New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara was ruled out of Thursday's Thanksgiving Day game against the Buffalo Bills because of a knee injury.

It'll mark the dual-threat back's third straight absence. He last played in a Nov. 7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

As the 5-5 Saints have navigated a series of injuries and inconsistent quarterback play, Kamara has been essential in keeping the offense afloat.

The four-time Pro Bowler leads the team in touches (178), rushing yards (530), yards from scrimmage (840) and total touchdowns (seven).

Kamara's absence highlights the ongoing issues the Saints have had on offense. Quarterback Jameis Winston is out for the season with a torn ACL. Michael Thomas will also miss the entire year because of ongoing issues after his offseason ankle surgery.

Head coach Sean Payton will turn to Mark Ingram II as his lead rusher against the Bills if he's active. He's questionable with a knee injury of his own.

The Saints brought Ingram back in an Oct. 29 trade with the Houston Texans. He spent the first eight years of his career with the organization. He's the Saints' all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (51) and rushing yards (6,212). 

Second-year back Tony Jones (22 carries, 79 yards) would lead the backfield if Ingram is also ruled out.

New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore has avoided jail time after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon, per TMZ Sports.

The 25-year-old received a suspended sentence of 180 days, allowing him to serve one year of probation instead of jail time.

Lattimore was initially arrested in March and charged with a fourth-degree felony of receiving a stolen firearm. Cleveland police observed a loaded gun during a traffic stop, while Lattimore, a passenger, also had a loaded gun that was later determined to be stolen.

Video footage later showed Lattimore did not immediately tell officers that he was carrying a concealed weapon, via ESPN's Mike Triplett.

The initial charge carried a sentence of up to 18 months if he was convicted, per TMZ.

Even without a prison sentence, Lattimore could still be suspended by the NFL under the league's personal conduct policy.

Lattimore has started nine games for the Saints this season, totaling one interception and a team-high 10 passes defended. The 2017 first-round pick has earned three Pro Bowl selections in his first four years in the NFL.

The New Orleans Saints love them some Taysom Hill. 

The veteran quarterback and tight end has reportedly signed a four-year contract extension that could be worth up to $95 million, per ESPN's Adam Schefter:

Hill's stats from the 2021 season don't exactly leap off the page:

• 20 rushes for 104 yards and three scores
• Four catches for 52 yards
• 7-of-8 for 56 passing yards and an interception

It would also be a surprise if the 31-year-old ever seized the starting quarterback position. Given four starts last season he did go 3-1, throwing for 928 yards, four scores and two interceptions while completing 72.7 percent of his passes. 

But with Drew Brees retiring after the 2020 campaign, it was Jameis Winston who won the starting gig heading into this season, not Hill. And when Winston tore his ACL earlier this month, it was Trevor Siemian who took over as the starter. 

Hill obviously has value in a hybrid role for the Saints. He's a solid option for the team in the red zone, as evidenced by his eight rushing touchdowns last season. But even if he never triggers the quarterback bonuses in his contract, New Orleans is still committing a lot of money to a player who fills a pretty niche role. 

Suffice to say, Monday's news has led to a few raised eyebrows. The Saints are yet again committing a lot of money to Hill. It remains to be seen if that investment will pay off in a tangible way.

Odell Beckham Jr. played college football in Louisiana for LSU and was apparently "close" to playing there professionally for the New Orleans Saints.

"I would say close," Saints head coach Sean Payton said during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show while discussing if the team approached signing the wide receiver. "The question was all along if L.A. had an opportunity, that's where he was going to go. I would say [Los Angeles wasn't involved] until midway through the process."

Beckham ultimately signed with the Los Angeles Rams after he was released by the Cleveland Browns.

His debut with the Rams didn't go as hoped, and he finished with two catches for 18 yards in a 31-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.

It was another development in what has turned into a disappointing season for Beckham. The LSU product has 19 catches for 250 yards and is yet to score in seven games for Cleveland and Los Angeles.

Beckham's split with the Browns wasn't exactly the cleanest either considering his father made headlines by posting a video on Instagram of Baker Mayfield missing the wide receiver on open routes. The team also dismissed him from multiple practices.

The 29-year-old played just seven games last season and has not resembled the dominant playmaker he was for the New York Giants since he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in his first year with Cleveland in 2019.

Even then he scored just four touchdowns, which stands in stark contrast to the double-digit touchdown totals he posted in each of his first three seasons in the league from 2014 through 2016.

Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising the Saints were interested since Michael Thomas is sidelined with an injury and they are missing a true No. 1 option in the aerial attack. While Beckham hasn't put up numbers like a top wide receiver of late, he has that track record to fall back on and is theoretically still in his prime.

Alas, it will be the Rams who hope he rediscovers his form down the stretch run of the season as they chase an NFC West crown and playoff berth.                

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill does not remember the hit from Washington Football Team cornerback William Jackson III that left him concussed on Oct. 10, he told reporters Friday. 

Hill added he also does not remember being carted off the field.

"Basically there was a 45-minute window that I don't remember," Hill said. "Being in the locker room was the first thing."

Jackson avoided an ejection and a fine for his hit on Hill. However, he was flagged for unnecessary roughness. After the game, Jackson said he was "clearly" going for the ball when he hit Hill, per Saints Wire.

Hill just returned to practice last week and appeared in a 27-25 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday after a long recovery period. During the loss, he completed two passes for 33 yards and had one carry for four yards on 17 offensive snaps.

Even with Jameis Winston sidelined for the remainder of the season, Hill remains a gadget option for head coach Sean Payton, who announced Trevor Siemian will start for the second straight week when the team faces the Tennessee Titans this weekend. 

In six games this season, Hill has completed 5-of-6 passes for 45 yards and an interception. He also has 17 carries for 81 yards and three touchdowns in addition to three catches for 37 yards.

It's unclear if Payton has any plans to start Hill at quarterback at some point this season. In his only start of the year, Siemian gave the Saints an opportunity to win, going 25-of-41 passing against Atlanta for 249 yards and two touchdowns.

Siemian also has more experience as a starter, having begun 14 games for the Denver Broncos from 2016-17. However, if the 29-year-old begins to struggle, it wouldn't be surprising to see Payton elevate Hill, especially because he was named the starter last season when Drew Brees suffered 11 broken ribs. 

The Saints are second in the NFC South with a 5-3 record and are still in contention for the top spot in the division.  

Mark Ingram is set to lead the New Orleans Saints' backfield Sunday against the Tennessee Titans with Alvin Kamara officially ruled out for the game.

The Saints announced Friday that Kamara will not play against the Titans because of a knee sprain he suffered last week, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Let's further analyze the fantasy implications of Kamara's potential absence on the team's backfield.

Mark Ingram

Ingram's fantasy value received a nice boost when he moved from the crowded Houston Texans' backfield back to New Orleans, where he played from 2011 through 2018. The last two seasons of that stint were a highly effective partnership with Kamara.

He'll be a clear fantasy starter with Kamara out, but the key question is whether he'll be the unquestioned leader of the backfield, which could result in upwards of 20 touches and borderline top-10 fantasy value at the position, or if the Saints will lean more on a committee approach.

Even if it's the latter, the University of Alabama product will fall in the No. 2 running back or flex range since he'll be the top choice for red-zone work.

Saints players' fantasy value has fluctuated throughout the year as the offense moved in a new direction following the retirement of Drew Brees. Kamara was the one player who could be counted on weekly, and Ingram should now take over that distinction.

Dwayne Washington

Washington struggled across his first two NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2016 draft. He averaged below three yards per carry in Detroit. He's been more efficient in a limited role with the Saints, putting up 5.3 YPC from 2018 through 2020.

He has only seen limited work this season in six games with one carry for five yards and one reception for six yards, but with Kamara out and Tony Jones Jr. still on injured reserve, he should be the Saints No. 2 back on Sunday.

It's unlikely he'll be ticketed for a major role, even if Kamara is out for awhile, so he shouldn't be a prime free-agent target in fantasy leagues yet. That said, he should now be on managers' radars since he's another injury away from making an impact.

Those in deeper leagues may even want to take a flier now if they're running back depth is particularly weak.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara will miss Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans because of a knee sprain. 

Signs had been pointing toward Kamara missing the Week 10 tilt after he missed practices on Wednesday and Thursday. 

To date, Kamara has totaled 530 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He's also tallied 32 receptions for 310 yards and four scores. 

Kamara entered the league after New Orleans selected him with the No. 67 overall pick in the 2017 draft. He's been an unstoppable force since then, making the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons. He paced the NFL with 7.1 yards per rush in 2017 and led the NFL with 21 touchdowns in 2020. 

Kamara is a massive loss for a Saints offense that is already missing No. 1 wide receiver Michael Thomas and starting quarterback Jameis Winston. 

