Analyze Alvin Kamara's matchup for week 9
A washed-looking Kamara (career-low 4.1 YPC, zero 35-yard games) runs into the NFL’s second-stingiest RB defense that hasn’t allowed a rushing TD to a back all year—sit him everywhere.
The Rams are allowing only 80.4 rush yards per game to RBs and zero rushing scores through seven weeks, while Kamara has yet to top 45 total yards in any 2025 contest and his O-line can’t open holes. New Orleans is projected to trail big, further capsizing his already-sinking touch count.
Three straight years of declining yards per carry, vanished explosive plays, and a career-worst YAC mark—he looks 30 going on 35.
Kamara’s athletic cliff has been steep: his yards-after-contact per attempt has fallen every season since 2020 and his 2025 burst is gone, as evidenced by a 4.1 YPC that sits miles below the league average. The Saints’ retooled line ranks bottom-five in adjusted line yards, so even gap runs are getting blown up at the snap. Against a Rams front that uses lighter boxes yet still limits RBs to 3.8 YPC and has yet to concede a rushing touchdown, Kamara would need 18-plus touches just to flirt with flex value—something the pass-heavy, negative-game-script Saints are unlikely to provide. His receiving role has also dried up (2-12-0 in Week 1), neutralizing the PPR safety valve that once propped up his floor. In sum, there is no pathway to a ceiling and precious little floor, making Kamara an easy bench and potential drop in 10- and 12-team formats.