The New Orleans Saints haven’t really been able to settle into a rhythm at the running back position all season.
The stability that was supposed to be provided by the free agent signing Travis Etienne quickly went away when he hurt his hamstring and had to go on injured reserve.
Since then, Alvin Kamara has dealt with injuries, too, and the depth chart has felt a bit like a spinning wheel rather than something consistent.
That could be the case again in Week 6 as the Saints prepare to take on the New York Giants.
The Thursday injury report for New Orleans gives us an update on Kamara, and a Kamara update could dictate the rest of the setup for the Saints.
Alvin Kamara Injury Update
Kamara is still dealing with a back injury according to the injury report on Thursday.
He was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday due to the back problem.
And again on Thursday, Kamara was limited in practice.
The first thing to watch will be his Friday status. If he upgrades to full, that’s a good sign for his Sunday usage at the Giants. If he remains limited, he’ll likely be listed as officially questionable, and he wouldn’t be a sure thing for tons of playing time even if he is active.
A week ago, Kamara dealt with a back injury — presumably the same one — and although he got early work against the Vikings, he hardly played after the early stages and was out-carried by both of the Saints’ other active RBs.
Saints RB Depth Chart, Fantasy Outlook
Since Etienne went on IR, the assumption was that Kamara would be the RB1. The first week without Etienne, that appeared to be mostly true.
But then in Week 5, Kamara got three carries. His assumed backup, Kendre Miller, got 10 including a short touchdown.
Even the RB3, CJ Donaldson, got four carries.
It made it seem like Kamara may have tweaked the back in the middle of the game, but it’s hard to say whether it was that or whether the Saints simply decided to roll with Miller.
The limited participation this week for Kamara suggests he may still not be 100%, and that’s a tricky thing to deal with in this circumstance.
Even if he plays, it seems like an injury that he could reaggravate at a moment’s notice.
That makes it tough for anyone choosing between these guys in fantasy football. It actually seems like Miller is a safer option, even if not all that exciting. If Kamara practices in full on Friday, maybe he’s fine to use in PPR formats, too — but the mid-game workload decrease from Kamara last week is the kind of thing that looms intimidatingly over his chances of contributing this week.
Saints’ Alvin Kamara Injury Update Hints at RB Usage With Kendre Miller