Saints undecided on Etienne’s (hammy) return

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.

Etienne entered the game with a hamstring injury and appears to have aggravated it on an explosive run. The Saints’ starting running back broke off a 16-yard gain in the third quarter, setting up a Saints passing touchdown on the following play. Etienne could be seen grabbing at his left hamstring at the end of the run. He had mostly been limited to modest single-digit gains before that, rushing 13 times for 57 yards and catching 2-of-2 targets for 13 yards on the day. He seems highly unlikely to return. Etienne and the other veteran running backs notably ceded the first backfield touch inside the green zone to RB CJ Donaldson.

We do not yet know today’s participation level, but Etienne logged two limited sessions to begin the week. Hopefully, we get a report pre-game revealing the injury’s severity, so we can better assess his potential usage. Given the Saints’ prior backfield workload splits and Etienne’s soft-tissue strain, he should probably be viewed as a low-end RB2/FLEX starter right now.

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.

Etienne tallied just two carries in the first half of this one while Alvin Kamara led the Saints backfield with 10 total touches through the first two quarters. Things would shift more in Etienne’s favor in the second half, as he out-snapped Kamara 21-to-7 while out-touching him 8-to-4. It was a disappointing outing overall, however, for the 27-year-old back, who has yet to find the end zone in his first two games and has managed just 109 yards from scrimmage on 26 touches. He’ll be hard to trust as anything more than an RB2/RB3 in next week’s game against the Raiders.

Kamara was limited throughout practice last week and was ruled out with inactives. Moore said today that he could have played but needed more time on task, implying that limited preparation was the larger issue, not Kamara’s health. Travis Etienne split work with Kendre Miller last week. Kamara will presumably take on Miller’s role as the backup, though he could also eat into Etienne’s target total. Etienne caught seven balls in his Saints debut. If he loses that work, Etienne could fall out of the RB2 ranks entirely.

Etienne was taken off the field a surprising amount, ceding nine carries to Kendre Miller and another two to CJ Donaldson. Donaldson also logged two targets. While his role on the ground was concerning for fantasy managers, a nine-target outing cushioned the blow slightly. In PPR leagues, Etienne did enough. Unless the Saints are going to play in overtime shootouts every week, Etienne will need to take on more rushing work to be a weekly RB2. With Alvin Kamara potentially returning next week, Etienne will sit on the RB2/3 border for his date with the Ravens.

Underhill notes that Kamara practiced fully on Friday, “so he’s cleared, but the team is deep at running back.” This is good news for starting RB Travis Etienne, who should lead the team in carries easily and potentially hog snaps in scoring position since Kamara will be less than 100 percent healthy, if active. Saints RB3 Kendre Miller is the next man up.