Who Should I Start? Alvin Kamara or Dylan Sampson

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.

Sunday, August 3, 2:29 PM

Cleveland Browns rookie running back Jerome Sampson is "essentially playing the 1-B role" next to veteran Jerome Ford, according to Zac Jackson of The Athletic. A fourth-round rookie out of Tennessee, Sampson rushed for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns in 13 games last season for the Volunteers. With second-round running back Quinshon Judkins still unsigned by the team due to a July arrest, Sampson appears to be in line for a significant role as a rookie. Ford is entering his fourth season in Cleveland, but he's never truly earned a workhorse role throughout a full season. The backfield mix for the Browns will remain a bit muddled until Judkins' legal situation gets ironed out, but it sounds like Ford and Sampson will share the workload relatively evenly while Judkins is out.