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    Alvin Kamara (knee) expected to play in Week 2

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    NO Running Back #41
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    Saints coach Kellen Moore said Alvin Kamara (knee) will play in Week 2 against the Ravens.

    Kamara was limited throughout practice last week and was ruled out with inactives. Moore said today that he could have played but needed more time on task, implying that limited preparation was the larger issue, not Kamara’s health. Travis Etienne split work with Kendre Miller last week. Kamara will presumably take on Miller’s role as the backup, though he could also eat into Etienne’s target total. Etienne caught seven balls in his Saints debut. If he loses that work, Etienne could fall out of the RB2 ranks entirely.
How will Kamara and Etienne split backfield reps?
With Alvin Kamara likely to return in Week 2, Patrick Daugherty and Denny Carter evaluate how the Saints legend and Travis Etienne Jr. will affect each other's fantasy outlooks.

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  • NO Running Back #3
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    Etienne was taken off the field a surprising amount, ceding nine carries to Kendre Miller and another two to CJ Donaldson. Donaldson also logged two targets. While his role on the ground was concerning for fantasy managers, a nine-target outing cushioned the blow slightly. In PPR leagues, Etienne did enough. Unless the Saints are going to play in overtime shootouts every week, Etienne will need to take on more rushing work to be a weekly RB2. With Alvin Kamara potentially returning next week, Etienne will sit on the RB2/3 border for his date with the Ravens.
  • NO Running Back #41
    Kamara practiced in full this week, but the Saints are going to give him at least seven more days to get fully healthy. Kendre Miller will back up Travis Etienne. Also inactive for the Saints are TE Oscar Delp, QB Zach Wilson, OL Mason Murphy, EDGE Cameron Jordan, DL John Ridgeway III, and DL Khristian Boyd.
  • NO Running Back #41
    Kamara practiced in full on Friday but was still listed as questionable for Week 1. It doesn’t sound like there are any immediate concerns with the knee issue, but rather the team wants to ease him back into action with another week of practice. Kendre Miller will serve as the team’s RB2 for this game.
  • NO Running Back #41
    Underhill notes that Kamara practiced fully on Friday, “so he’s cleared, but the team is deep at running back.” This is good news for starting RB Travis Etienne, who should lead the team in carries easily and potentially hog snaps in scoring position since Kamara will be less than 100 percent healthy, if active. Saints RB3 Kendre Miller is the next man up.
  • NO Running Back #41
    Kamara logged two limited sessions to begin the week, and New Orleans Football’s Nick Underhill said he thinks Kamara will play, barring a setback. We do not yet know Kamara’s practice participation level on Friday, but he is traveling with the team, which is a good sign. Kamara would be a PPR FLEX if active. He is expected to play on passing downs while starting RB Travis Etienne leads the team in carries. Etienne is the best bet to handle the primary red zone role, but Kamara has been a prolific touchdown scorer over his career and could factor in. The Saints ruled out RB Audric Estime (thigh).
  • NO Running Back #41
    The Saints’ presumed passing down specialist is on track to play. Kamara sprained an MCL on August 18th, but the rehab is evidently going well. It is unclear whether Kamara could rotate in when the offense enters scoring position. Consider him a PPR FLEX option.
  • NO Running Back #41
    Underhill did note that Kamara needs to make it to Sunday without any setbacks. He was limited in practice on Wednesday after suffering an MCL injury during a training camp scrimmage. The initial timeline for his return would have seen him miss multiple weeks of the regular season, but Kamara is well ahead of schedule in his recovery. He will likely serve as a passing-downs specialist with Travis Etienne handling the bulk of the carries.
  • NO Running Back #41
    Kamara suffered an MCL injury during a scrimmage three weeks ago. The issue was initially expected to sideline him for at least a month, but it looks like he has a shot at significantly beating that timeline. Even if he doesn’t play this week, there’s a good chance Kamara is back by Week 2 or 3. He will be a low-end FLEX play in PPR leagues once he is healthy.
  • NO Running Back #41
    This isn’t a surprise, as Kamara’s timeline to return per Adam Schefter as of August 19 was a month away. What was a minor surprise is that Kamara wasn’t placed on injured reserve before the start of the season. Perhaps there is still a chance he can go in Week 1, though we’d call him doubtful at this point based on the initial timeline.
  • NO Running Back #41
    Kamara, 31, exited the Saints’ Tuesday scrimmage with a knee injury. The one-month recovery timeline — at best — means Kamara will likely miss the team’s regular season opener, and perhaps their Week 2 game. Travis Etienne, meanwhile, should function as something close to a workhorse while Kamara is sidelined. Etienne’s PPR upside gets a boost if Kamara is sidelined for the first couple regular season contests.

Rotoworld

  • BUF Tight End #88
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    Dawson Knox caught both targets for five yards and a touchdown in the Bills’ Week 2 win over the Lions.

    Knox cashed in on a touchdown grab from one yard out in the second quarter for his first score of the season. While his snaps should remain high in an offense that rotates pass-catchers at an elevated rate, his primary contribution remains his blocking prowess. He remains a player unlikely to contribute meaningful counting stats on a weekly basis and is best left on the waiver wire.
  • BUF Wide Receiver #10
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    Khalil Shakir caught 3-of-6 targets for 38 yards in the Bills’ Week 2 win over the Lions.

    Shakir continued in a gadgety role for the Bills, primarily working the short areas of the field in addition to receiving snaps out of the backfield. That could change in the immediate future after lead receiver DJ Moore departed in the second quarter with what appeared to be a significant shoulder injury. Even so, Shakir is best left on the waiver wire in all but the deepest fantasy leagues.
  • BUF Wide Receiver #0
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    Keon Coleman caught all six targets for 63 yards in the Bills’ Week 2 win over the Lions.

