Alvin Kamara

The case for New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne Jr. being a surefire RB1 in fantasy football took a hit on Sunday on roster cutdown day when the Saints did not place veteran Alvin Kamara (knee) on Injured Reserve for the start of the 2026 campaign. It is still unclear if Kamara will be active for the Week 1 regular-season opener against the Detroit Lions, but the fact that he will not be forced to miss at least the first four weeks of the season is bad news for Etienne's potential upside early on. The Saints signed the 27-year-old to a four-year, $52 million contract in March in free agency after he produced his third 1,000-yard season with seven rushing touchdowns in 17 regular-season games in 2025 in his final year with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Etienne also had 36 receptions (52 targets) for 292 yards and six receiving touchdowns, but Kamara, when healthy, figures to eat into Etienne's pass-catching opportunities. Fantasy managers should treat Etienne as a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 going into upcoming drafts

Travis Etienne

RB · NO

Alvin Kamara

RB · NO

analyst

Travis Etienne Jr.'s Stock Following Backfield Injury in New Orleans

sleeper-rotoballerAug 27, 2026, 12:09 PM+6 stories · 30dSource ↗

Travis Etienne Alvin Kamara

Travis Etienne Jr.'s stock rises due to Alvin Kamara's injury, potentially leading to a three-down role

Ty Chandler

RB · NO

Alvin Kamara

RB · NO

+4 players

general

Kellen Moore confirms RB Ty Chandler has season-ending knee injury

Pro Football TalkAug 26, 2026, 12:20 AM+6 stories · 30dSource ↗

Ty Chandler Alvin Kamara Devin Neal

Ty Chandler to miss season with knee injury, Saints trade for Zamir White

Ty Chandler

RB · NO

Zamir White

RB · NO

+5 players

general

Report: Saints fear RB Ty Chandler suffered serious knee injury

Pro Football TalkAug 25, 2026, 3:11 AM+6 stories · 30dSource ↗

Ty Chandler Zamir White Alvin Kamara

Ty Chandler of the Saints is feared to have suffered a serious knee injury, adding to the team's backfield concerns which already include Alvin Kamara's MCL sprain and Devin Neal's hamstring issue. Kendre Miller recently returned from a back injury, and the Saints recently acquired Zamir White. The team's available options behind Travis Etienne are currently Miller, White, and Audric Estime

Zamir White

RB · NO

Alvin Kamara

RB · NO

+3 players

general

Saints-49ers trade grades: New Orleans adds Zamir White after onslaught of RB injuries

CBS Sports NFLAug 24, 2026, 7:21 AM+14 stories · 30dSource ↗

Zamir White Alvin Kamara Travis Etienne

The second week of the NFL preseason closed with a trade. According to ESPN , the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers agreed to a deal that sends linebacker Deion Jones to the Bay Area in exchange for running back Zamir White . The transaction addresses depth for both teams, particularly for the Saints, with No. 2 running back Alvin Kamara nursing an MCL sprain . White signed with the 49ers less than two weeks ago. He inked a one-year deal worth $1.2 million and was projected to enter the season on the lower rungs of San Francisco's depth chart. Instead, he arrives in New Orleans with a chance to see playing time early in the campaign. White has never played a snap outside of Las Vegas, as he spent the first four years of his career with the Raiders and accumulated 736 rushing yards over 45 games. Jones landed on the Saints' roster a few days earlier on Aug. 7 by way of a one-year, $1.3 million contract. While he was an every-week starter for the Atlanta Falcons in each of his first six professional seasons, he filled a smaller role across three different teams over the last four years. Jones most recently played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and tallied 29 tackles in 17 games last year. Below are trade grades for the Saints and 49ers. Kamara's injury is a boon to Travis Etienne , who should take firm command of the No. 1 running back role in New Orleans if the former's absence carries into the regular season. It creates depth concerns in the backfield, though, especially since Kamara is not the only one on the shelf. Devin Neal aggravated a hamstring injury in Saturday's preseason game, and Audric Estime hurt his ankle in the preseason opener, leaving the Saints without the second, fourth and fifth options on their unofficial depth chart. Adding White to the group should keep the running backs afloat through the end of training camp, and he is capable of eating up a few snaps in the opening weeks of the regular season if called upon. Boosting the running back depth without taking on any additional salary is a win for the Saints, especially since the linebacker they are parting with was no lock to make the roster in the first place. Jones was a cut candidate whom the team listed as a fourth-teamer. The 49ers were in need of linebacker depth with only Fred Warner and Tatum Bethune available to them, and Jones fits the mold of a third option. He could even push Bethune for the primary backup role, but the latter made eight starts in 2025 when Warner suffered his gruesome ankle injury and may still factor into the team's plans after making those important contributions. Regardless of how Jones fits into the equation, all San Francisco had to part with to acquire him was a deep backup who, at best, was sixth in line for carries. Removing players from behind Christian McCaffrey is always a risk given his extensive injury history, but the 49ers have plenty of more enticing backups they would turn to before White, who might not have even made the roster in the first place. The team also just signed Khalil Herbert in a corresponding move to Patrick Taylor Jr.'s landing on injured reserve, so the cupboard is far from bare

Zamir White

RB · NO

Alvin Kamara

RB · NO

+3 players

general