The New Orleans Saints have relied on a compact RB room for most of the season. They started the season with Jamaal Williams as the lead back, with Alvin Kamara waiting out his three-game suspension and rookie Kendre Miller bringing up the rear, dealing with his own off-and-on injury concerns.
Williams played 75% on the snaps in Week 1, which translated to 45 yards on the ground and seven yards receiving. To be fair, it was not an overall incredibly offensive game, with the Saints beating the Tennessee Titans 16-15.
Williams only played 23% of the snaps in the Week 2 matchup against Carolina — he exited early with a hamstring injury. Soon after, he was put on injured reserve (IR) and required to miss a minimum of four games.
A month has come and gone, and the Saints are sitting at 3-3 in a very competitive NFC South division. With Williams close to playing, New Orleans will finally have their full amount of weapons available. What does that mean for fantasy football managers?
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Is Jamaal Williams Going to Play Week 7?
The Saints designated Williams to return from IR this week, and he logged limited practices each day. He was officially listed as questionable for Thursday night’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
However, early Thursday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Williams is expected to be activated and play tonight against the Jaguars.
This will help: #Saints starting RB Jamaal Williams, still on Injured Reserve with a hamstring injury, is expected to be activated and will play tonight vs. the #Jaguars, sources say.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 19, 2023
Potential Fantasy Options if Williams Is Out Include Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller
If Williams cannot go on Thursday, expect another big game from Kamara. In his three weeks back, he does not have a finish outside the top 12, and QB Derek Carr loves to throw him those short passes; last week, he had 80% of the RB targets.
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Miller could also be in line to contribute. He has yet to have that true breakout game — he did finish as RB20 in Week 5 — but he is averaging a 25% snap share, which is encouraging. If you are a Williams manager, the great thing for fantasy is that the game is on Thursday. If they announce that Williams is a scratch 90 minutes before kickoff, just make sure you have a pivot option.
I think Williams will go this week. Logging limited practices all week is a good sign for fantasy managers. Even if he is available, he is not an auto-start, as the Jags allow the third-fewest rushing yards to their opponents this season.