Who Should I Start? Alvin Kamara or James Conner

Wednesday, December 25, 9:52 PM

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (groin) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's practice estimation. The Saints didn't have an actual practice, but if they did, Kamara would have not participated. The veteran running back picked up a groin injury back in Week 15 and hasn't played since. Interim head coach Darren Rizzi recently noted that Kamara wants to play again this week and certainly doesn't want to be shut down for the rest of the regular season, but he also said that a decision hasn't been made on the 29-year-old's status going forward. Kamara had been closing in on his first 1,000-yard rushing season, posting a career-high 950 rushing yards to go along with his 543 receiving yards. He also found the end zone eight times through 14 games, using his pass-catching productivity to rank as the overall RB7 in PPR leagues. Kamara would rank as a top-12 fantasy running back if he's able to suit up against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17, but Wednesday's listing as a DNP is not a good start. If he can't play, Kendre Miller would step up as the Saints' primary running back for the second week in a row.

Wednesday, December 25, 10:05 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (knee) was a limited participant during Wednesday's practice. The veteran has maintained the same practice status for two days in a row; he had also been limited in Tuesday's walkthrough. The Cardinals will hold one more practice on Thursday before releasing their final injury report. If Conner can log a full session, he might be able to avoid an official injury designation. Otherwise, he could end up being listed as questionable for Week 17, which would leave his status in doubt until the Cardinals' list of inactives gets released on Saturday evening. Fantasy managers certainly hope that Conner will be able to suit up. He has remained a top fantasy option in his age-29 season, ranking as the RB9 overall with 1,090 rushing yards, 410 receiving yards, and nine total touchdowns. He should continue to be deployed as a top-12 fantasy running backs, assuming he suits up Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams.