The New Orleans Saints will face the Green Bay Packers in Week 16. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Alvin Kamara.
Is Alvin Kamara Playing in Week 16?
Updated at 6:45 PM ET on Monday, December 23
Kamara is inactive for tonight's game.
Kamara picked up a groin injury in last week’s game and did not return. Unsurprisingly, he did not practice on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. He has been ruled out for Monday’s game.
The Saints have three games left in the season. There’s a very strong chance that the next time we see Kamara play football is in September 2025.
We’ll continue to monitor the Saints’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Alvin Kamara’s Fantasy Outlook
Kamara made one of the better touchdown catches you’ll see from a running back last week and became the fourth player in NFL history with 50+ rushing TDs and 25+ receiving TDs in his career (Lenny Moore, Marshall Faulk, and Christian McCaffrey).
The versatility and production have been special this season when you consider the numerous moving pieces. Unfortunately, he’s dealing with a groin injury that could very well be a problem this week.
The Saints are taking a cautious approach early in the week, and I’d expect that to be the case in the short term. If he suits up, I’m likely to read that as New Orleans is fully sold on its RB1’s health and, thus, starting him. For the record, I have him on my bench right now and am operating under the assumption that I will not have him at my disposal.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 16 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Alvin Kamara’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 16
Kamara is projected to score 0 points in Week 16.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Packers' Defense
The Packers parted ways with Joe Barry last offseason after three straight league-average seasons. Jeff Hafley looked like he was delivering similar results in his first season as defensive coordinator, but a recent surge has the Packers knocking on the door of the top 10.
Green Bay delivered a season-best 89.7 (B+) Defense+ grade in the Sunday night win over Seatle. The Packers were the second-highest-graded defense of Week 15 (Broncos).
The key was the pass rush abusing an overmatched Seahawks offensive line. Both Geno Smith and Sam Howell suffered to the tune of seven sacks and a 52.4% pressure rate, the Packers' highest this season.
For most of the season, the Packers have been reluctant to blitz (sixth-lowest rate at 18.7%) but have also generated a below-average pressure rate as a result. Sunday night, Green Bay generated a season-high 50% pressure rate without blitzing and third-best of any defense in Week 15.
Two games behind the Vikings and Lions with three weeks left, the Packers are likely headed for a Wild Card spot. Still, if this level of pass rush can travel on the road in the playoffs, Green Bay will have a meaningful chance at a postseason upset.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Alvin Kamara’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 6:05 AM ET on Sunday, December 22. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 16 RB PPR Rankings
1) Bijan Robinson | ATL (vs. NYG)
2) Saquon Barkley | PHI (at WAS)
3) Derrick Henry | BAL (vs. PIT)
4) Josh Jacobs | GB (vs. NO)
5) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (at CHI)
6) Chase Brown | CIN (vs. CLE)
7) De'Von Achane | MIA (vs. SF)
8) James Conner | ARI (at CAR)
9) Kyren Williams | LAR (at NYJ)
10) Joe Mixon | HOU (at KC)
11) Jonathan Taylor | IND (vs. TEN)
12) Chuba Hubbard | CAR (vs. ARI)
13) Rico Dowdle | DAL (vs. TB)
14) Bucky Irving | TB (at DAL)
15) Aaron Jones | MIN (at SEA)
16) James Cook | BUF (vs. NE)
17) Tony Pollard | TEN (at IND)
18) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (vs. PHI)
19) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (at BUF)
20) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. HOU)
21) D'Andre Swift | CHI (vs. DET)
22) Rachaad White | TB (at DAL)
23) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (vs. MIN)
24) Breece Hall | NYJ (vs. LAR)
25) Jerome Ford | CLE (at CIN)
26) Najee Harris | PIT (at BAL)
27) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (at ATL)
28) Tank Bigsby | JAX (at LV)
29) Kendre Miller | NO (at GB)
30) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (at LV)
31) Patrick Taylor Jr. | SF (at MIA)
