X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 2 Disaster Recovery: Alvin Kamara

Welcome to Disaster Recovery, where each week I'll examine why your studs played like duds. This isn't a place to find out why you should have sat a player for somebody on your bench. Disaster Recovery is to examine the guys who you didn't think twice about starting, and deciding if you should be panicking at all about their value moving forward.

This season we'll be focusing on one dud a week, and touching on a few others briefly. There will be two major qualifiers for these players: the player must have performed well below expectations without an injury, and the player must be considered a must-start in most formats.

The NFC South had two of the consensus top four picks this year. Both of them busted in Week 2. We're going to talk about one of them.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

 

History Doesn't Repeat Itself

Alvin Kamara's Week 2 stat-line: 13 rushes for 45 yards and one reception for 15 yards on three targets.

There are a lot of factors baked into those numbers that we need to consider before discussing Kamara's outlook. First, let's look into the past.

To say that Kamara has played well against the Los Angeles Rams in the past is an understatement. Kamara has had at least 100 total yards in each of his first three meetings with the Rams. He torched Los Angeles for 188 total yards and two touchdowns when he first met the Rams as a rookie in 2017. In the 2018 rematch, Kamara's yards dropped to 112, but his touchdowns increased to three.

The Rams finally kept Kamara out of the end zone in last year's NFC Championship. That doesn't mean they could stop him. Kamara had over 100 total yards and hauled in 10 receptions for 96 yards. It felt like Kamara was a guaranteed nine yards every time he caught a pass. As RotoBaller's resident Rams fan, I can assure you we hate playing against this guy. He's a nightmare.

It's not just Kamara that the Rams have struggled against. Under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, the Rams have had a rough time against speedy, dual-threat running backs. This was not a problem that appeared to be solved for the 2019 season. In Week 1, Christian McCaffrey hung 209 total yards and two touchdowns on the Rams.

However, Kamara was only able to put up 60 yards against a team he has historically dominated and that was just obliterated by Christian McCaffrey a week earlier. That's a tad concerning.

 

No Breeze for Kamara Owners

Now, as we always need to remember with this column, duds happen. A big reason for this one was that Drew Brees hurt his thumb after the second drive and was replaced by Teddy Bridgewater for the remainder of the game. Bridgewater didn't play too bad overall, but the offense was clearly shaken up by the injury. They played incredibly sloppy and had simply given up by the time the fourth quarter came around. Kamara's biggest play of the day, an 18-yard reception late in the first quarter, was called back due to a block in the back by Jared Cook.

Unfortunately for Kamara owners, Drew Brees is not coming back next week. He likely won't return to the field for six weeks after having surgery on his injured thumb. The good news is that he'll be back for the stretch run into the fantasy playoffs. The bad news is Kamara owners we'll have to try to keep the ship afloat until his return.

Let's make one thing clear: you can do much worse than Teddy Bridgewater as your backup. It's not like New Orleans is rolling out Sean Mannion for the next six weeks. Bridgewater is a former first-round pick whose career was derailed by an injury after a Pro Bowl season in 2016. He's one of the NFL's best backup quarterbacks, but he's still a backup for a reason. Sunday was the first time Bridgewater played meaningful snaps since January of 2016.

Bridgewater is also a much different quarterback than Brees. He's never been a gunslinger, and he likely never will be. Bridgewater threw for over 300 yards times twice in 2016, his last full season, and only had one game with over 40 passing attempts. In 2019, Drew Brees has just as many games with over 40 attempts and one less 300-yard game. He's played in one full game.

It remains unclear how the Saints offense will adjust around Bridgewater. It does feel likely that Kamara's production will take a dip. There's still a world where he's an RB1 with Bridgewater and puts up very solid numbers. There's also a world where the Saints struggle to score points and everyone on the offense loses production with their new quarterback. It remains to be seen how this offense will play in a full game with Bridgewater under center. If the Rams game is any indication, it won't be pretty.

Next week will be incredibly telling for Kamara, Michael Thomas, and the rest of the Saints' offense. A road game against Seattle is as good of a test as any. You can't take Kamara out of your lineup this week, but temper your expectations. It's unlikely that he'll even sniff the expected production you drafted him for over the next six weeks. That doesn't mean that he can't produce. Proceed with caution.

Panic Level: 4/5 (for the next six weeks.)

 

Other Players To Monitor

As always, let's talk about a few other busts from the past week.

Business as usual: RB Christian McCaffrey - I know what you're thinking, if Kamara is taking such a dip because of a new quarterback, what about McCaffrey? The difference is that Cam Newton played terrible in Week 1 and McCaffrey still crossed the 200-yard mark. Anybody who can accurately throw the ball 10 yards can get McCaffrey the ball where he needs it. You'd be a fool to consider benching this guy under any circumstances. He's going to be used at an ungodly level.

