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Is Alvin Kamara out for the season? When is Alvin Kamara coming back? The latest Alvin Kamara injury update and fantasy football outlook heading into Week 16 of 2025.
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (knee, ankle) has now missed two games in a row with knee and ankle injuries. He hurt his knee in Week 12, just after his team's bye week, early in the contest against the Atlanta Falcons, and was forced to exit.
It's been a rough season for the 30-year-old. That's typically what happens with older players, though -- as their injuries pile up and their body breaks down from playing such a physical position and playing through a ton of injuries without fully healing first, they just don't have the juice they once had.
Back in Week 13, the Saints were from playoff contention, though. Kamara is signed through the 2026 season, so he has one more year left on his contract, and it's possible they could pull him for the rest of the season to avoid further injuries. So is Kamara out for the 2025 season?
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Is Alvin Kamara Out for the 2025 Season?
It doesn't seem like he will be. He wasn't placed on injured reserve, so it's likely the team decided he wasn't prone to missing more than four games. He's missed three weeks now, and though we didn't get any specific details on his injury, it was reported that it wasn't season-ending.
In addition, his current backup, Devin Neal (hamstring) suffered a hamstring injury in Week 15 and was ruled out. It's unclear if he'll play in Week 16, though him being ruled out suggests he might miss at least one week. And Kamara's other backup, Kendre Miller (knee) is still recovering from a torn ACL.
Alvin Kamara ROS schedule...
-Falcons (27th-ranked schedule-adjusted defense vs RBs)
-Dolphins (26th)
-Buccaneers (25th)
-Panthers (19th)
-Jets (16th, but awful w/o Quinnen Williams)
-Titans (23rd)Not one above-average run defense left. O better with Shough maybe. Buy! pic.twitter.com/BJ9FhWAHHt
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) November 21, 2025
Before his injury, I recommended you buy him. It's not quite as relevant now, but sources say he had an MCL sprain, which isn't a season-ending injury. The trade deadline has passed, but he's worth using a waiver claim on if he's not rostered in one of your leagues.
Alvin Kamara 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook
The days of Kamara absolutely dominating as a running back in fantasy football are all but over. The offense is nothing like it once was -- the offensive line is far worse than it has been in previous seasons and the team lacks talent overall.
It's difficult for them to sustain drives, leading to less overall offensive plays, and they're not able to be a run-heavy team due to blocking deficiencies. Kamara is also 30 years old, and has played through multiple injuries this season. When he returns, he probably won't be 100 percent.
Alvin Kamara breaking tackles is majestic 😮 @A_kamara6 pic.twitter.com/cX5i8zkhzW
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) September 30, 2019
Even last year, he was a great fantasy player based mostly on volume. But the fall-off for older RBs can be quite abrupt. Still, when he returns, he at least has flex value, considering his usage. The Saints might have to give him plenty of volume in Week 16, considering Neal's injury.
They're approaching the end of his playing days with the team, too, so it makes sense to give him the rock and see what he can do. Coaches are still trying to keep their jobs, after all, and it wouldn't make much sense to hammer an injured Neal over Kamara.
He probably doesn't have a ton of upside, though, and it's hard to see him carrying fantasy teams to championships. On the bright side, a Week 16 game against the New York Jets, who have a bottom-3 run defense, could give him at least one more nice game this season. If he plays that week, start him.
Week 17 against the Tennessee Titans won't be as great of a matchup, though. They've done well against running backs in recent weeks, partly due to being very bad against the pass, and teams electing to throw instead of run against them.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 16 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Michael Carter, Rico Dowdle, Kyle Monangai, Colston Loveland, Harold Fannin Jr., Jacory Croskey-Merritt. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 16. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 16 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players Michael Carter, Rico Dowdle, Kyle Monangai, Colston Loveland, Harold Fannin Jr., Jacory Croskey-Merritt. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 16.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool, but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 16 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 16 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 16 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 16 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Michael Carter, Rico Dowdle, Kyle Monangai, Colston Loveland, Harold Fannin Jr., Jacory Croskey-Merritt compared to others:
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