Team news: New Orleans Saints | Page 15

Dennis Allen anticipates Jameis Winston practicing tomorrow.

Related players: Andy Dalton, Taysom Hill

Good news for owners as reports say Winston wasn't spotted today at practice and the team was preparing Dalton and Hill. The Saints play in London on Sunday morning so this is a situation to continue to monitor if you need to play Winston.

Jameis Winston was not at practice today. Andy Dalton took first team reps at QB, with Taysom Hill receiving reps as a reserve QB. This is different than past weeks.

Winston is dealing with broken bones in his back and the offense has struggled over the first three weeks. Keep in mind the Saints will fly to London to take on the Vikings this week in what will be a Sunday morning game. As the tweet said, it looks like the Saints are preparing in case they have to make a change at quarterback. Hill is dealing with a rib injury, but if he's good to go, and with Dalton under center, he could see increased time at QB - while being listed as a TE in a lot of leagues.

D'Andre Swift suffered a shoulder sprain during Sunday's game against the Vikings but is not expected to require surgery.

Related Players: Jamaal Williams, Craig Reynolds

Considering how the Lions choose to divvy the workload between the backfield (Swift 32 snaps, Williams 35, Reynolds 13), it appears that they were heading into the game with their RB1 on a snap count due to an ankle issue. Instead of simply resting him and allowing Williams more run, they now have an even bigger issue on their hands. With the offensive scheme and an above-average offensive line, Jamaal Williams can instantly be considered a borderline RB1 option in fantasy.

Though the team seems to be system-agnostic when running their offense, the Lions have been highly gap-heavy this year and have focused on pushing the ball down the field through their running backs. Detroit is second in the league with their 372 yards on the ground and is eleventh in the league with 84 receiving yards to the RB position. D'Andre Swift (RB3) and Jamaal Williams (RB19) have performed as top-20 options at this point in the season.

Per the article, the Lions are first in yards per carry (7.15), third in explosive runs (seven), and also second in EPA per rush and rushing DVOA, Football Outsiders’ opponent-adjusted efficiency metric. What's scary for opposing defenses; they've accomplished all of this while dealing with a slew of offensive line injuries. They may just be getting started.

Alvin Kamara was participating at practice today. Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston were present but didn't appear to be participating much in the open portion of practice.

Related players: Mark Ingram, Tony Jones, Dwayne Washington

Reports said Kamara was close to playing in Week 2, so this is at least a positive sign Kamara is on the right track toward a return for Week 3. We should know more later in the week and the Saints have an early Sunday game at Carolina.

So far this season, on a combined 43 rushing attempts by D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams, the Lions have used five separate run concepts at least six or more times each (numbers via Sports Information Solutions).

The Lions are averaging 7.2 yards per rush so far this season. The concepts talked about in the story feature the usual diet of zone plays, but also man-blocking components like duo and having different players pull on counter (their most heavily used concept), power and trap plays, the story said. The Lions utilize all those personnel groupings and formations, plus shifts and motions, to get the most advantageous looks possible.

Head coach Dennis Allen says the Saints were "holding out hope all the way" for Alvin Kamara to go on Sunday per another snippet from Jeff Nowak.

Related Players: Mark Ingram, Dwayne Washington, Tony Jones

The backfield behind Kamara was split into oblivion between the running back room and Taysom Hill on Sunday, resulting in an utter headache. It sounds like a solid possibility that the RB1 could be back in time for Week 3's contest versus the Panthers.

Due to Alvin Kamara missing Thursday and Friday's practices, Mike Triplett considers him doubtful for Sunday but believes Jameis Winston and Mark Ingram are probable.

Related Players: Mark Ingram, Tony Jones

Behind Kamara in Week 1, Mark Ingram logged four rushing attempts and ran ten routes, while Tony Jones saw exactly one offensive snap. We've seen Mark Ingram usurp the entirety of Kamara's role in the past when the latter has been forced out of action, and although the coaching staff has been jumbled up since then, Pete Carmichael is still the team's offensive coordinator. Ingram would be a decent enough RB2/3 if Kamara is forced to miss Week 2.

D'Andre Swift practiced on Friday after missing the previous two days' activities with an ankle issue. He is officially listed as questionable per head coach Dan Campbell.

Related Players: Jamaal Williams

The Lions came out in Week 1 splitting touches heavily between Swift and Jamaal Williams, with the former leading the latter 18-13. Williams would shoot way, way up the rankings if Swift happened to miss this, or any other, week.

D'Andre Swift continues to nurse an ankle injury but claims he'll "most definitely" be ready for the Week 2 game against the Commanders.

Related Players: Jamaal Williams

The Lions came out in Week 1 splitting touches heavily between Swift and Jamaal Williams, with the former leading the latter 18-13. Williams would shoot way, way up the rankings if Swift happened to miss this, or any other, week.