Who Should I Start? Alvin Kamara or Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.8 | 21.8 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 10.6 | 0.1 |
Alvin Kamara News
Thursday, September 3, 10:47 AM
New Orleans Saints veteran running back Alvin Kamara (knee) was not seen on the practice field on Thursday in the portion open to the media, according to Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football. Kamara still has another week to work himself back into practice and be cleared for the Week 1 regular-season opener against the Detroit Lions after suffering a sprained MCL in his knee over two weeks ago. Kendre Miller has also been sidelined this week with a minor undisclosed injury, which leaves only Audric Estime and Travis Etienne Jr. as the team's healthy RBs. At this point, it seems more likely that Kamara is unavailable to play in the 2026 season opener, but he was not placed on Injured Reserve to begin the year, which means the Saints believe he will be ready to make his season debut within the first four weeks. Once one of the best dual-threat backs in the league, the 31-year-old five-time Pro Bowler has ended each of the last two years with injuries and played in a career-low 11 contests in 2025, rushing for only 471 yards and one touchdown on 131 carries while catching a career-low 33 passes for 186 yards. Now that Etienne is in town as the primary RB1 in the Big Easy, Kamara is merely a handcuff option with some pass-catching upside in PPR formats late in fantasy drafts.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.2 | 43.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
Jacory Croskey-Merritt News
Monday, August 31, 1:51 PM
Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) was not participating in Monday's practice, but it sounds like he should return to the field next week, according to John Keim of ESPN. Croskey-Merritt is believed to be dealing with a minor groin injury that caused him to sit out of the team's final two preseason games. But as long as JCM is back on the practice field next week, he should be in line to play in the Week 1 regular-season opener against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Sept. 13. Heading into his second year in the NFL, Croskey-Merritt is positioned to lead Washington on early downs, but his fantasy upside will be capped by the presence of newcomer and pass-game specialist Rachaad White (hamstring), who is expected to see most of the targets out of the backfield as a receiver. Both backs are a little banged up, though, so it is possible that rookie Kaytron Allen sees a bigger role out of the gates in Week 1. In season-long redraft leagues, Croskey-Merritt should be drafted as an RB3/flex with upside in his sophomore campaign. The former seventh-rounder from Arizona impressed with 805 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 175 carries in his first NFL season, adding only nine receptions for 68 yards through the air in 17 games.
Alvin Kamara vs. Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Still trying to decide between Kamara and Croskey-Merritt? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Alvin Kamara is projected to score 5.8 points this week while Jacory Croskey-Merritt is projected to score 8.2 points.
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