Wait and see: RB Joe MixonThere's really only two things to say about Mixon's 2019 season: he's been banged up, and he's been incredibly unproductive. I'm holding out judgment until after Week 4 on Mixon. If he continues to do absolutely nothing on the field, we'll revisit him later.

Abandon ship: TE OJ HowardI'm usually not one for telling you to quit on a player after two weeks. But this... this is different. Tampa Bay's new head coach Bruce Arians has historically shied away from featuring tight ends in his offenses in the past. Everybody, including myself, ignored this fact because Howard was simply too talented to ignore.

Well, turns out that means nothing to Arians. Howard didn't receive a single target on Sunday despite being on the field for 92% of snaps. The man is blocking his ass out but unfortunately, that doesn't amount to fantasy points.

Howard is too talented to cut, but he's also too volatile to start. Howard owners should look to acquire another tight end to lock-in as their starter. Even if you can't get somebody like Mark Andrews or Darren Waller, go out and find somebody like Greg Olsen, Will Dissly, or even gulp Jason Witten. You can't possibly start Howard with confidence next week. There's simply nothing to be confident about right now.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

NFL3 hours ago

Kevin Stefanski, Andrew Berry Likely Returning To Browns In 2025
Deshaun Watson4 hours ago

Likely To Remain With Browns, Could Face Competition
Cedric Tillman4 hours ago

Enters Concussion Protocol
Cedric Tillman5 hours ago

Suffers Head Injury On Thursday Night
Wendell Carter Jr.6 hours ago

Out Against Lakers
Anthony Davis7 hours ago

Available Versus Magic On Thursday
Rui Hachimura7 hours ago

Unavailable Thursday
Carlos Ulberg7 hours ago

Looking To Cement Himself As A Title Contender At UFC Macau
Volkan Oezdemir7 hours ago

Eyes Another Knockout At UFC Macau
Gabriella Fernandes8 hours ago

A Big Underdog At UFC Macau
MMA8 hours ago

Cong Wang Puts Undefeated Record On The Line At UFC Macau
Deiveson Figueiredo8 hours ago

Looks To Extend Win Streak At UFC Macau
Petr Yan8 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Yves Missi8 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
CJ McCollum8 hours ago

Not Likely To Play Friday
Alexander Mattison8 hours ago

Zamir White Miss Practice Again
Brandon Ingram9 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Shohei Ohtani9 hours ago

Named National League MVP In 2024
Aaron Judge9 hours ago

Wins American League MVP Award
Ja'Kobe Walter9 hours ago

Ready To Go Thursday
Donte DiVincenzo9 hours ago

Available Thursday
Mike Conley9 hours ago

Will Not Play Thursday
Jordan Clarkson9 hours ago

Sits Out Thursday's Game
Ausar Thompson9 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday
Zach Collins10 hours ago

Cleared To Play Thursday
Domantas Sabonis10 hours ago

Gets Through Full Practice
Chris Paul10 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
Brock Purdy10 hours ago

Limited Again On Thursday
Malik Monk10 hours ago

Making Progress
George Kittle10 hours ago

Limited Again On Thursday
Tre Mann10 hours ago

Good To Go On Thursday
Miles Bridges10 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday
Vince Williams Jr.10 hours ago

Out At Least A Month
Scottie Barnes10 hours ago

Returning On Thursday
Alex Ovechkin10 hours ago

To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Fractured Fibula
Paul George10 hours ago

Out At Least Two Games
Aaron Gordon10 hours ago

Availability In Question For Friday
Zach Hyman10 hours ago

Expected To Miss 4-7 Days
Kent Johnson11 hours ago

Back For Blue Jackets Thursday
Yaroslav Askarov11 hours ago

Makes Sharks Debut Thursday
Jalen Hurts11 hours ago

Practices In Full On Thursday
Mikael Granlund11 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
Alexandar Georgiev11 hours ago

Returns To Action Versus Capitals
TB11 hours ago

Nicholas Paul Will Miss Thursday's Game
Frederik Andersen11 hours ago

To Miss 8-12 Weeks
Jake Ferguson11 hours ago

Still Not Practicing
Sam LaPorta11 hours ago

Looking Good For A Week 12 Return
Sam Darnold11 hours ago

Upgrades To Full Participation, On Track To Play
Isiah Pacheco12 hours ago

Remains Limited On Thursday
D'Andre Swift12 hours ago

Upgrades To Limited Participant On Thursday
CeeDee Lamb12 hours ago

Sidelined During Thursday's Practice
Ladd McConkey12 hours ago

Does Not Practice On Thursday
Mike Evans12 hours ago

Logs Full Practice On Thursday
DeVonta Smith13 hours ago

Misses Another Practice
Cody Bellinger14 hours ago

Cubs Looking To Trade Cody Bellinger?
Brandin Cooks14 hours ago

Preparing To Play In Week 12
CeeDee Lamb14 hours ago

Not Seen At Thursday's Practice
14 hours ago

Blake Snell Has Met With Red Sox, Dodgers
Aaron Rodgers15 hours ago

Jets Owner Suggested Benching Aaron Rodgers
Mike Evans16 hours ago

Practicing Again On Thursday
Chandler Stephenson17 hours ago

Registers Three Assists Versus Predators
Jason Robertson17 hours ago

Totals Three Points In Wednesday's Win
Nils Lundkvist18 hours ago

Exits Early With A Lower-Body Injury
Matthew Knies18 hours ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury
Mikael Granlund18 hours ago

