Alvin Kamara has been one of the best and most reliable fantasy running backs of his generation. That version of him did not show up in 2025. Now entering his age-31 season, he finds himself sharing a New Orleans Saints backfield with a newly signed lead back and facing more questions than he ever has. Should fantasy football managers bother with Kamara in 2026?
Should You Draft Alvin Kamara in Fantasy Football?
Give Kamara his due first. For the better part of a decade, he was one of the premier pass-catching backs in football and a weekly fantasy fixture. A back who could be counted on for volume, efficiency, and a massive target share every single season is a rare and valuable thing.
The cracks started to show a few years ago. There was reason to wonder about a decline after 2023, though Kamara answered by posting a strong 19 fantasy points per game in 2024. That number came almost entirely on the back of elite volume, and the underlying efficiency suggested the slide had quietly begun.
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In 2025, the bottom fell out completely. Kamara averaged a career-worst 9.2 points per game and finished as the RB34. He reached the end zone exactly one time all year. His best single game produced just 16 PPR points, which tells you plenty about how little juice was left.
Most alarming of all was the collapse of his receiving role. Kamara managed a paltry 186 receiving yards across 11 games and watched his target share crater to 10.5%. For perspective, he had never posted a target share below 18.2% in any prior season. The exact skill that made him special had evaporated.
Durability has become an issue as well, as he has now missed three-plus games in three consecutive years, including six a season ago.
Kamara’s Redraft Fantasy Football Value
Kamara’s roster spot was genuinely in doubt for much of the offseason. I’m still not entirely convinced he’ll stick around, but at this point, it seems more likely than not that he will. The catch is that he does so in a crowded backfield.
New Orleans handed Travis Etienne a sizable contract to serve as the lead back this year. That leaves Kamara as, at best, a change-of-pace and passing-down option. This is the same passing-down role that just produced the worst receiving numbers of his career, which is hardly encouraging.
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Here is the honest assessment. If Kamara remains on the roster all season, he will probably outperform his RB47 ADP in raw scoring terms. That sounds like a point in his favor until you consider the ceiling. We are talking about a high RB4 in the best-case scenario, with no realistic path to anything beyond it. If you draft the RB47 and get RB40 production, did you really accomplish anything?
That distinction is everything for a late-round pick. You draft darts at the back of your bench to chase upside, and Kamara simply does not have any. I have him at RB54, below his ADP. Beating a rock-bottom price does not make a player worth rostering when the ceiling is this low. I am not throwing this dart.
Kamara’s Dynasty Fantasy Football Value
There is not much to say here that the redraft section did not already cover. We have Kamara at RB58 in our consensus dynasty rankings, and there is a very real chance 2026 is the final season of his career.
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He is 31 years old, on an expiring contract, and coming off a year that suggested the tank is empty. Retirement is a genuine possibility once this deal runs out.
You are almost certainly not getting anything of value for him in a trade at this point, which makes the decision simple. If he is on your roster, you might as well ride it out and hope he can offer a couple of usable weeks before the end. There is nothing left here to build around.
