The New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers kickoff Sunday’s action with an international matchup all the way from Paris, France.
Both teams are coming off wins in Week 6, and the Saints will go straight from this contest into a Week 8 bye. They’ll remain without Travis Etienne Jr. (hamstring) through their bye week, since he is not eligible to return from the IR till November 8, when the Saints face the Browns. Without Etienne, Kendre Miller and Alvin Kamara have been filling in at running back, but should you start either option in your fantasy lineup this week in Paris?
Kendre Miller or Alvin Kamara Start or Sit Advice for Week 7
Miller played more snaps last week than Kamara, seeing a 44% share while Kamara only played 26%. He also had more opportunities than Kamara, taking 20 carries for 70 yards and adding two catches for zero yards. He finished with exactly 9.0 FPTS for the second straight week in DraftKings PPR scoring.
Even though Kamara had fewer chances, he made the most of them. He took his seven carries for 34 yards. He also added a touchdown and 35 receiving yards by catching two of his four targets. His touchdown came on this impressive play in the third quarter that gave his team the lead.
While Kamara still has the big-play potential, Miller’s steady workload makes him a safer play in fantasy lineups. Kamara has had two big games this season when he found the end zone, but only had 2.6 FPTS in his down week in between. He’s extremely volatile and needs to make a big play to be worth a fantasy start
The Steelers have been a relatively neutral matchup for running backs this season, giving up just four running back touchdowns all year. Both backs’ fantasy ceilings depend heavily on finding the end zone, and Pittsburgh held Jonathan Taylor and Bucky Irving without a touchdown in Weeks 5 and 6.
For DFS contests like the NFL Showdown $400K Showdown Special [$100K to 1st] (PIT vs NO), Miller is a cheaper option at $5,000 in a FLEX spot while Kamara costs $7,000. The matchup makes it tough to trust either of them as a Captain, but either one will be a good FLEX selection if they get into the end zone. Since Miller is cheaper, he is easier to fit into lineups, while Kamara makes more sense as a contrarian play for tournaments.
In season-long leagues, both Miller and Kamara are high-risk FLEX options or low-end RB3 plays. They really need to get into the end zone to deliver good returns, and since he’s getting more work, I’d go with Miller as the better option of the two.