    Coleman could be a hot name on the waiver wire following Week 2 after DJ Moore departed with what appeared to be a significant shoulder injury in the first half. The third-year veteran continues to tease at untapped upside in this high-powered offense but has yet to fully break through for consistent production. Maybe that changes now as his role potentially grows without Moore. It will also be interesting to see how, if at all, his route tree changes in the absence of Moore, particularly considering the team has Joshua Palmer to operate as the field-stretching, Z-type receiver, the latter of whom caught his only target for a 43-yard touchdown on a broken coverage against the Lions. Coleman is a speculative waiver addition ahead of a much more forgiving matchup against the Jets in Week 3.
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    Dalton Kincaid caught 7-of-8 targets for 95 yards and a touchdown in the Bills’ Week 2 win over the Lions.

    Kincaid truly did it all in this one, routinely in the middle of the blocking scrum on long James Cook runs in addition to his work through the air. His 95 yards handily paced the team, with his first touchdown of the young season coming from 16 yards out near the end of the second quarter. Kincaid remains one of the most efficient pass-catchers in the league on a per-route basis and has worked his way into the upper echelon of fantasy assets at the position. He remains a locked-in TE1 when the Bills host the Jets in Week 3.
  • BUF Running Back #4
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    James Cook rushed 21 times for 135 yards and a touchdown in the Bills’ Week 2 win over the Lions, adding four yards on one reception.

    Cook jumped out to a scorching start on the ground, reaching the century mark in rushing before the half. Still, fantasy managers were left scratching their head as they watched Josh Allen account for three touchdowns from inside the five, two on the ground and one through the air. It wasn’t until a 22-yard carry that was down at the one late in the fourth quarter that the team rewarded Cook with a short-yardage touchdown, finally allowing fantasy managers their first taste of sweet touchdown copium from their first-round draft pick on the young season. Cook is likely to remain busy when the Bills host the Jets in Week 3, where he will remain a locked-in RB1.
  • BUF Quarterback #17
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    Josh Allen completed 20-of-31 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns in the Bills’ 41-31, Week 2 win over the Lions, adding 69 yard and two touchdowns on 14 carries.

    Was it ever a doubt that Super Josh would make an appearance in the franchise’s first game in their new stadium? To the utter dismay of James Cook fantasy managers, Allen accounted for three touchdowns from inside the five against the Lions, two with his legs and one with his arm, extending his NFL-record for games with multiple rushing touchdowns and multiple passing touchdowns to 10 in the process. The unquestioned overall QB1 in fantasy circles continues to prove the doubters wrong as the Bills surge to 2-0 atop the AFC ahead of a home meeting with the Chargers in Week 3. Allen remains a top-tier fantasy asset until pigs fly.
  • DET Wide Receiver #1
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    Jameson Williams caught 2-of-4 targets for 33 yards in the Lions’ Week 2 loss to the Bills.

    Williams continues to be primarily utilized as a deep threat in the Detroit offense, which is not the development fantasy managers were expecting following offseason reports that his route tree would be expanded in the new year. The mounting injuries along the offensive line have limited Goff’s time in the pocket to the point where Williams rarely has enough time for his routes to develop, leading to the down production through two weeks. Whether either of those two variables changes in the immediate future remains to be seen, leaving us to treat Williams as nothing more than an upside WR3 in the interim. He will be a difficult start in Week 3 when the Lions host the Jets.
  • DET Tight End #87
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    Sam LaPorta caught 6-of-7 targets for 52 yards and a touchdown in the Lions’ Week 2 loss to the Bills.

    LaPorta combined with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs to be the primary targets for quarterback Jared Goff on a night where relentless pressure from the Bills forced the offense to primarily attack the intermediate areas of the field. That could be the norm for this offense moving forward considering the mounting injuries along their offensive line, which are likely to be felt the most against opponents with a legitimate pass rush. That may not be the case in Week 3 when the Lions host the Jets, a team that is likely to also utilize elevated rates of zone coverage. LaPorta has had stark man-zone splits throughout his career and could see less volume due to matchup. He’ll be a low-end TE1 against the Jets.
  • DET Wide Receiver #14
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    Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 9-of-13 targets for 142 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions’ Week 2 loss to the Bills.

    St. Brown did not catch his first pass until six minutes left in the second quarter but was the primary cog of the offense after the break as the Lions worked to overcome multiple 17-point deficits. He found paint for the first time on the team’s first possession after the break before adding a second in the two-minute drill from 27 yards out. St. Brown now has 209 yards and four touchdowns on 19 receptions through two games an looks every bit of the elite WR1 fantasy managers invested a first-round pick into this offseason. Although volume through the air might be more difficult to come by in Week 3, St. Brown remains a top-tier WR1 when the Lions host the Jets in Detroit.
  • DET Running Back #0
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    Jahmyr Gibbs rushed 16 times for 52 yards in the Lions’ Week 2 loss to the Bills, adding 61 yards and a touchdown on six receptions.

    Gibbs was effectively the entire game plan out of the gates, scoring the team’s only first-half touchdown from 11 yards out in the second quarter. He would be used far less after the break as the Lions attempted to come back from multiple 17-point deficits, although the six receptions on eight targets and a touchdown through the air helped push his counting stats into clear RB1 territory for the second consecutive week to start the season. Fantasy managers that were lucky enough to secure the 1.01 in drafts this offseason are sure to be content with the early returns. Gibbs will once again be an elite fantasy option when the Lions host the Jets in Week 3.