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Saints: Alvin Kamara played through knee, ankle, back issues

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara played through knee, ankle, and back injuries last season, according to position coach Joel Thomas.

What It Means:

Kamara said earlier this offseason that his leg was only at 75 percent last year, but that he is now back to full health. The injuries clearly impacted Kamara's play, as he averaged 116.6 scrimmage yards per game before landing on the Week 6 injury report. Following a two-game absence and the Saints' bye, Kamara only put up 85.1 yards from scrimmage from Weeks 10-17. He particularly struggled as a receiver in that stretch, averaging just 5.4 yards per catch, down from 9.3 over the first five games. That would have ranked last among all running backs with at least 50 receptions last season. In addition to being healthy again, Kamara should also benefit from positive touchdown regression. He only scored 6 times last season after racking up 31 touchdowns over his first two years in the league. That tied for fourth-fewest in the league out of 27 players with at least 200 touches.

numberFire's models project Kamara for 217.3 carries, 1,010.6 rushing yards, 534.8 receiving yards, 77.5 receptions (100.1 targets), and 14.0 touchdowns this season. He's the RB6 in our preseason fantasy rankings.