The New Orleans Saints will host the New England Patriots this week, but could be doing so shorthanded. Most notably, running back Alvin Kamara has landed on the injury report with an ankle injury and is listed as questionable for the Week 6 matchup. Kamara has been the bellcow back for several years, but Kendre Miller has made his case for why he deserves a more prominent role in the offense, even when Kamara is there.
If the Saints’ starting running back is set to miss this matchup, this could be the breakout opportunity that Miller has been waiting for. Stay tuned for injury updates as the matchup gets closer, but here is the Saints backfield’s fantasy football outlook for Week 6.
Saints RB Fantasy Football Outlook vs. Patriots
Through the opening five games, Alvin Kamara still headlines the running back production in New Orleans. He has rushed the ball 73 times for 283 yards and one touchdown, while adding 77 receiving yards through the air. The former Offensive Player of the Year is averaging 11.6 fantasy points per game based on DraftKings scoring, which ranks 29th among running backs.
Kendre Miller has not been far behind him in terms of production. The TCU product has rushed the ball 38 times for 165 yards and a touchdown and added 19 receiving yards so far this year. He is currently averaging 5.7 FPTS per game, which ranks 54th among running backs.
Most notably, Miller has seen his snap share grow as the season has progressed, culminating in a season-high 39% rate last week. He is coming off back-to-back weeks with 11 touches.
Even if Kamara is fully healthy, the Saints’ backfield looks to be shaping into some sort of committee, and Miller should be expected to be involved moving forward. If Kamara is to miss this week, it would provide Miller with a clear chance to show why he is ready for his role to grow.
New Orleans will be facing off against the New England Patriots this week, who have done a nice job building out their defensive front. Through their opening five games, they have allowed the fewest rushing touchdowns, rank fourth in rushing yards allowed, and fourth in net yards per rush attempt. Spencer Rattler has shown some encouraging progress, but he still will lack the full respect of this Patriots defense, so expect the line of scrimmage to be crowded in this matchup.
If it were a friendlier opponent, Miller would have potentially skyrocketed to a surefire plug-and-play running back for Week 6. He is currently only rostered in roughly 25% of fantasy football leagues.
Regardless of Kamara’s injury status, Miller is worthy of a roster spot in season-long fantasy football leagues and is a prime candidate for a late-season breakout. If Kamara is set to miss Week 6, expect Miller to see his role grow and see enough touches to be fantasy football relevant. Pencil him in for a strong RB2 or FLEX role if this is how things play out. Even if Kamara is just limited, this could be enough for Miller to make his impact felt on the game to a larger extent.
Also expect this trend of Miller eating into Kamara’s touches to continue as the season progresses. The time to act on this is now, and don’t be shocked if Miller plays himself into the “league winner” type of waiver wire addition in the home stretch of the season. Miller is making his push for a role regardless of Kamara’s injury status and expect this to continue playing itself out in the coming weeks.