Exits Late With Injury Wednesday
Patrik Laine18 hours ago

Returns To Practice
Chris Sale1 day ago

Wins National League Cy Young Award
Tarik Skubal1 day ago

Wins 2024 American League Cy Young Award
Austin Eckroat1 day ago

Heads To The RSM Classic After Win
Harris English1 day ago

Finding Form Heading To The RSM Classic
Ben Griffin1 day ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To The RSM Classic
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Returns to The RSM Classic
Seth Jones1 day ago

Expected To Miss Four Weeks
Max Domi1 day ago

Placed On Injured Reserve
Connor Ingram1 day ago

Out Day-To-Day With An Upper-Body Injury
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen1 day ago

Returns To Action Versus Kings
Alex Tuch1 day ago

Available Wednesday
Tage Thompson1 day ago

Remains Out On Wednesday
Jordan Eberle1 day ago

To Remain Out On Wednesday
Ludvig Aberg1 day ago

Looks To Defend RSM Classic Title
Si Woo Kim1 day ago

An Intriguing Option At RSM Classic
Maverick McNealy1 day ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of RSM Classic
Eric Cole1 day ago

Chasing First Tour Victory At RSM Classic
2 days ago

Guardians' Stephen Vogt Named AL Manager Of The Year
Milwaukee Brewers2 days ago

Pat Murphy Named NL Manager Of The Year
2 days ago

Nick Pivetta Declines Boston's Qualifying Offer
Jose Siri2 days ago

Mets Acquire Jose Siri From The Rays
3 days ago

Phillies To Meet With Juan Soto
3 days ago

Luis Severino Rejects Qualifying Offer From Mets
3 days ago

Willy Adames Declines Brewers Qualifying Offer
3 days ago

Teoscar Hernandez Declines Qualifying Offer From Dodgers
3 days ago

Juan Soto Declines Yankees' Qualifying Offer
Luis Gil3 days ago

Wins AL Rookie Of The Year Award
Paul Skenes3 days ago

Named 2024 NL Rookie Of The Year
Brady Singer4 days ago

Reds, Royals Discussing Jonathan India, Brady Singer
4 days ago

Sean Manaea To Reject Mets' Qualifying Offer
4 days ago

Braves Have Interest In Walker Buehler
4 days ago

Astros Interested In Willy Adames
Charles Oliveira4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 309
Karine Silva4 days ago

Suffers Her First UFC Loss
Viviane Araujo4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Mauricio Ruffy4 days ago

Extends His Win Streak To Six
James Llontop5 days ago

Loses Clear-Cut Decision In Thrilling Fight At UFC 309
Paul Craig5 days ago

Loses Decision At UFC 309
Bo Nickal5 days ago

Remains Undefeated With Lackluster Performance At UFC 309
Stipe Miocic5 days ago

Retires After UFC 309 Loss
Jon Jones5 days ago

Gets TKO Win At UFC 309 To Defend Heavyweight Title

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Bo Nix - Fantasy Football Rankings, QB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

Fantasy Football Matchups We Love - Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Week 12 Include Bo Nix, De'Von Achane, Quentin Johnston, Calvin Ridley, more

It seems as though fantasy managers were either incredibly disappointed or incredibly excited in Week 11. The output was modest for most players. However, if you had a monopoly on a select few players such as Cooper Kupp, Taysom Hill, or the Detroit Lions, you likely won your week. With the fantasy playoffs roughly three weeks […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL Week 12 Predictions: Picks and Analysis for Every Game Including Thursday Night Football

After some high-octane matchups over the last couple of Thursday nights, Week 12 kicks off in a more old-school fashion with a classic rivalry game between the Steelers and Browns. There are some fun matchups on this Week 12 slate, however, "Bye-Mageddon" certainly does take a little of the sizzle away, as six teams will […]


TJ Watt - IDP, Pittsburgh Steelers, DST, Defense, Fantasy Football Def

Week 12 Fantasy Football Team Defense Rankings: Steelers D/ST, Chiefs D/ST, Vikings D/ST, Eagles D/ST, Commanders D/ST, Texans D/ST, Broncos D/ST

