Kamara (MCL) out at least one month

Kamara logged two limited sessions to begin the week, and New Orleans Football’s Nick Underhill said he thinks Kamara will play, barring a setback. We do not yet know Kamara’s practice participation level on Friday, but he is traveling with the team, which is a good sign. Kamara would be a PPR FLEX if active. He is expected to play on passing downs while starting RB Travis Etienne leads the team in carries. Etienne is the best bet to handle the primary red zone role, but Kamara has been a prolific touchdown scorer over his career and could factor in. The Saints ruled out RB Audric Estime (thigh).

The Saints’ presumed passing down specialist is on track to play. Kamara sprained an MCL on August 18th, but the rehab is evidently going well. It is unclear whether Kamara could rotate in when the offense enters scoring position. Consider him a PPR FLEX option.

Underhill did note that Kamara needs to make it to Sunday without any setbacks. He was limited in practice on Wednesday after suffering an MCL injury during a training camp scrimmage. The initial timeline for his return would have seen him miss multiple weeks of the regular season, but Kamara is well ahead of schedule in his recovery. He will likely serve as a passing-downs specialist with Travis Etienne handling the bulk of the carries.

Kamara suffered an MCL injury during a scrimmage three weeks ago. The issue was initially expected to sideline him for at least a month, but it looks like he has a shot at significantly beating that timeline. Even if he doesn’t play this week, there’s a good chance Kamara is back by Week 2 or 3. He will be a low-end FLEX play in PPR leagues once he is healthy.

This isn’t a surprise, as Kamara’s timeline to return per Adam Schefter as of August 19 was a month away. What was a minor surprise is that Kamara wasn’t placed on injured reserve before the start of the season. Perhaps there is still a chance he can go in Week 1, though we’d call him doubtful at this point based on the initial timeline.

The Saints are obviously going to take every necessary precaution, but it’s still a situation to monitor. The 31-year-old tailback is likely to have a reduced role after the club brought in Travis Etienne in free agency, but because of his ability as a pass-catcher, still has a chance to be a productive fantasy player. There should be further updates on Kamara’s knee soon.

Travis Etienne is getting “the bulk” of the first-team reps on early downs, and Duncan notes “he’ll be surprised if it’s a Kamara-Mark Ingram-like 50-50 split when all is said and done.” It feels like Kamara is settling in for a lower situational role, but perhaps not situational enough for the comfort of Etienne-reliant fantasy managers, as the Saints’ new signing carries an ADP in the late 30s or early 40s on most sites.

Kamara can earn up to another $2.5 million via incentives. He was initially set to make up to $11.5 million before his deal was restructured on Wednesday. The Saints were pushing for him to take a pay cut this offseason, but it initially looked like Kamara wasn’t going to budge. Instead, he gives some money back and gets to stay in New Orleans, where he has been adamant about wanting to finish his career. Kamara will serve as Travis Etienne’s backup, likely seeing most of his work on passing downs. He could have some FLEX value in PPR leagues, but Etienne should see most of the carries and still some targets.

It’s almost certainly a pay cut for Kamara, but the Saints could also be throwing him a bone with incentives or extra years on his deal. The Saints spent much of the offseason trying to get Kamara to agree to a new deal but had little leverage to make it happen. Kamara has talked about wanting to finish his career in New Orleans, so he may have decided to concede financially in order to stay put. He will likely pitch in on passing downs to take some work of Travis Etienne’s plate. Etienne, however, still figures to see the bulk of the carries and some designed targets.

What does this mean for fantasy purposes? In short, it means he thinks the Saints are going to feature Etienne as an offensive focal point. Underhill believes the Saints are entering a “post-Alvin Kamara world,” although he acknowledges that Kamara may stick around for one more season. That said, Underhill thinks Etienne will operate as a “full-volume starter” and describes him as a “three-down player.” If Kamara does play for the Saints this season, Underhill does not think Kamara’s presence “changes the outcome significantly” for Etienne’s touch count. Toward the end of the segment, Underhill projects Etienne for 235 carries, 1,050 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 42 catches, 330 receiving yards and 3-4 receiving touchdowns. Splitting the difference on the receiving touchdowns brings the total to 231.5 PPR points, which would have made him the RB15 last season. Treating him as a high-end RB2 with RB1 upside makes sense.