Who Should I Start? Alvin Kamara or Rhamondre Stevenson

Friday, January 2, 3:42 PM

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (knee, ankle) has been ruled out for his team's Week 18 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, per ESPN's Katherine Terrell. Kamara suffered a sprained MCL in Week 12 that will ultimately end up causing him to miss New Orleans' final six games of the season. Across 11 contests in 2025, the 30-year-old recorded 657 scrimmage yards and one touchdown on 164 touches. His 3.6 yards per carry and 4.0 yards per touch both represent career lows. With Kamara sidelined and Saints backs Kendre Miller (knee) and Devin Neal (hamstring) on Injured Reserve, New Orleans will likely split backfield work between Audric Estime and Evan Hull in Week 18, with tight end Taysom Hill possibly mixing in as well. Estime functioned as the team's lead back in Week 17, recording 14 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.

Sunday, January 11, 2:29 PM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson ended the regular season with a bang, recording 153 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns on nine touches in Week 18. Although Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson surpassed Stevenson as the lead back in New England over the course of the season, Stevenson proved he could still be productive in a secondary role. Over his final five games of 2025, the 27-year-old racked up 490 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns on 56 touches. Stevenson may have trouble being quite as efficient in New England's Wild Card round matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. In the regular season, Los Angeles ranked eighth in the NFL in total rushing yards allowed (1,791) and tied for 16th in rushing touchdowns allowed (16). Stevenson profiles as a touchdown-dependent RB2 option for fantasy managers against the Chargers.