September 26, 2023
Fantasy Impact of Kamara’s Return
The Saints were planning on running a one-two punch of Williams as the grinder and Kamara as the slasher. Obviously, that’s not currently possible with Williams on IR.
Kamara is best utilized by getting him the ball in space. Last season, he handled far too many carries between the tackles. Hopefully, we don’t see too much of that Sunday. However, it may be necessary as the Saints don’t fully trust the rookie Miller yet, and Jones is nowhere near capable of playing at an NFL level.
The grind of the football season is real. But at least for one week, Kamara is fresher than any other player. He is not yet dealing with the nicks and bruises that come from playing football every seven or so days. As a result, look for the Saints to lean on Kamara, especially if QB Derek Carr is forced to miss this week’s contest due to his sprained AC joint in his right shoulder.