One of the great truths in fantasy, as it is in all sports, is that we eventually tire of reliably, predictably and relentlessly great players. Next New major events occur even if previous major events still dominate.
The most valuable selection in any draft is always a reliable veteran star who is still performing at or near his peak.
With this fact in mind, I would like to draw your attention to an ADP situation that appears to be pure theft.
Alvin Kamara finished as the 5th overall RB in per-game grades last year and is one of the most consistent fantasy producers of the current era, but early drafters have him as the 17th RB in half-PPR formats. He's also completely buried in the 2024 position rankings. High-stakes players have him in the dead zone. That's wild.
In case you hadn't noticed, Kamara ranked second among running backs in receptions (75) and targets (86) last season despite missing four games, three of which were due to suspension. He averaged 89.2 scrimmage yards per game, made six home calls and caught a career-best 87.2% of his targets.
At 28 years old, Kamara is undoubtedly still capable of producing highlight reels every week.
Whatever your opinion of Derek Carr at this point (probably not favorable), at least he recognized the completion percentage cheat code that was suddenly available to him.
New Orleans didn't add much to its running back corps this offseason, so they can rest easy about Kamara's role in 2024. Sorry Kendre Miller and his diehard fans, but the second-year back is not going to be Kamara (or anybody else). The amazing Jamaal Williams) is still expendable. The Saints' backfield pecking order remains unchanged.
Klint Kubiak was the Niners' passing game coordinator under Kyle Shanahan last year before taking over as New Orleans' operating officer. Praise the team for the new systemThis shouldn't surprise anyone, as Kubiak and the running backs are generally in a good mood. Clint last served as the Vikings' offensive coordinator in 2021, a season in which Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison combined for 2,102 scrimmage yards, 10 touchdowns and 66 receptions.
It's honestly hard to find a reason to actively take Kamara out, aside from age, but many of you clearly do. He showed no signs of slowing down last year. Again, he was a top-five scorer in points per game. And he's not at unusual injury risk heading into this upcoming season. In fact, his medical record compares favorably to other running backs. Any Age and mileage.
Kamara is currently on a contractual footing, but so far this has been one of the more amicable standoffs in recent memory. No Le'Veon Bell situation has occurred. Kamara has given no reason to panic about his availability.
If draftees continue to receive such a large discount at No. 41 as we get further into August, it will be the result of a catastrophic failure on the part of the fantasy pundit community. He should be a target, not fade away. Kamara may be a household name, but we should never tire of his production.
