The New Orleans Saints enter Week 18 on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff race and not really controlling their own destiny.
New Orleans has to beat the Atlanta Falcons in Week 18 and then would need the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to lose to the Carolina Panthers to win the division. To win this game, the Saints are going to need all hands on deck. However, they could be without their star running back, Alvin Kamara, who left the Week 17 game against the Buccaneers with an injury.
What’s the latest on Kamara and his fantasy football standing?
Latest Injury Update on Alvin Kamara
Kamara left the game against the Buccaneers because of a sprained ankle. He was heavily involved in the first quarter, as he rushed the ball 10 times for 45 yards to open the game.
Unfortunately, Kamara got hurt at the end of the first quarter, and he wasn’t able to come back in the rest of the game.
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After the game, coach Dennis Allen had this to say about his running back.
“He sprained his ankle, I think it was on the sideline right before the end of the half when he got tackled on their sideline over there,” Allen said after his team’s victory. “Kind of came in, got it looked at, came out after the half to try to test it out, and just didn’t feel like he was going to be able to be functional enough to help us win.”
Will Kamara Play This Week?
It’s still too early to know if Kamara is going to be able to play, but you can imagine the Saints are going to try and do whatever they can to get him ready to play. The team doesn’t currently know yet if it’s a high ankle sprain.
This feels like this is going to be a day-to-day type of injury and one of those where we may not know until just hours before the game.
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Keep an eye on the injury report here early in the week, as that could be a good sign of where he is health-wise. Kamara could also rest the entire week, and then still play on Sunday.
Heading through the week, you may want to plan as if he isn’t going to be playing this week and have a backup plan in place from a fantasy standpoint.
What Does This Mean for Kamara’s Fantasy Ranking?
Obviously, the Saints have shown they’re going to give Kamara the ball a lot if he’s healthy. He has a game with 13 catches on the season. The Saints don’t have a ton of playmakers on the offense, so he’s a big part of the game plan.
When Kamara left last week’s game, Jamaal Williams got the ball for the Saints plenty. He finished the game with 19 carries for 58 yards, and will figure to be the go-to RB if Kamara is out.
Once again, this is one that you are going to have to follow throughout the week to know what the Saints are going to do.
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