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The star RB for the New Orleans Saints for the last several years, Alvin Kamara, will at least have a delayed start to his 2026 season. It was recently announced that he suffered an MCL sprain in a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys.
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With Kamara’s injury, here is a breakdown of the updated fantasy outlook of the Saints backfield, as well as other options fantasy managers can go to in fantasy drafts other than Kamara.
Updated Fantasy Outlooks: Travis Etienne And Kendre Miller
Both RB1 Travis Etienne and RB3 for the Saints, Kendre Miller, while Kamara is out will see a rise in their fantasy production.
Travis Etienne
Etienne is coming off the best fantasy season in his career. With the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2025, he had 1,107 rushing yards, 292 receiving yards, and 13 TDs. That led him to finish as RB10 in fantasy football in PPR formats. Now, with a new team in 2026, the Saints, the only major hindrance to Etienne continuing the level of production he had in 2025 was Kamara.
With him out for at least a couple of games, Etienne during that period will have RB10 or better potential in PPR formats. One of the main areas Kamara was going to take some volume away from Etienne was pass-catching. In seven of his eight seasons in the NFL, Kamara has had 400 or more receiving yards. Notably, five of Etienne’s TDs in 2025 were receiving TDs.
Kendre Miller
With the injury to Kamara, even if it does end up being more serious, Miller is still not a player that fantasy managers should pursue in drafts or on waivers. In 2025, he had 193 rushing yards and one TD in seven games. Miller, at most, will get minimal carries with Kamara out, mostly to spell Etienne in games and keep him fresh.
Alternatives To Alvin Kamara In Fantasy Drafts
Kamara in ESPN PPR fantasy formats was ranked as RB44. Two better options near his rank are RB2 for the Los Angeles Rams, Blake Coruum, and RB2 for the Tennessee Titans, Tyjae Spears.
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Blake Corum
Corum in 2026 is one of the best handcuff RBs for fantasy football. Last season, he had 746 rushing yards and six TDs. Many believe he could have an even bigger role going into this season. He did see a massive rise in opportunity from 2024 to 2025. In 2024, he had just 58 carries and 207 rushing yards, and last season he had 145 carries.
ESPN in PPR formats for 2026 has Corum ranked as RB40.
Tyjae Spears
Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Spears is at a pivotal moment in his NFL career. That extra motivation, combined with a new coaching staff that has had Spears in an essential role in their offense so far in the offseason, could help him have the best fantasy season of his career.
Spears in 2025, in 13 games, had 283 rushing yards, 263 receiving yards, and two TDs. In two of his last three games, he had five or more receptions.
ESPN, in PPR formats for the 2026 season, has Spears ranked as RB45.
More NFL Fantasy News On SI
- The Sharpest First Round Projection of a Standard-Scoring Fantasy Football Draft
- ESPN Fantasy Football ADP Bargains: Chase Brown And Other Stud Running Backs Are A Steal On ESPN Fantasy
- Justin Herbert vs. Trevor Lawrence: Who Is the Better Fantasy Football QB?
- Tank Dell and 5 Other High-Risk, High-Reward Fantasy Football Draft Options
This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Alvin Kamara Injury Opens Door For Veteran Saints RB To Skyrocket Up Fantasy Rankings.
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This story was originally published August 19, 2026 at 12:12 PM.