Quarterback injuries are an interesting piece of fantasy football. While an injured QB, no matter how talented, is often pretty easily replaceable on your fantasy roster, his injury likely has a larger impact on some of the other players on your team. One prime and recent example stems from the thumb injury Drew Brees suffered last week that is expected to keep him sidelined for at least 6 weeks — while Brees may be easily replaceable with an option from the waiver wire, his injury has caused hits to the stock of Michael Thomas, Jared Cook, and more prominent members of the Saints offense. Despite this, Alvin Kamara still thrived on Sunday in a win over Seattle, turning 16 carries into 69 yards and a TD and catching another 9 balls for 92 yards and a TD on 10 targets through the air. New Orleans’ offense may not hum like we’re used to without Brees, but it seems that Kamara owners have nothing to be worried about with Teddy Bridgewater under center.
It would’ve been enough to see Alvin Kamara rush for 70 yards and a TD as the far and away primary back — Latavius Murray had just 2 carries for 2 yards — to feel alright about where his production will be without his Hall of Fame QB. But factor in that he also lead the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards and registered a touch on over 50% of the team’s offensive snaps, and Kamara may be a truly QB-proof talent in Sean Payton’s offense. The fact that Teddy Bridgewater had more success throwing to Kamara (9/10, 92 yards, TD) than everyone else combined (10/17, 85 yards, TD) should bode well for Kamara’s future usage in the passing game, and his rushing usage is already exactly where fantasy owners want it to be.
Bridgewater, who referred to Kamara after the game as a “human joystick,” looks prepared to lean heavily on his star RB throughout his time as the starting QB. And if you’re him or Sean Payton, why would you try anything else?
The Saints’ upcoming schedule features the Cowboys, Bucs, and Jaguars — not exactly an easy slate as far as RB production. But as long as Kamara’s usage stays at the same level, he’s proven that with or without Brees, he’s a bona fide RB1.
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