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New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is coming off of a terrific 2018 campaign in which he rushed for 883 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. In addition, he hauled in 81 receptions for 709 yards and four scores en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.
Basically, he is a terrific all-around back and a Fantasy Football owner's dream.
Now, Kamara is getting set to enter his third season, which could end up being his most action-packed season given that Mark Ingram is now playing for the Baltimore Ravens.
So, here are three last-minute predictions for Kamara going into 2019.
3. He'll Finish Top 10 in Carries
Kamara carried the ball 194 times in 2018, which ranked 16th in the NFL. That was with Ingram in tow. Now that Ingram is gone, Kamara's number is likely to see an increase.
Christian McCaffrey ranked 10th in the league with 219 rushes last year, and I find it hard to believe that Kamara won't eclipse that number.
Yes, I know the Saints signed Latavius Murray, but he is not Ingram, and probably won't be used as much as Ingram was during his time in New Orleans.
As a result, I expect the Saints' offense to be much more heavily focused on Kamara, who is just as good of a rusher as he is a versatile pass-catcher out of the backfield.
Look for him to tote the ball around 230 times this season.
2. His Efficiency Will Dip
Kamara has been remarkably efficient over his first two NFL seasons, averaging an insane 6.1 yards per carry during his rookie year and 4.6 yards per attempt in 2018.
While that is fantastic, it would not be surprising if Kamara's efficient dropped a bit this year with the expected higher volume.
Remember: he averaged his 6.1 yards per carry in 2017 on just 120 attempts, so that number surely would have flattened out a bit had Kamara gotten 200 or more carries.
I'm not saying he'll become Leonard Fournette; I'm just saying he might end up averaging something like 4.3 or 4.4 yards per attempt rather than the 5.1 average he has tallied thus far in his career.
And as far as pass-catching? He'll probably be around the same, as New Orleans is likely to use him equally as much in the passing game as it did in 2017 and 2018, when he tallied 81 receptions in both seasons.
1. He'll Rush for 1,000 Yards and Make His Third Straight Pro Bowl
There are a lot of good running backs in the NFC. Saquon Barkley. Ezekiel Elliott. Todd Gurley. Christian McCaffrey.
But with Elliott's status for 2019 in question due to a holdout and Gurley being a major question mark as a result of his knee issues, Kamara should be able to make his third straight Pro Bowl, and he'll have the numbers to justify it.
As good as Kamara has been over his first couple of seasons, he is yet to have rushed for 1,000 yards in a single season, a mark that I think he will definitely achieve this year so long as he stays healthy.
Again, Kamara's volume is likely to increase, and we know how versatile he is.
Look for him to rack up 1,000 yards on the ground while remaining a big-time threat as a receiver out of the backfield on his way to yet another Pro Bowl appearance.
