There’s something historic happening in New Orleans. As the 9-3 Saints make a run at the NFC South title and the top seed in the conference, it is not Drew Brees and the passing game that’s propelling New Orleans’ offense.
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
It is the running game, the brilliant tandem of Mark Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara, that is marching the Saints to their victories. With four games remaining in the regular season, Ingram and Kamara are on pace to set the all-time single-season record for combined rushing and receiving yards by a backfield tandem.
Ingram leads the duo in rushing with 922 yards, while Kamara leads with 614 receiving yards. Add in Kamara’s 606 rushing yards and Ingram’s 255 receiving and they sit on 2,397 yards combined, an average of 199.8 yards per game.
The record for combined yards in a 16-game season was set 39 years ago in Chicago. Walter Payton racked up 1,875 combined yards, while backfield mate Rolard Harper had 1,332 for a total of 3,207 — an average of 200.4.
We’re talking all-time PPR royalty here, and Week 14 presents the Saints’ duo with a golden chance to overtake the Payton/Harper pace. The Saints take on the Falcons in Atlanta, and the home team holds the distinction of ranking dead last in DVOA against the run, 20th against pass-catching backs.
So while Le’Veon Bell maintains the top spot in SB Nation’s Week 14 rankings for fantasy backs in PPR leagues, Kamara and Ingram are both top-five choices this week. LeSean McCoy and Melvin Gordon round out our top five.
Ingram has had at least 23 fantasy points in PPR leagues in three of his past four games. But that only makes him second-fiddle to the rookie Kamara, who has these PPR league totals in the past five weeks: 29-26-25-24-30. While Kareem Hunt, Leonard Fournette, and Christian McCaffrey have all had their moments this season, Kamara is the fantasy rookie of the year at running back.
McCoy, who is sandwiched between Kamara and Ingram in our PPR rankings this week, has his own dream matchup this week against the Colts, who rank last in DVOA against pass-catching backs. Two other backs with terrific PPR matchups this week are Miami’s Kenyan Drake, who faces a New England defense ranked 29th in DVOA against the run and against pass-catchers, and Orleans Darkwa of the Giants, who draws the Cowboys, the 28th-ranked team in both categories.
Running back (PPR) rankings, Week 14
(SK: Scott Kaliska; JG: Jeff Goldberg; DG: Derek Gordon; KB: Kyle Bennett; ZS: Zach Senvisky; JM: Jason Marcum)
RB PPR rankings, Week 14
Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp | SK | JG | DG | KB | ZS | JM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | vs. BAL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Alvin Kamara | NO | @ ATL | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | vs. IND | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Mark Ingram | NO | @ ATL | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | Melvin Gordon | LAC | vs. WAS | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 7 | Todd Gurley | LAR | vs. PHI | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 8 | Leonard Fournette | JAC | vs. SEA | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| 8 | Kenyan Drake | MIA | vs. NE | 9 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 11 |
| 9 | Lamar Miller | HOU | vs. SF | 10 | 9 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| 10 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | vs. NO | 13 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | Kareem Hunt | KC | vs. OAK | 8 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 14 |
| 11 | Dion Lewis | NE | @ MIA | 16 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| 13 | Samaje Perine | WAS | @ LAC | 11 | 11 | 18 | 13 | 10 | 9 |
| 14 | Carlos Hyde | SF | @ HOU | 15 | 14 | 8 | 14 | 17 | 17 |
