Alvin Kamara Fantasy Overview

2025 Role & Results

An Ugly Season

Across 11 games, Kamara set career lows in:

• carries (131)
• rushing yards (471)
• rushing TDs (1)
• catches (33)
• receiving yards (186)
• receiving TDs (0)

The result: a disappointing RB35 finish in PPR points per game. He cracked the top 12 just once and added only three more top-24 weeks.

A Busy Start Quickly Fades

Kamara began the season as the clear RB1 for new HC Kellen Moore. Through Week 4, he ranked ninth among RBs with 78 touches, well ahead of Kendre Miller’s 31.

But that role soon dwindled as Kamara dealt with an ankle injury. Over his final seven games, Kamara topped 15 touches only twice. That stretch included only two games with more than 3 catches.

No Signs of the Old Kamara

Kamara’s efficiency bottomed out.

Among 51 RBs with 90+ carries, he ranked:

• 41st in missed tackles forced per attempt
• 46th in yards per carry
• 47th in yards after contact per attempt
• 49th in rush yards over expected per attempt

Surprisingly, Kamara also failed to shine as a receiver. Among 40 RBs with 30+ targets, he ranked just 36th in yards per route run. And his 5.6 yards per catch set a career low.

New Orleans Supplied Low Rush Volume

The Saints set a mixed environment for rushing production.

They finished first in pace and situation-neutral pace, adding an 11th-place finish in total plays. But they ranked just 23rd in rush attempts, 23rd in ESPN’s run-block win rate, and 31st in Pro Football Focus’ run-blocking grade.

The Saints also finished 23rd in total yards and 28th in scoring.

Receiving Production Drops

Kamara tallied 55+ catches in seven of his first eight seasons. Last year produced a career-low 3.0 catches per game, though, down from 4.9 in 2024 and 5.8 the season prior.

Last year also marked the second time in three seasons that he set a career low in yards per catch. His 11.9 carries per game were the fewest since Kamara’s 2017 rookie campaign.

Injuries Continue Piling Up

Beyond the ankle injury, Kamara missed the final six games with an MCL sprain.

The veteran missed three games in 2024 with a groin injury, one in 2023 with an ankle, one in 2022 with a rib fracture, and four in 2021 with an MCL sprain.

2026 Opportunity & Projection

Will Kamara Stick Around?

Kamara’s future remains the biggest mystery.

In May, Kamara said he was “excited to see” what he and free agent pickup Travis Etienne can do. Saints reporter Nick Underhill also wrote that it’s “incredibly clear” that Kamara wants to remain on the team.

The team sounds less certain. In May, GM Mickey Loomis said the Saints are still trying to figure out how Kamara will “fit our roster.” That matters with Kamara in the final year of his contract carrying a $10.5 million cap hit, while Etienne counts only $5 million in Year 1 of a four-year deal.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see Kamara land elsewhere this summer. If not, though, he projects in primarily a pass-catching role. We’re currently projecting him for 5.6 carries and 2.4 targets per game.

The Supporting Cast Brings Promise

QB Tyler Shough enters his first full season as starter. He made strides as a 26-year-old rookie, finishing 12th in adjusted completion rate and 13th in yards per attempt among 42 QBs with 150+ attempts.

Round 1 pick Jordyn Tyson pairs with Chris Olave to give this unit a huge upgrade at WR2. Last year, Rashid Shaheed finished as the second most productive WR (44-499-2) despite a midseason trade to Seattle. The boosted WR talent should only help lighten boxes for the RBs.

Former Round 1 OTs Kelvin Banks Jr. and Taliese Fuaga give the unit strong bookends. David Edwards joins them at LG after landing a deal that ranks 10th among guards in guarantees.

This unit will need better play from RG Cesar Ruiz and better health from C Erik McCoy to reach its potential. Ruiz tied for 67th in run-blocking grade last year, and injuries have forced McCoy to miss 20 games over the past two seasons.

Kamara Unlikely to Benefit From Rising Offense

The 2025 Saints ranked just 29th in situation-neutral run rate. The production wasn’t much better: 27th in rushing TDs, 28th in rushing yards, and 31st in yards per carry.

That likely comes back to Kamara’s inability to find success on the ground. He managed only 3.6 YPC and tallied the second-worst success rate of his career (42%).

HC Kellen Moore has a mixed history with rushing volume, but he’s certainly not opposed to leaning on the run:

• 2019: eighth
• 2020: 15th
• 2021: 12th
• 2022: sixth
• 2023: 24th
• 2024: first
• 2025: 23rd

Kamara simply isn’t positioned to capitalize after the signing of Etienne. We project Kamara for only 5.6 carries and 1.9 catches per game.