Fantasy football defenses are largely matchup-dependent, so many fantasy managers opt to stream a different defense each week. If you're in that boat, use our Week 12 fantasy football defense (D/ST) rankings for 2024 to find the top available option. There are just three weeks of the fantasy football regular season left, so it's never […]


George Pickens - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL injury News

Steelers vs. Browns TNF Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Jameis Winston, Nick Chubb, David Njoku, Jerry Jeudy, Russell Wilson, Najee Harris, George Pickens

The Week 12 TNF game between two bitter AFC North rivals (Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers) is not likely to end up like the Thursday night game from two weeks ago when two different AFC North teams (Bengals and Ravens) battled to a 35-34 shootout. Somewhere deep in the charter of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I […]


DJ Moore - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

TNF Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 12 - Thursday Updates for Deebo Samuel, D.J. Moore, Jerry Jeudy, Jonathon Brooks, Jauan Jennings, Tank Dell

Many fantasy managers are in must-win situations down the stretch, so it's never been more important to ace your start-or-sit calls. Our Week 12 TNF fantasy football overall rankings for 2024 are here to help. Ahead of the critical Week 12 slate of action, let's find out where players on the start-sit bubble such as […]


Calvin Ridley - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

TNF Fantasy Football FLEX Rankings (RB, WR, TE) - Week 12 Thursday Updates for Chuba Hubbard, Calvin Ridley, Cedric Tillman, Jonnu Smith, Austin Ekeler

It's always tough to compare two flex options at different positions, but bye weeks and key injuries have made those start-sit decisions even tougher. We're here to help guide you with your lineup calls with our Week 12 TNF fantasy football FLEX rankings for 2024. Navigate the rankings below to find out where top flex […]


Tua Tagovailoa - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

TNF Fantasy Football Superflex 2QB Rankings for Week 12 - Thursday Updates for Tua Tagovailoa, Bo Nix, Russell Wilson, Austin Ekeler, Jayden Reed

Time is running out to collect "Ws" before the fantasy football playoffs begin, and if you need assistance, our Week 12 fantasy football Superflex rankings (2QB) for fantasy football can assist your start-or-sit efforts. Let's get to it! To begin Week 12 preparation, let's dig into the rankings to find out where key Superflex options […]


Bucky Irving - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

TNF Running Back Fantasy Football Rankings - Week 12 Thursday RB Updates for Jonathon Brooks, J.K. Dobbins, Bucky Irving, Najee Harris, Kareem Hunt

We're onto Week 12 of the NFL campaign, which can only mean the fantasy football playoffs are just ahead. Whether you're at the top of your league standings, fighting for a playoff spot, or are just trying to play spoiler, our Week 12 TNF fantasy football running back rankings for 2024 are here to help you […]


Cedric Tillman - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

TNF Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Rankings - Week 12 Thursday WR Updates for Cedric Tillman, Jauan Jennings, Josh Downs, Jerry Jeudy, DJ Moore

At the wide receiver spot especially, bye weeks and injuries are major factors in Week 12. If you don't have an excess of must-start WRs and need help identifying the top available options, we're here to help with our Week 12 TNF fantasy football wide receiver rankings for 2024. Let's dive in below to see […]


Jonnu Smith - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

TNF Tight End Fantasy Football Rankings - Week 12 Thursday TE Updates for George Kittle, David Njoku, Will Dissly, Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry

In most leagues, only three weeks of the fantasy football regular season remain. If you desperately need a win to clinch a first-round bye or quality for the playoffs, use our Week 12 TNF fantasy football tight end rankings to help you with tough start-or-sit calls at the challenging TE spot. Ahead of the critical Week […]


Tommy DeVito- Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Not All Heroes...Play On Good Teams - Giants, Patriots, and Cowboys Fantasy Football Outlooks

It's well-known at this point that good offenses can help their players light up the scoreboards in fantasy football leagues. The mantra "trust in good players on good offenses" rings true, and some of the best seasons in fantasy football history have been aided by things like good playcalling and a good supporting cast. The […]


Baker Mayfield - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

TNF Quarterback Fantasy Football Rankings - Week 12 Thursday QB Updates for Anthony Richardson, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Bo Nix, C.J. Stroud

It's a critical week for fantasy football, as the playoffs are just around the corner. If you need help to nail your optimal lineups this week, our Week 12 TNF fantasy football quarterback rankings for 2024 are here to assist. Ahead of the all-important Week 12 slate, let's navigate the rankings below and find out […]


Jaylen Waddle - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Jaylen Waddle Fantasy Football Outlook - What's Wrong With Waddle?

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was widely pushed as a potential league-winner in fantasy football in 2024 due to a variety of factors. The explosiveness and big-play ability of the Dolphins offense, the good play of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and his talent were a few of them. It's not worked out that way. It's […]