The New Orleans Saints will face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17. 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 17?
Updated at 11:30 AM ET on Sunday, December 29
Kamara is inactive for today's game.
The Saints’ lead running back missed last week’s game with a groin injury. He has not practiced all week and won’t play again. Kendre Miller will lead an uninspiring committee.
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 17 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Alvin Kamara’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 17
Kamara is projected to score 0 points in Week 17.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Raiders' Defense
The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the most talent-poor defenses in the NFL, particularly after the injuries they've suffered. With Maxx Crosby out for the season and Christian Wilkins playing only five games all year, there's not much star power for Antonio Pierce to lean on.
Still, the Raiders are taking advantage of a soft schedule to finish strong for the second straight year. Las Vegas posted a 76.8 (C) grade in Week 16 vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, their second top-10 finish in the last month. They've also ranked in the top half of all defenses in four of the last five weeks.
This is a little reminiscent of last year's strong finish that earned Pierce the full-time job, albeit without as many wins. The Raiders ranked fifth in Defense+ last year after Pierce became the interim coach, and since returning from their Week 12 bye, rank seventh in Defense+.
That alone shouldn't guarantee Pierce a second full season, particularly if more wins don't follow. But it's interesting that Las Vegas' defense has shown notable improvement down the stretch for the second straight year, even without particularly inspiring personnel.
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 7:25 AM ET on Sunday, December 29. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. DAL)
2) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (at SF)
3) Derrick Henry | BAL (at HOU)
4) Bijan Robinson | ATL (at WAS)
5) Josh Jacobs | GB (at MIN)
6) Jonathan Taylor | IND (at NYG)
7) Chase Brown | CIN (vs. DEN)
8) Kyren Williams | LAR (vs. ARI)
9) De'Von Achane | MIA (at CLE)
10) Bucky Irving | TB (vs. CAR)
11) James Conner | ARI (at LAR)
12) James Cook | BUF (vs. NYJ)
13) Tyjae Spears | TEN (at JAX)
14) Breece Hall | NYJ (at BUF)
15) Joe Mixon | HOU (vs. BAL)
16) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at CHI)
17) Aaron Jones | MIN (vs. GB)
18) Jerome Ford | CLE (vs. MIA)
19) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (vs. ATL)
20) D'Andre Swift | CHI (vs. SEA)
21) Rico Dowdle | DAL (at PHI)
22) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (vs. IND)
23) Isaac Guerendo | SF (vs. DET)
24) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. LAC)
25) Rachaad White | TB (vs. CAR)
26) J.K. Dobbins | LAC (at NE)
27) Alexander Mattison | LV (at NO)
28) Jaylen Warren | PIT (vs. KC)
29) Isiah Pacheco | KC (at PIT)
30) Kimani Vidal | LAC (at NE)
31) Tank Bigsby | JAX (vs. TEN)
32) Javonte Williams | DEN (at CIN)
33) Kendre Miller | NO (vs. LV)
34) Najee Harris | PIT (vs. KC)
35) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (vs. TEN)
36) Ameer Abdullah | LV (at NO)
37) Kareem Hunt | KC (at PIT)
38) Devin Singletary | NYG (vs. IND)
39) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (at WAS)
40) Audric Estimé | DEN (at CIN)
41) Ray Davis | BUF (vs. NYJ)
42) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at CLE)
43) Antonio Gibson | NE (vs. LAC)
44) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. DAL)
45) Craig Reynolds | DET (at SF)
46) Cam Akers | MIN (vs. GB)
47) Ty Johnson | BUF (vs. NYJ)
48) Blake Corum | LAR (vs. ARI)
49) Roschon Johnson | CHI (vs. SEA)
50) Braelon Allen | NYJ (at BUF)
51) Patrick Taylor Jr. | SF (vs. DET)
52) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (vs. ATL)
53) Isaiah Davis | NYJ (at BUF)
54) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (at CIN)
55) D'Onta Foreman | CLE (vs. MIA)
56) Jamaal Williams | NO (vs. LV)
57) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (vs. KC)
58) Emanuel Wilson | GB (at MIN)
59) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (at LAR)
60) Chris Brooks | GB (at MIN)
61) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (vs. MIA)
62) Ke'Shawn Vaughn | SF (vs. DET)
63) Keaton Mitchell | BAL (at HOU)
64) Trey Benson | ARI (at LAR)
65) Raheem Blackshear | CAR (at TB)
66) Sean Tucker | TB (vs. CAR)
67) Israel Abanikanda | SF (vs. DET)
68) Michael Carter | ARI (at LAR)
69) Samaje Perine | KC (at PIT)
70) Ezekiel Elliott | DAL (at PHI)
71) Mike Boone | CAR (at TB)
72) Khalil Herbert | CIN (vs. DEN)
73) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (vs. BAL)
74) Jaylen Wright | MIA (at CLE)
75) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (vs. DET)
76) Trey Sermon | IND (at NYG)
77) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (vs. ATL)
78) Sione Vaki | DET (at SF)
79) Hunter Luepke | DAL (at PHI)
80) Dameon Pierce | HOU (vs. BAL)
81) Alec Ingold | MIA (at CLE)
82) Tyler Goodson | IND (at NYG)
83) Hassan Haskins | LAC (at NE)
84) Kenny McIntosh | SEA (at CHI)
85) Jordan Mims | NO (vs. LV)
86) Rasheen Ali | BAL (at HOU)
87) Ty Chandler | MIN (vs. GB)
88) C.J. Ham | MIN (vs. GB)
89) Michael Burton | DEN (at CIN)
90) Julius Chestnut | TEN (at JAX)
91) Eric Gray | NYG (vs. IND)
92) Dylan Laube | LV (at NO)
93) Adam Prentice | NO (vs. LV)
94) Patrick Ricard | BAL (at HOU)
95) Carson Steele | KC (at PIT)
96) Keilan Robinson | JAX (vs. TEN)
97) Darrynton Evans | BUF (vs. NYJ)
98) Blake Watson | DEN (at CIN)
99) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC (at PIT)
Raiders at Saints Trends and Insights
Las Vegas Raiders
Team: The Raiders are seeking their first winning streak since Weeks 15-16 last season.
QB: Aidan O’Connell averaged a season-best 10.7 yards per first down pass last week against the Jaguars (13-of-18 for 193 yards).
Offense: After picking up eight-of-14 third downs against the Dolphins in Week 11, the Raiders are just 19-of-67 since (28.4%).
Defense: Las Vegas forced Jacksonville to punt on 58.3% of their drives, their best defensive showing of the season.
Fantasy: Brock Bowers, on Sunday, joined Evan Engram (2023) and Zach Ertz (2018) as the only tight ends in the 2000s to have four double-digit catch games in a season.
Betting: Seven of Vegas’ past eight road games have finished at least seven points off of the closing spread.
New Orleans Saints
Team: In Week 11, the Saints scored 21 points in the final quarter prior to their Week 12 bye. In the 16 quarters since that point, they’ve totaled 47 points.
QB: Spencer Rattler is dealing with a skeleton roster and spreading the ball out. Of his first nine targets, four different players saw multiple opportunities.
Offense: The Saints have been out-scored 35-0 in first halves over their past two games (they held the lead at halftime in each of their five games prior).
Defense: The Saints are 4-1 this season when holding a team to a sub-36% conversion rate on third downs (1-9 otherwise).
Fantasy: The Saints had four players get 3-8 carries, and five players catch 2-5 passes – this is a small offensive pie that is being cut into far too many pieces.
Betting: The Saints are 4-4 ATS at home this season – they haven’t had a winning ATS year at home since 2017.