Fun fact: Alvin Kamara has the third-most PPR points in NFL history for any running back through the first three years of their career. Only LaDainian Tomlinson and Christian McCaffrey have more, and both of them at least 198 more touches as well. That’s pretty good company, so it’s safe to say, Kamara is #good at football.
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Alvin Kamara Fantasy Football Preview for 2020
A Look Back at 2019
Alvin Kamara entered 2019 with a ton of promise coming off two monster seasons and former running mate, Mark Ingram, now off to Baltimore. He had just put up 320.4 and 354.2 PPR points in 2017 and 2018, finishing as the RB3 and RB4 respectively. Kamara didn’t hit the 200 carry or 1,000 rushing yard benchmarks in either year, so with Ingram gone, the potential for an even bigger workload was drool-inducing.
Kamara was touted as high as first overall by some analysts. After the first five weeks, it looked like the bigger workload was coming to fruition as he was pacing for 240 carries and approximately 1,100 rushing yards in addition to his usual elite receiving production.
🚨RB rec yards leaders since 2017🚨 pic.twitter.com/JrAh4iMpKf
— ✴️Rob Norton✴️ (@norton0723) August 1, 2020
Unfortunately, Kamara’s season was derailed the next week as he began battling injuries to both his knee and ankle. He toughed it out for Week 6 but the injuries forced him to sit out both Weeks 7 and 8. The Saints then had a bye in Week 9 before he returned in Week 10.
After returning, Kamara clearly still wasn’t completely healthy as he lacked some of his patented burst and explosiveness. The Saints also lightened his workload a bit from 15 carries per game before his injury down to about 10.5 carries per game afterward. Kamara stayed heavily involved in the passing game, where he averaged six receptions per game the rest of the way.
At season’s end, Kamara was a bit of a disappointment based on his ADP. He was the RB8 in terms of PPR points per game with 17.75. He was still able to finish as the RB9 in terms of overall PPR points (248.5) despite missing two games. When finishing top ten is still considered a disappointment that tells you everything you need to know about Kamara.
Previewing 2020
Looking towards 2020, Kamara is a truly elite option in all fantasy leagues, especially PPR leagues. He’s been a top ten running back every year of his career and put up some truly incredible numbers.
Happy Birthday, Alvin Kamara!
Career Stats:
• 3 Seasons (45 games)
• 2,408 Rushing Yards (5.0 YPC)
• 2,068 Rec. Yards (8.5 YPR)
• 99.5 Scrimmage YPG
• 38 Total TDs
• 2017 OROY
• 3x Pro Bowler, 1x All-Pro pic.twitter.com/z45BfzXme9— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) July 25, 2020
The main reason for Kamara’s slight step back in 2019, aside from injury, was a very low, and frankly unlucky, touchdown total. Kamara scored 13 and 18 total touchdowns in his first two seasons respectively but saw that number drop to six this past year. He should see that total jump back into the double digits this year with the Saints likely to be one of the highest-scoring offenses in the NFL.
Kamara is also extremely tough to bring down. He’s slippery and his balance is impeccable. Measuring in at 5’10” and 215 pounds, Kamara has an ideal combination of size, strength, and balance to once again be one of the league leaders in broken tackles.
Most broken tackles by a RB in 2019
Nick Chubb – 32
Aaron Jones – 32
Derrick Henry – 29
Phillip Lindsay – 29
Alvin Kamara – 29
Chris Carson – 28
David Montgomery – 28
Josh Jacobs – 26
Ezekiel Elliott – 24
Joe Mixon – 24— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) July 31, 2020
The biggest draw to Kamara from a fantasy perspective is that previously mentioned elite receiving ability. Kamara’s 243 receptions rank seventh-most in NFL history through the first three years of his career, wide receivers included. Only Christian McCaffrey (303) has more receptions among running backs.
Studies have shown that a reception is, on average, 2.83 times more valuable than a rush attempt. This is how Kamara is able to have an extremely high floor because he racks up so many catches, exactly 81 every year. It’s basically an exact science so if you aren’t projecting him for exactly 81 receptions in 2020, what are you even doing at this point? Death, taxes, and Alvin Kamara gets 81 receptions. Book it.
Alvin Kamara ADP
Kamara is currently going as the fifth player overall off the board as the RB4 according to Fantasypros. That’s just after Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott, and Michael Thomas.
Kamara’s current ADP is perfectly fair although I have him just a tick higher. He’s part of that elite group where you can make a case for any of them and can’t go wrong. He’s the RB3 on my board behind only McCaffrey and Barkley.
🚨2020 RB Rankings 🚨
Who's too high? Who's too low? Who shouldn't be on the list & who missed that should be? Lemme know where I got it right/wrong below⬇️@MyFantasyLeague @ScottFish24 @RyanMc23#FantasyFootball#Fantasy#Football#NFL#NFLTwitter pic.twitter.com/mZTKdGr5JY
— ✴️Rob Norton✴️ (@norton0723) June 23, 2020
After three straight top ten PPR seasons, Kamara has cemented himself as a truly elite option in fantasy leagues. With a floor and ceiling combo as high as any player in the league, Kamara is one of the few players with the potential to finish as the top overall player in fantasy. If you are lucky enough to secure a top-four pick, draft Kamara and count your blessings.
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