Alvin Kamara: Confident or Concerned

[Chandler Bing]

I'm treating him as the most valuable RB from the 2017 class.

Me too except he is most valuable regardless of position for me

[Concept Coop]

I'm treating him as the most valuable RB from the 2017 class.

Me too except he is most valuable regardless of position for me

Absolutely. I wouldn't trade him for Davis and Engram, who are my top rated non-RB rookies.

I was just offered Fournette for him today, and I'm having a hard time even coming up with a counter. He's scoring 23 PPG since the AP trade. Only Zeke has a higher PPG avg during that span. Kamara doesn't seem to take big hits and had a light workload in college. At this rate, we can project him to age nicely.

[Chandler Bing]

I'm treating him as the most valuable RB from the 2017 class.

Me too except he is most valuable regardless of position for me

Absolutely. I wouldn't trade him for Davis and Engram, who are my top rated non-RB rookies.

I was just offered Fournette for him today, and I'm having a hard time even coming up with a counter. He's scoring 23 PPG since the AP trade. Only Zeke has a higher PPG avg during that span. Kamara doesn't seem to take big hits and had a light workload in college. At this rate, we can project him to age nicely.

The Fournette owner probably isn't willing to add anything to make it worth your while, so might as well hold onto him and enjoy the production. I am kind of hoping he stays in a committee, not sure how it would go with a big workload.

[hockeyBjj]

I think people might look back on this RB class like people look at the '14 WR class. Rankings are so fluid right now. We should just appreciate that so many kids are "hitting" at a position that was getting thin, real quick.

17's runningbacks have been magical.

Kamara is behind only Gurley in scoring in my league.

Hunt's start of the season was so explosive he's still the #4 scorer despite is cooling off.

Fournette is averaging as the #6 if you discount the games missed with his injuries.

Cook looked better than them all at the start of the season before sadly blowing out his knee.

McCafrey is the #7 scoring RB, but people are still concerned about him as he's kinda being used as a gadget player

Mixon is finally getting lead back touches and is looking good despite a horrible O-line

Perine has looked good the last two game, maybe starting to show signs he's figuring out the NFL

Surprise guys like Tarik Cohen who was taken at 5.10 in my league by a bears fan lol

Aaron Jones stepping up big for the Packers

That Eckler has put up some numbers behind Gordon

Time will tell who will stick around for future years like that 14 WR class, but so many are hitting and producing their rookie year here its nuts.

[Jason3123]

Kamara is most likely peaking in terms of fantasy goodness. His yards per touch/efficiency is unsustainable. Unless he somehow starts getting a lot more touches in the future, he won't match this production. And considering he's never been a heavy workload player, I doubt it happens. I would also bet he has a small window with Peyton/Brees and I would be very concerned about him post Brees.

So no, he's not the best RB. He might be the best for fantasy in 2017, but long term give me the actual workhorse RB's like Cook, Hunt, LF, Mixon over him.

[MichaelScarn]

I think people might look back on this RB class like people look at the '14 WR class. Rankings are so fluid right now. We should just appreciate that so many kids are "hitting" at a position that was getting thin, real quick.

17's runningbacks have been magical.

Kamara is behind only Gurley in scoring in my league.

Hunt's start of the season was so explosive he's still the #4 scorer despite is cooling off.

Fournette is averaging as the #6 if you discount the games missed with his injuries.

Cook looked better than them all at the start of the season before sadly blowing out his knee.

McCafrey is the #7 scoring RB, but people are still concerned about him as he's kinda being used as a gadget player

Mixon is finally getting lead back touches and is looking good despite a horrible O-line

Perine has looked good the last two game, maybe starting to show signs he's figuring out the NFL

Surprise guys like Tarik Cohen who was taken at 5.10 in my league by a bears fan lol

Aaron Jones stepping up big for the Packers

That Eckler has put up some numbers behind Gordon

Time will tell who will stick around for future years like that 14 WR class, but so many are hitting and producing their rookie year here its nuts.

The 2017 rb class was boasted all last year as the best draft for backs in over a decade and it looks to be true. If you stocked up on picks last year, you're probably laughing right now!

[Concept Coop]

Kamara is most likely peaking in terms of fantasy goodness. His yards per touch/efficiency is unsustainable. Unless he somehow starts getting a lot more touches in the future, he won't match this production. And considering he's never been a heavy workload player, I doubt it happens. I would also bet he has a small window with Peyton/Brees and I would be very concerned about him post Brees.

So no, he's not the best RB. He might be the best for fantasy in 2017, but long term give me the actual workhorse RB's like Cook, Hunt, LF, Mixon over him.

I remember hearing that Charles, CJ, and McCoy couldn't carry a full load - and Kamara is bigger than all of the them. He's bigger than Dalvin Cook and weighs as much as Hunt (although he's an inch taller). He's Marshall Faulk sized. I just don't understand why it's a given than his efficiency drops, but not that his touches increase. He's got a low center of gravity, a powerful lower body, and rarely takes big hits. Why can't he handle 16+ carries a game?