| 15 | Jordan Howard | CHI | @ CIN | 17 | 15 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | Rex Burkhead | NE | @ MIA | 12 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| 17 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | vs. MIN | 14 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 22 | 21 |
| 17 | Marshawn Lynch | OAK | @ KC | 18 | 18 | 33 | 18 | 15 | 12 |
| 19 | Latavius Murray | MIN | @ CAR | 26 | 20 | 14 | 20 | 20 | 22 |
| 20 | Jamaal Williams | GB | @ CLE | 20 | 19 | 28 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
| 21 | Alfred Morris | DAL | @ NYG | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 18 | 18 |
| 22 | Peyton Barber | TB | vs. DET | 28 | 21 | 16 | 21 | 21 | 23 |
| 23 | Alex Collins | BAL | @ PIT | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 20 |
| 24 | DeMarco Murray | TEN | @ ARI | 24 | 24 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 24 |
| 24 | Jerick McKinnon | MIN | @ CAR | 19 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 28 | 25 |
| 26 | Tevin Coleman | ATL | vs. NO | 32 | 26 | 19 | 26 | 26 | 30 |
| 27 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | vs. GB | 30 | 25 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 26 |
| 28 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | vs. CHI | 33 | 29 | 24 | 28 | 29 | 33 |
| 29 | Orleans Darkwa | NYG | vs. DAL | 31 | 28 | 34 | 30 | 27 | 27 |
| 30 | Duke Johnson Jr. | CLE | vs. GB | 23 | 31 | 37 | 29 | 31 | 29 |
| 31 | Frank Gore | IND | @ BUF | 36 | 32 | 27 | 32 | 32 | 40 |
| 32 | Jay Ajayi | PHI | @ LAR | 37 | 34 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 31 |
| 33 | C.J. Anderson | DEN | vs. NYJ | 45 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 38 |
| 34 | Matt Forte | NYJ | @ DEN | 34 | 33 | 36 | 33 | 35 | 35 |
| 35 | Derrick Henry | TEN | @ ARI | 35 | 36 | 39 | 35 | 36 | 28 |
| 36 | Mike Davis | SEA | @ JAC | 38 | 35 | 38 | 36 | 34 | 36 |
| 37 | Joe Mixon | CIN | vs. CHI | 25 | 38 | 47 | 38 | 37 | 34 |
| 38 | Adrian Peterson | ARI | vs. TEN | 47 | 37 | 30 | 37 | 38 | 37 |
| 39 | Theo Riddick | DET | @ TB | 27 | 44 | 44 | 41 | 42 | 49 |
| 40 | Tarik Cohen | CHI | @ CIN | 39 | 42 | 45 | 40 | 45 | 44 |
| 41 | Austin Ekeler | LAC | vs. WAS | 42 | 43 | 43 | 42 | 43 | 42 |
| 41 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | @ DEN | 40 | 46 | 50 | 43 | 44 | 32 |
| 43 | Danny Woodhead | BAL | @ PIT | 29 | 47 | -- | 39 | 46 | 48 |
| 44 | LeGarrette Blount | PHI | @ LAR | -- | 39 | 41 | 44 | 39 | -- |
| 45 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | vs. MIN | 48 | 40 | 49 | 49 | 40 | 41 |
| 46 | Kerwynn Williams | ARI | vs. TEN | 43 | 41 | -- | 50 | 41 | 44 |
| 47 | Devontae Booker | DEN | vs. NYJ | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 47 | 45 |
| 48 | Ameer Abdullah | DET | @ TB | -- | -- | 25 | -- | 48 | -- |
| 49 | JD McKissic | SEA | @ JAC | 41 | 50 | -- | 45 | -- | 46 |
| 50 | James White | NE | @ MIA | -- | -- | 32 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Rod Smith | DAL | @ NYG | 46 | 48 | -- | 48 | 50 | -- |
| -- | Corey Clement | PHI | @ LAR | -- | -- | 40 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Byron Marshall | WAS | @ LAC | 49 | 49 | -- | 46 | -- | -- |
| -- | Buck Allen | BAL | @ PIT | -- | -- | 42 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Shane Vereen | NYG | vs. DAL | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 43 |
| -- | DeAndre Washington | OAK | @ KC | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 47 |
| -- | Marlon Mack | IND | @ BUF | -- | -- | 48 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Aaron Jones | GB | @ CLE | -- | -- | -- | -- | 49 | -- |
| -- | D.J. Foster | ARI | vs. TEN | 50 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Jacquizz Rodgers | TB | vs. DET | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 50 |
