NFL Nation Fantasy: Saints to rely more on Kamara?

The fantasy football playoffs are here. If you’re lucky enough — or just made the right moves — to be playing in Week 15, you know lineup decisions will be key. We want to help.

Each Tuesday and Saturday during the season, ESPN fantasy analyst Eric Moody will ask our NFL Nation reporters the most pressing questions heading into the weekend and what to make of the fallout after games are played. Who is primed for a big performance, who is impacted by injuries and what roles might change? Here’s what our crew had to say about some of the biggest storylines heading into the first week of the fantasy playoffs.

Will the Saints rely more on Alvin Kamara and the running game with Derek Carr and Chris Olave banged up?

QB Taysom Hill and WR Rashid Shaheed were back at practice this week, which will be a big boost to the offense if Olave can’t go. The Saints will likely lean on Hill and Kamara against the Giants’ 29th-ranked rushing defense. The two have four combined rushing touchdowns over the past two games. In the passing game, they’ll likely look to use Jimmy Graham more since he has proven to be a viable red zone target the past few games. — Katherine Terrell

With the Dolphins’ offense banged up, how do you expect the game plan will play out against the Jets?

The Dolphins ran for 167 yards the last time they played the Jets, so that should be the game plan once again regardless of Tyreek Hill‘s availability. It could end up being another blow-up spot for Raheem Mostert, especially if De’Von Achane does not play because of a toe injury. An effective run game should take some pressure off Tua Tagovailoa, who wasn’t particularly good against the Jets in Week 12 and had his worst game of the season Monday night behind a battered offensive line. — Marcel Louis-Jacques

With the statuses of C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins up in the air for Sunday’s game, what can we expect from the Texans’ passing game?

Not much. The Texans might be without Collins (calf) and already are without Tank Dell. The replacements for Stroud just can’t consistently produce the explosive plays that have the No. 2 pick second in passing yards. If they could, they would be a starter somewhere. I would expect the Texans to run the football with Devin Singletary and Dameon Pierce, since they could be without their best pass-catcher in Collins also. — DJ Bien-Aime

How will the touches be distributed in the Commanders’ backfield between Antonio Gibson and Chris Rodriguez Jr. with Brian Robinson Jr. trending toward not playing?

Robinson won’t play Sunday because of a hamstring injury, giving both Gibson and Rodriguez a chance for more work. Washington coach Ron Rivera said the Commanders want to give Rodriguez more carries; he has averaged 5.0 yards per run this season and at times has shown he can be a good fit in their run scheme, using his patience and one-cut style. In terms of workload, a lot will depend on how they want to attack the Rams. Gibson will probably receive the bulk of the work — he’s been their third-down back all season — but if Rodriguez is effective running the ball, they’ll ride the hot hand. — John Keim

Is Darren Waller going to be limited in his return from a hamstring injury?

Waller is set to return for the first time since late October. He admitted this week it wouldn’t be smart to jump right back into the mix and handle a full workload of 60-70 snaps. Instead, a “number that is solid” which allows him to contribute and be fresh is more realistic. Figure 30 or so snaps, mostly passing downs. It’s also worth noting that he’s facing an uphill battle toward a big game since he has never caught any passes from Tommy DeVito in live action. — Jordan Raanan

What should we expect from Ty Chandler and the Vikings’ running game Saturday?

The Vikings have been slowly working Chandler into their backfield rotation since the loss of Cam Akers, and in some games he has looked to be a better fit for their offense than starter Alexander Mattison. He smoothly finds the hole and has a level of explosion after his first cut that Mattison simply doesn’t have. Still, this will be his first NFL start in a career that has seen him carry the ball 10 or more times in only three games. In the end, though, the Vikings are going to give Chandler every chance to establish himself as the primary runner as they move ahead cautiously with their fourth different starting quarterback (Nick Mullens) of the season. — Kevin Seifert

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