In Week 13, the New Orleans Saints lost to the Miami Dolphins by a score of 21-17. The Saints currently reside with a 2-10 record, making them one of the worst teams in the entire NFL.
Their star veteran running back, Alvin Kamara, did not play in the close games against the Dolphins due to injury. With the team’s next game in just a few days against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, here’s how Kamara stands injury-wise.
Will Alvin Kamara Play Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
An initial report came out earlier today regarding Kamara’s status, which said the following:
“Didn’t see RB Alvin Kamara (knee), RT Taliese Fuaga (ankle) or S Justin Reid (knee) during the portion of Friday’s practice open to media.”
Additionally, the report concluded: “WR Chris Olave (back) was participating for the 2nd straight day. And S Jonas Sanker was back out there after missing one day with a head injury.”
Just because the media didn’t see him practice, surely there’s still a chance he plays, right?
Wrong. Another media member reported, “Chris Olave will be questionable Sunday. Alvin Kamara, Tali Fuaga, and Justin Reid are OUT.”
The decision shouldn’t be shocking, especially when considering the team’s injury report from this week. Kamara was listed as a DNP each day with a knee/ankle injury.
This season, Kamara is having the worst season of his career according to PFSN’s RBi metrics. He’s the 40th-ranked running back this season with an impact score of 71.9 and a letter grade of C-.
MORE: Will Chris Olave Play in Week 14? Latest Injury Update on Saints Star
In 11 games this season, Kamara has rushed 131 times for 471 yards and one touchdown. He’s also one of the best receiving backs in the league, and this season he’s caught 33 out of 39 passes for 186 yards.
His best week came in Week 1 according to PFSN’s RBi. That week, he finished with an impact score of 79.3 and a grade of C+, while being ranked as the fifth-best running back that week. He rushed 11 times for 45 yards and one touchdown, which is his only touchdown this season.
Rookie running back Devin Neal will hold lead-back responsibilities this week, backed up by Evan Hull and Audric Estime.
New Orleans Saints’ Insights for Week 14
Team:Â According to the PFSN Analytics, New Orleans currently has a 17.6% chance of getting the first overall pick. A loss increases the chances to 24.8%, a win drops it to 6.7%.
QB:Â Tyler Shough has been sacked nine times in the last two games after being sacked three times in his first two starts.
Offense:Â The Saints graded at a C level in OFFi to snap a streak of four games with a D+ or lower.
Defense:Â New Orleans had the 5th best (82.1, B-) DEFi in Week 13. It was the third time in five weeks the Saints graded at a B-.
Fantasy: Devaughn Vele stole the show for the Saints last week, but there’s no reason to go that far down the WR depth chart. Tyler Shough completed 68.4% of his passes in Miami and continues to show enough for us when it comes to rostering Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson.
