TravisEtienne Jr.

News: 5 days agoEtienne could be in store for a heavier workload to begin the season after teammate Alvin Kamara (knee) sustained an MCL sprain during Tuesday's joint practice with the Cowboys, Jeff Duncan of The Athletic reports.

Spin: Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Kamara is expected to be sidelined for at least a month due to the knee injury, putting his availability for the Sept. 13 season opener in Detroit in jeopardy. The Saints had been listing Etienne and Kamara as co-starters on their unofficial depth chart, though Etienne always looked like the better bet to handle the brunt of the snaps on early downs after joining New Orleans on a four-year, $52 million deal in the offseason. With Kamara potentially set to miss time to begin the season or likely to be limited even if he's cleared for Week 1, Etienne could also be in store for an expanded role on passing downs until Kamara is closer to 100 percent health. The Kamara injury may also clear the way for a reserve running back such as Audric Estime (ankle), Devin Neal (hamstring) or Kendre Miller (back) to carve out a role behind Etienne, though those three players have also been banged up during training camp.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Etienne signed with the Saints after spending the first five seasons of his pro career with the Jaguars. The 2021 first-round pick has produced at least 1,399 scrimmage yards in three of the past four seasons and scored a career-high 13 touchdowns in 2025. A capable rusher and receiver, Etienne has already reached 1,000-plus rushing yards three times and has 35-plus catches in each of the past four seasons. Even if the Saints retain Alvin Kamara as a situational player, Etienne will have a clear path to feature-back duties in an ascending offense led by second-year QB Tyler Shough. That will be enough to position the 27-year-old for his third top-15 fantasy campaign in four years. Consider Etienne a solid RB2 target with backend RB1 upside.