WNBA Best Bets (Wednesday 9/25)
Josh Gross
Nearly a year and a half after an incident in Las Vegas during Pro Bowl weekend, Alvin Kamara has finally been suspended by the NFL. That suspension will be three games to start the season, which is half of the baseline recommendation of six games for this type of violation of the league’s Personal Conduct Policy. The NFL announced the punishment Friday following a meeting between Kamara and commissioner Roger Goodell earlier in the week. Kamara is able to practice with the team until the start of the regular season, and he can play in preseason games.
With Kamara sidelined for the first three games of the season, look for veteran Jamaal Williams to shoulder a bulk of the workload. Rookie Kendre Miller should also be in the mix for touches. However, once Kamara returns, he’s expected to resume his role as the lead back in this committee.
Fantasy drafters could have an opportunity to take advantage of this news. While Kamara isn’t quite the player he was earlier in his career, his ADP figures to remain suppressed. Many drafters have shied away from him throughout the offseason, causing him to slip into the seventh round of drafts at WR29. If he remains in that range throughout the month of August, Kamara will prove to be a solid value. Yes, you won’t have him for the first three weeks of the season, but you’re getting a sizeable discount at his price. Given the short length of his ban, Kamara will slide back up into RB2 territory, but you’ll likely only have to pay a mid-RB3 price for him.
