New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara suffered a groin injury in Week 15 and he has been ruled out for this week’s game against the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. With Kamara sidelined, who will step up in the Saints’ backfield?
New Orleans’ Running Back Depth Chart and Fantasy Outlook
The Saints currently have five running backs on their roster: Kamara, Jamaal Williams, Kendre Miller, Jordan Mims, and the newly-signed Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
With Kamara out in Week 16 (and potentially the rest of the season), let’s examine New Orleans’ new RB1 and whether you can trust them in your fantasy lineup.
Kendre Miller’s Fantasy Outlook in Week 16
With Kamara out in Week 16, Miller will get the chance to build on the nine carries for 46 yards that he put on film last weekend against the Commanders. A third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, he is next up on New Orleans’ depth chart, and he’s currently rostered in 43% of Yahoo leagues.
This, of course, isn’t an ideal matchup for Miller.
The Packers own the seventh-best run defense in terms of yards per carry allowed to running backs and figure to be operating with a lead, something that could lead to a script that trends away from Miller (12 catches in 12 NFL appearances and 12.4 carries for every catch during his three seasons at TCU).
That said, this could be a Zamir White situation from last season, where a young back is loaded up with work in an effort to evaluate them for next year. If that is reported to be likely, he could sneak into my top 30 this week.
This is a quantity-over-quality play, but after four months of wear-and-tear on fantasy rosters, that puts him firmly in the Flex conversation.
Will Any Other Saints Running Backs Be Fantasy Relevant?
While Williams started the season as the Saints’ RB2 and received 19 carries over the first two weeks of the season, the 29-year-old has been inefficient this season and lost his role to Miller.
This season, Williams has just 35 carries for 129 yards (3.7 yards per carry) and one touchdown. Over the last three games, he has just three carries for five yards (1.7 yards per attempt). Meanwhile, Miller has received 19 carries over the last two games, rushing for 78 yards (4.1 yards per attempt).
With the Saints all but out of the playoffs, it makes sense that New Orleans is evaluating their 22-year-old third-rounder instead of playing Williams, whose best days are behind him and who is entering the final year of his contract.
Don’t expect Mims or Edwards-Helaire to play much of a role this week. Mims has just 14 carries for 42 yards (3.0 yards per attempt) this season. While the Edwards-Helaire signing may point to Kamara being ruled out for Sunday’s game, he likely won’t have a big role since he just signed with the team and needs to learn the playbook.
A first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Edwards-Helaire signed with New Orleans on Wednesday, just two days after he was waived by Kansas City. The former LSU star and national champion hasn’t appeared in a game this season (as he was on the non-football illness list to start the campaign).
However, the two-time Super Bowl champion has totaled 1,845 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 765 receiving yards, and seven receiving touchdowns throughout his four-year NFL career.