32) Jaylen Warren | PIT (at BAL)
33) Kimani Vidal | LAC (vs. DEN)
34) Tyjae Spears | TEN (at IND)
35) Javonte Williams | DEN (at LAC)
36) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. HOU)
37) Justice Hill | BAL (vs. PIT)
38) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (vs. NYG)
39) Cam Akers | MIN (at SEA)
40) Braelon Allen | NYJ (vs. LAR)
41) Gus Edwards | LAC (vs. DEN)
42) Isaiah Davis | NYJ (vs. LAR)
43) Raheem Mostert | MIA (vs. SF)
44) Devin Singletary | NYG (at ATL)
45) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (at WAS)
46) Blake Corum | LAR (at NYJ)
47) Alexander Mattison | LV (vs. JAX)
48) Antonio Gibson | NE (at BUF)
49) Ty Johnson | BUF (vs. NE)
50) Roschon Johnson | CHI (vs. DET)
51) Ameer Abdullah | LV (vs. JAX)
52) Israel Abanikanda | SF (at MIA)
53) Will Shipley | PHI (at WAS)
54) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (vs. PHI)
55) Ray Davis | BUF (vs. NE)
56) D'Onta Foreman | CLE (at CIN)
57) Jaylen Wright | MIA (vs. SF)
58) Audric Estimé | DEN (at LAC)
59) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (at BAL)
60) Sean Tucker | TB (at DAL)
61) Kenny McIntosh | SEA (vs. MIN)
62) Kenneth Walker III | SEA (vs. MIN)
63) Ezekiel Elliott | DAL (vs. TB)
64) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (vs. PHI)
65) Emanuel Wilson | GB (vs. NO)
66) Khalil Herbert | CIN (vs. CLE)
67) Chris Brooks | GB (vs. NO)
68) Mike Boone | CAR (vs. ARI)
69) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (at KC)
70) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. HOU)
71) Hunter Luepke | DAL (vs. TB)
72) Dameon Pierce | HOU (at KC)
73) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (at MIA)
74) Jamaal Williams | NO (at GB)
75) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (at CIN)
76) Trey Sermon | IND (vs. TEN)
77) Hassan Haskins | LAC (vs. DEN)
78) Ty Chandler | MIN (at SEA)
79) Tyler Goodson | IND (vs. TEN)
80) Ke'Shawn Vaughn | SF (at MIA)
81) Michael Burton | DEN (at LAC)
82) Eric Gray | NYG (at ATL)
83) Darrynton Evans | BUF (vs. NE)
84) Alec Ingold | MIA (vs. SF)
85) Dylan Laube | LV (vs. JAX)
86) Carson Steele | KC (vs. HOU)
87) C.J. Ham | MIN (at SEA)
88) Keilan Robinson | JAX (at LV)
89) Craig Reynolds | DET (at CHI)
90) Patrick Ricard | BAL (vs. PIT)
91) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (at CAR)
92) George Holani | SEA (vs. MIN)
93) Rasheen Ali | BAL (vs. PIT)
94) Adam Prentice | NO (at GB)
95) Julius Chestnut | TEN (at IND)
96) Travis Homer | CHI (vs. DET)
Saints at Packers Trends and Insights
New Orleans Saints
Team: The Saints, the same team that opened the season by scoring 47 points against the Panthers, have scored 47 points since their Week 12 bye.
QB: New Orleans had the hot start – since Week 3, they rank 24th in yards per pass, 26th in pass touchdown rate, and 30th in completion percentage.
Offense: On Sunday, Alvin Kamara joined Lenny Moore, Marshall Faulk, and Christian McCaffrey as the only players with 25 receiving touchdowns and 50 rush touchdowns.
Defense: Despite posting their fourth-lowest blitz rate of the season on Sunday (13.3%), the Saints recorded their highest sack rate of 2024 (20.5%).
Fantasy: Kamara’s last run gaining more than 30 yards came during his six-touchdown effort against the Vikings on Christmas Day of 2020.
Betting: Unders are 15-1 in New Orleans’ last 16 games played on extended rest, going under by an average of 7.1 points)
Green Bay Packers
Team: As of Tuesday, we are more than 365 days removed from Green Bay’s last regular-season loss in the United States against a non-NFC North team.
QB: Jordan Love was intercepted three times when blitzed in his first three games this season – he’s been picked off on such a pass just twice since.
Offense: On Sunday night, the Packers had four first-half possessions — 15 first downs, 235 yards, and four scoring drives (20 points).
Defense: Matchup-based defense. Over the past three weeks, Green Bay has two sub-10% games (Week 13 vs. Miami and Sunday in Seattle) and a plus-30% game (32.6% in Detroit, easily their highest mark of the season)
Fantasy: Josh Jacobs had nine touches in the first six minutes on Sunday night, tying him for the most such touches in a game during the 2000s (others: Chris Ivory in Week 4, 2014, and Peyton Barber in Week 17, 2017).
Betting: The Packers failed to cover four straight games in the middle of the season (Weeks 7-11) but haven’t failed to cover a game since (3-0-1).