Who Should I Start? Alvin Kamara or Zach Charbonnet

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.

Friday, January 9, 2:50 PM

Seattle running back Zach Charbonnet will enjoy a well-earned week of rest, with the Seahawks having secured the NFC's top seed, and when he returns to action for the Divisional Round, he will be looking to extend his three-game touchdown streak. Charbonnet found the end zone four times over the final three games of the regular season, finishing no lower than RB17 in Half-PPR formats during that time, including back-to-back top-6 performances to close the season. More impressively, all three games came against NFC teams that qualified for the playoffs. After finishing the regular season with 12 rushing touchdowns in a split backfield, Charbonnet should be viewed as a boom or bust running back option in fantasy playoff leagues, with his recent history suggesting a likelihood to boom.