Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Saints' Fantasy Outlook After Drew Brees' Return

With Drew Brees reportedly returning from a thumb injury to start at quarterback for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, the Saints' top offensive weapons figure to see an uptick in fantasy value.

According to ESPN's Dianna Russini and Ed Werder, Brees will start Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals after missing the team's previous five games. Teddy Bridgewater went 5-0 as the starting quarterback in his place, but there is no question that New Orleans' offense is more explosive with Brees under center.

Wide receiver Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara are the Saints' best fantasy producers on offense, and they should both benefit from Brees' return.

Even without Brees in the lineup, Thomas has been a dominant force this season. His 62 receptions and 763 yards lead the NFL, plus he has registered three touchdowns. Thomas has at least eight catches and 89 yards in four consecutive games.

It can be argued that Brees' return might disrupt his rhythm since it could take Brees a game or two to get back in the swing of things, but since Thomas finished with 1,100 yards or more in each of his first three NFL seasons with Brees as his quarterback, the rapport should be present immediately.

The bigger beneficiary with Brees back in the lineup will likely be Kamara. As a top-five pick in most fantasy leagues, Kamara has been a colossal disappointment this season.

Aside from Week 1 when he rushed for 97 yards with Brees under center, Kamara has not reached the 70-yard threshold in terms of rushing yardage in any game this season.

Kamara has also finished with less than 100 total yards from scrimmage in two of his past three games, and he hasn't scored a touchdown since posting 69 yards and a touchdown on the ground and 92 yards and a touchdown as a receiver in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks.

After missing last week's game with ankle and knee injuries, Kamara is questionable to play Sunday against Arizona.

If he does play, Kamara may be in line for his most productive game in weeks since Brees' mere presence keeps opposing defenses honest and opens more running lanes. Brees also loves to utilize Kamara in the passing game.

With Kamara out last week, Latavius Murray erupted for 119 yards and two touchdowns, as well as five catches for 31 yards. If Kamara can't go Sunday, Murray will start and should be in line for another big game.

As long as they are healthy, Thomas and Kamara should be deployed as a WR1 and RB1, respectively, and that starts with Sunday's game.

Murray has RB1 upside while Kamara is out as well, and while his value drops significantly when Kamara is healthy, he should still be considered as a flex option for this week even if Kamara does play since Kamara may not be ready to take on a full workload.