Alvin Kamara

You won't find a bigger Kamara fan than me, and that's going back to his college days. However, with the way Sean Payton rotates his running backs, it's going to be mighty hard for Kamara to live up to his draft cost now that Drew Brees is gone. Brees targeted his running backs at least 28 percent of the time in each of the last four years. Meanwhile, Jameis Winston hasn't targeted running backs more than 18 percent of the time in each of his last four seasons as a starter. The offense is also not nearly as likely to be scoring as many points without Brees.

Alvin Kamara, Saints RBs could be leaned on heavily to start the year

Larry Holder of The Athletic writes that Saints RBs Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray could be leaned on heavily at the start of the season.

Fantasy Impact

"Given the shift and uncertainty at quarterback, it would make far too much sense for Sean Payton to lean heavily on the running back room early on during the 2021 season," Holder writes. This is notable because many expect Kamara's numbers to regress following Drew Brees' retirement as he won't rack up as many receptions as before. However, more of a commitment to the ground game could help offset some of that statistical regression. Additionally, Murray is one of the premier handcuffs in fantasy football, but he has some standalone value in deeper leagues too. The QB battle is one to watch when training camp opens in New Orleans this summer.