The New Orleans Saints are coming off an impressive victory against the New England Patriots, winning 34-0. Anytime you shut a team out in the NFL, it’s a dominant performance. The defense led the way, allowing only 156 total yards of offense. The Saints’ offense didn’t put up huge numbers, but was solid and didn’t turn the ball over.
New Orleans ran the ball 42 times but got only 136 yards. While those aren’t huge numbers, it should have fantasy football managers somewhat excited they are committed to running the ball.
Should fantasy managers stay with Alvin Kamara, or has rookie Kendre Miller shown he should be in lineups?
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Alvin Kamara’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
If you are a fantasy manager with Kamara on your team, you can’t complain about his touches. He has rushed the ball 33 times for 131 yards while catching 16 passes for 50 yards in two games. If your starting running back is getting 49 touches in fantasy in two weeks, you should be ecstatic.
However, he isn’t putting up the numbers fans have grown accustomed to, and he doesn’t appear to have the explosiveness he once had. In his first game back, he had 13 catches for only 33 yards. It was the fewest yards by anyone catching 13 passes ever, with the next closest being 70 yards.
He is getting the ball, so there are no complaints. For Kamara to show he is a top-10 RB in fantasy, he needs to get back to making some big plays.
Kendre Miller’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
The rookie from TCU missed the first two games but is quietly becoming a focal point of the Saints’ offense. Against the Patriots, he carried the ball 12 times for 37 yards. However, it was his playmaking catching the ball that was more impressive. He caught four passes for 53 yards, including a 33-yard catch.
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At 6’0″, 220 pounds, he is a big, physical running back who can wear opposing defenses out. The Saints thought they were going to have that in Jamaal Williams, but he has been out because of injury. With Miller pairing up with Kamara, the Saints should have a solid 1-2 punch capable of helping the team win close games.
Which of the Saints’ RBs Should You Start?
Once again, if you have Kamara on your team, be happy. The guy is being given the ball like no other running back in the league. He was suspended for the first three games, so he is still a little rusty. Because of the volume, he is still the running back to play, but this could still be a tough game for Kamara.
The Texans’ defense has been solid to start the year, ranking 18th in the league in yards allowed (338.6). The Atlanta Falcons are known to run the ball well, but the Texans held them to only 86 yards on 36 carries last week.
Houston gave up 351 yards to Desmond Ridder, and that could mean Kamara could have a big day catching the ball. Look for Kamara to continue to get the ball, but to cap it off with his first touchdown of the year.