Underhill: Kamara will play, barring a setback

Saints coach Kellen Moore told reporters that Kamara’s knee checked out okay when asked about it yesterday, it seems this back injury won’t be serious enough to keep Kamara out of Week 5 either. He’ll be a reasonable FLEX play against the Vikings if he plays.

Kamara briefly left the Saints’ Week 4 game against the Falcons to deal with a knee injury. Today, he is sidelined by a back injury. It’s perhaps unsurprising for a 31-year-old player who has clearly lost a step at this point in his career. He is backed up by Kendre Miller and CJ Donaldson. Either player can be stashed in 12-team formats.

The Saints mustered just 16 running back carries in the first game without Travis Etienne, gaining just 50 yards on the ground in the blowout loss. The New Orleans offensive line was completely out-classed by the stout Atlanta defensive front. Kamara briefly departed with a knee injury that required two trips to the medical tent but would return to score his second touchdown of the evening in the fourth quarter. Kamara should continue to lead the backfield in the absence of Etienne and suddenly finds himself as an RB2 in fantasy circles ahead of a Week 5 meeting with the Vikings.

This is a tough break. The Saints’ high-priced free agent signee will be sidelined for at least four games. Their Week 8 bye makes him eligible to return in Week 9. Veteran RB Alvin Kamara is the next man up, followed by RB Kendre Miller. Both should be rostered in 12-team leagues. Kamara will likely get the first crack at the starting job, but he has struggled to play efficiently this season, and coach Kellen Moore gave RB CJ Donaldson the backfield’s first green zone touch last week.

It’s unclear how much time Etienne will miss, but it wouldn’t be surprising if this became an injured reserve stint. Alvin Kamara could find himself in a more elevated role next week, perhaps with Kendre Miller joining him in a committee. Etienne exited Week 3’s loss to the Raiders with the injury after rushing for 57 yards on 13 carries. It had already been a tough scene for Etienne-reliant fantasy managers this year just based on how the results on the field were going; this won’t help.

Kamara largely assumed lead rushing duties once RB Travis Etienne left after aggravating his hamstring injury, but it didn’t amount to much. The 31-year-old Kamara will likely be the Saints’ starter next week, assuming Etienne cannot play, but he is only an FLEX play against the Falcons.

Etienne remains limited, which keeps him in the questionable camp for the Saints’ Week 3 game against the Raiders. Saints RB3 Kendre Miller was sidelined by an illness, but those rarely impact NFL players’ availability on game day. Veteran RB Alvin Kamara should be rostered wherever he is available.

Etienne begins the week with a limited session, which is either good or bad, depending on when the injury occurred. If this is a lingering issue from Sunday, Etienne should be considered likely to play. Limited practices early in the week are generally a good sign. However, if he suffered the injury during today’s practice, his Week 3 availability would be in jeopardy. Veteran Saints RB Alvin Kamara would likely get the start, but RB Kendre Miller would be FLEX-viable if Etienne sits.

Despite averaging a highly inefficient 1.6 yards per touch, head coach Kellen Moore didn’t hesitate to get Kamara involved early and often. At halftime, Kamara’s 10 touches were eight more than 2026 free agent signee Travis Etienne had, but Etienne would narrowly edge out Kamara for touches in the second half. Kamara ran only seven routes and was out-snapped 34-19 by Etienne overall. We love our PPR scams in fantasy, but it’d be nice to see Kamara actually add some yardage to the receptions before we consider him a fantasy starter. He shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a desperation FLEX play against the Raiders in Week 3.

Kamara has successfully rehabbed his MCL sprain and resumed practicing in full this week. He joins a Saints backfield that employed a committee approach in Week 1. Kamara should be expected to play on passing downs. Whether he takes a meaningful rushing share and rotates in for red zone snaps remains unknown. He warrants PPR FLEX consideration with RB2 upside.