Who Should I Start? Alvin Kamara or Bucky Irving

Tuesday, August 5, 2:32 PM

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara won't play in the team's preseason opener on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, but the rest of the RBs will, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. Kamara has been healthy during training camp, but the Saints will keep their RB1 out as a precaution for the first preseason contest. Rookie Devin Neal (hamstring) is currently injured, so it will likely be Kendre Miller, Cam Akers and Clyde Edwards-Helaire sharing the backfield this weekend for the Saints. Kamara, now 30 years old, has still yet to record a 1,000-yard rushing season through eight NFL seasons, but he's made up for that in fantasy by catching 60-plus passes in six seasons. He also had a career-high 950 rushing yards and six TDs in 2024. Kamara should remain heavily involved in the Saints' new offense, but there are concerns about how good New Orleans' offense will be, and Kamara is becoming more of an injury risk. Target him as more of a low-end RB2 in PPR formats.

Monday, August 4, 1:31 PM

ESPN's Dan Graziano writes that he is trying to take Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving pretty early in fantasy drafts. Graziano explains that the Bucs love Irving, and while they also have a role planned for Rachaad White, Irving is "viewed by people in the building as special enough to warrant a high-volume RB1 role." "His vision," quarterback Baker Mayfield said. "His timing of when he's supposed to hit the gas. He's patient, patient and then hits it. I just think he's always looking to score. It's tough to see in practice. Like, last year at this time I was like, 'Eh. We'll see. It looks good.' But didn't expect it to be like it was. He's just tough to bring down. He's strong, he's got great vision, he understands it, and then also you add in the ability to catch too. He's well-rounded." The 22-year-old had a 1,000-yard season with eight touchdowns in his rookie campaign and should be heavily involved in the passing attack, too, making him a low-end RB1 target in fantasy in 2025.