New Orleans Saints: Alvin Kamara should be the No. 1 PPR running back

Alvin Kamara should be the No. 1 pick in your fantasy draft.

The New Orleans Saints are easily going to be one of the best teams in the NFC South again this year, and it’ll be on the back of Alvin Kamara, the player that should be the No. 1 overall fantasy selection in point-per-reception leagues.

The chances are that if you took a shot with a top pick after a stellar rookie season you were more than happy with the production Kamara churned out last season. However, the second-year back finished fourth in non-QB points.

He was behind Panthers’ star back Christian McCaffrey, Giants’ rookie Saquon Barkley and Rams’ Todd Gurley III. This season, there may be one instrumental change that could impact all that and place Kamara ahead of the pack.

That chance is the exodus of Mark Ingram. For the last few seasons, Ingram took, although minute, a few impactful touches a game away from Kamara, many of which ended up being on the goal-line.

Now, it’ll be Latavius Murray backing Kamara up, and with their similar styles of play and Murray’s lack of ground-and-pound size, it’s expected that Kamara may be a three-down back for the first time in his career.

With the recent signing of Michael Thomas and the sustained excellence of Drew Brees, this offense should once again be at the top of the league. Last season, they ranked eighth in total yards and fifth in rush attempts.

Take those yards, hold them steady and then give Kamara all the attempts from the backfield, and you have a player that’s ready to be the league’s best fantasy asset. Given his ability to catch in the backfield, Kamara’s impact on a PPR league immediately shoots upward as well.

If you have the first overall pick, you really cannot go wrong with any of the four backs listed, but if you want one that could have a shockingly good season on an offense that’ll put up 25 points per game, snag Alvin Kamara.