One head of the Saints’ two-headed rushing attack will be stuck on the sidelines for the first four games of next season, when Mark Ingram was suspended on Tuesday afternoon for failing a PED test. This suspension will officially give the uber-talented Alvin Kamara the chance to put a stranglehold on the starting job, which bumped up Kamara to No. 6 overall on The Wolf’s updated Big Board.
Although NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport stated that the Saints were going to feature Kamara anyway, the NFL’s reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year will face limited competition for carries while Ingram is away from the team for the foreseeable future. During his rookie season, Kamara burst onto the scene with 1,554 total yards and 13 total touchdowns on 201 touches. The rookie put up those ridiculous numbers while competing with Ingram’s 288 touches.
Not only will Kamara benefit from Ingram’s suspension, but Drew Brees, Mike Thomas, Cam Meredith and the rest of the Saints passing game will also benefit from a fantasy standpoint. Even though Kamara is explosive as a runner, he’s arguably more dangerous in the passing game. Look for the Saints to turn back the clock for a vintage Sean Payton-Drew Brees aerial attack with their bruiser out of the lineup.
One name to keep an eye on is Saints rookie running back Boston Scott, who our friend of the program, Nick Underhill, tweeted about on Tuesday night. Scott is a 5-foot-7, 195 lb scat-back with elite athleticism and could get a shot on third down during those first four games.
As of Tuesday night, Kamara bumped up to No.6 overall (RB5), while Thomas nudged up to No. 15 overall (WR4). Brees took the biggest jump from QB12 to QB5. Even though he’s in a contract year, Ingram fell all the way to RB23.