[Jason3123]

I don't know why he can't, you tell me? But he never has..so until it happens, consider me skeptical. Since he never has, I would bet against him being able to all of a sudden handle a heavy carry load, but maybe he can.

College carries:
Kamara - 210
Cook - 687
Hunt - 782
Charles - 533

Lots of factors that scream sell to me. Unsustainable efficiency, Brees, Payton... His name is such a hot commodity, I'd be trying to get Zeke/Davis/Etc..someone more of a building block for your roster.

[Concept Coop]

I don't know why he can't, you tell me? But he never has..so until it happens, consider me skeptical. Since he never has, I would bet against him being able to all of a sudden handle a heavy carry load, but maybe he can.

College carries:
Kamara - 210
Cook - 687
Hunt - 782
Charles - 533

Lots of factors that scream sell to me. Unsustainable efficiency, Brees, Payton... His name is such a hot commodity, I'd be trying to get Zeke/Davis/Etc..someone more of a building block for your roster.

I think it's perfectly reasonable to be agnostic on Kamara as a workhorse back. But it's not like he was asked to be and broke down. He played behind a talented Jalen Hurd at Tennessee. When Hurd transferred, Kamara split carries with another talented back in Kelly. Again, size clearly isn't the issue. Neither is running style (but that's a subjective call). I just don't see any reason to think he can't handle an extra 5-7 carries a game.

I think it's perfectly reasonable to sell him for Zeke, Bell, DJ, Fournette, and Gurley. If you're moving him for the likes of Davis, Mixon, Hunt, or Cook - I think you're over thinking things. Remove all 7 of his TDs, in the name of "reduced efficiency", and he's still an RB1 in PPR formats, post AP. Change his YPC form 7 to 5, in the name of "reduced efficiency", and he's still a top 5 back.

[cweds]

I don't know why he can't, you tell me? But he never has..so until it happens, consider me skeptical. Since he never has, I would bet against him being able to all of a sudden handle a heavy carry load, but maybe he can.

College carries:
Kamara - 210
Cook - 687
Hunt - 782
Charles - 533

Lots of factors that scream sell to me. Unsustainable efficiency, Brees, Payton... His name is such a hot commodity, I'd be trying to get Zeke/Davis/Etc..someone more of a building block for your roster.

I think it's perfectly reasonable to be agnostic on Kamara as a workhorse back. But it's not like he was asked to be and broke down. He played behind a talented Jalen Hurd at Tennessee. When Hurd transferred, Kamara split carries with another talented back in Kelly. Again, size clearly isn't the issue. Neither is running style (but that's a subjective call). I just don't see any reason to think he can't handle an extra 5-7 carries a game.

I think it's perfectly reasonable to sell him for Zeke, Bell, DJ, Fournette, and Gurley. If you're moving him for the likes of Davis, Mixon, Hunt, or Cook - I think you're over thinking things. Remove all 7 of his TDs, in the name of "reduced efficiency", and he's still an RB1 in PPR formats, post AP. Change his YPC form 7 to 5, in the name of "reduced efficiency", and he's still a top 5 back.

Sold Kamara/Late 1st (1.10-12)/Darkwa/4th for DJ on my non-playoff team. Love watching him play but even his outrageous pace since AP got traded is lower than DJ's was last year. Based on workloads I'm banking on DJ's performance being more repeatable than Kamara's but only time will tell

[ColdZealDonkeyStrike]

I don't know why he can't, you tell me? But he never has..so until it happens, consider me skeptical. Since he never has, I would bet against him being able to all of a sudden handle a heavy carry load, but maybe he can.

College carries:
Kamara - 210
Cook - 687
Hunt - 782
Charles - 533

Lots of factors that scream sell to me. Unsustainable efficiency, Brees, Payton... His name is such a hot commodity, I'd be trying to get Zeke/Davis/Etc..someone more of a building block for your roster.

To be fair, Kamara's numbers are from 2 seasons, while the other backs are from 3 and 4 seasons. Posting just the totals makes it look like more drastic a difference than it really is.

Or you could just include his 172 attempts in 9 games at Hutchinson JC

[Jason3123]

I could also point out how he only carried the ball 10+ times in 10/24 games at Tennessee and only 3 times so far in the NFL.

[ColdZealDonkeyStrike]

I could also point out how he only carried the ball 10+ times in 10/24 games at Tennessee and only 3 times so far in the NFL.

Right. He carried less than those guys, but not a 1/3 or 1/4 of the time like it seemed from the way you listed it. It was a disingenuous way to present the numbers.

I pointed out in the other thread that became a Kamara thread, Mixon wasn't used as a workhorse in college and wasn't used like one in Cincy until Hill went down. Nobody cites that as a reason he can't carry a load or he should be discounted. I guess because Mixon went 19 picks higher and is a little taller and heavier.

[krombj19]

Do we believe that Kamara as well as the 14th pick in a rookie Draft is good enough to get Zeke?

[cazzie33]

In PPR format they are pretty much even w/o the draft pick