4 Saints players the Panthers should worry about in Week 7

Alvin Kamara – RB

Alvin Kamara has emerged as arguably the best dual-threat running back in the NFL thanks to the absence of Christian McCaffrey through injury. The Carolina Panthers won’t be risking their All-Pro playmaker at the Saints on a short week before their Thursday Night Football game against the Falcons, so they’ll need to put extra emphasis on stopping the former Tennessee standout.

There is nothing Kamara cannot do with the ball in his hands. He is adept a running between the tackles, on the edge, and is also a prominent danger in the passing game that quarterback Drew Brees utilizes heavily.

This has been further reflected in an exceptional start to the campaign. Kamara went into the bye week with 676 all-purpose yards, seven touchdowns, and a lofty 81.3 grade from Pro Football Focus. He is averaging 4.6 yards-per-carry and 10.4 yards-per-reception as the focal point on the Saints’ offense with stud wide receiver Michael Thomas out of the lineup.

Thomas has already been ruled out against the Panthers, along with free-agent signing Emmanuel Sanders. This means Carolina needs to key-in on Kamara even more with the Saints missing their starting wide receiver tandem.

This will need to be a collective effort. The Panthers haven’t got much in the way of production from their linebacking group outside of rookie Jeremy Chinn and their missed tackle problem is something that could hurt them if it continues against one of the best in the business.