The Saints will now turn to Mark Ingram to shoulder the load. 

Ingram, who was reacquired by the Saints prior to the trade deadline, has rushed for 70 yards on 15 carries since returning to the Big Easy. 

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton told reporters Friday that he is no longer on the NFL's Competition Committee. 

The 57-year-old refused to get into specifics in order to avoid a fine. He had been on the competition committee since September 2017. 

Payton was one of three people to leave the competition committee this week, joining  Green Bay Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy and Denver Broncos president of football operations John Elway.

The trio was replaced by Cincinnati Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn, Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich. 

When Payton was added to the competition committee in 2017, he said it was an "honor" and that he looked forward "to making contributions to this great game and working closely with my fellow competition committee members," per ESPN's Mike Triplett. 

Payton's addition to the competition committee was viewed as questionable following the NFL suspending him for the entire 2012 season after it found the Saints had a bounty program to reward players who caused injuries to opponents.

However, Payton had always been vocal about certain rule changes, which is probably why he was added to the committee in the first place. 

The competition committee reviews "all competitive aspects" of football, including playing rules, roster regulations, technology, game-day operations and player protection. It now has 10 members, which is up from the nine it had last year. 

There are now four former players on the competition committee in Reich, Vrabel, Baltimore Ravens executive vice president Ozzie Newsome and Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera.  

The injuries continue to pile up for the New Orleans Saints, who may be without Alvin Kamara for Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans. 

Per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, Kamara's status for Week 10 is up in the air after he missed Wednesday's practice with a knee injury. 

The Saints haven't had Michael Thomas all season after he had ankle surgery over the summer. He announced last week that a setback in his rehab will keep him off the field until the 2022 campaign. 

Jameis Winston's season came to an end in Week 8 when he suffered a torn ACL and damage to his MCL in the second quarter of New Orleans' 36-27 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Three-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Andrus Peat suffered a torn pectoral muscle against the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 25 that ended his season.

Despite all of those issues on offense, the Saints have put together a 5-3 record through their first eight games.

Kamara's injury doesn't sound like a serious problem. That's good news, especially if he can play against a Titans defense that held the Los Angeles Rams to season-lows in points (16) and total yards (347) on Sunday. 

The four-time Pro Bowl running back has been New Orleans' go-to option on offense this season. He ranks sixth in the NFL with 840 yards from scrimmage and is tied for ninth with seven total touchdowns on 178 touches. 

No other player on the Saints has more than 346 yards from scrimmage or 32 touches. 

If Kamara is unable to play or is limited by his knee injury, Mark Ingram II will likely receive a heavier workload against the Titans. He has run the ball 15 times for 70 yards in two games since being reacquired by New Orleans in an Oct. 29 trade with the Houston Texans.    

The Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints have reportedly emerged as the front-runners for free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

ESPN's Dianna Russini reported Wednesday that Beckham, who cleared waivers Tuesday following his release by the Cleveland Browns, is "honing in" on those three teams and could make his decision by day's end.

The three-time Pro Bowl selection fell out of favor within the Browns offense in 2021. He recorded just 17 receptions for 232 yards and no touchdowns across six appearances. His final game with Cleveland resulted in a single catch for six yards in Week 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

His lack of involvement led him to request a trade, something Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported he'd done "multiple times" since the offseason, but no deal was found ahead of last week's trade deadline.

The Browns subsequently excused Beckham from practice and ultimately released him, a move general manager Andrew Berry said was in the "best interest of all parties involved."

As the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year closes in on finding a new home, the question is what type of player he'll be moving forward.

Beckham was a dominant force across his first three NFL seasons with the New York Giants. He caught 35 touchdowns in 43 games between 2014 and 2016 while averaging 1,374 yards per season.

The LSU product had his 2017 campaign cut short by a fractured ankle, and he's caught just 13 touchdowns in 41 appearances since the start of 2018.

At 29, it's possible Beckham is past his physical peak, but he's also less than two years removed from a solid 2019 season in which he tallied 74 catches for 1,035 yards.

The Saints make the most sense among the three apparent finalists if the wideout is looking for a high-volume role. New Orleans' top target, Michael Thomas, recently announced he'll miss the entire year with an ankle injury and nobody has stepped up to fully fill that void.

Beckham would face more competition for targets in Green Bay and Kansas City, where he'd be a No. 2 option at best behind Davante Adams or Tyreek Hill, respectively. Going to the Packers or Chiefs would increase his chances of winning a Super Bowl title, though.