The New Orleans Saints were dealt a blow on Monday evening, with rookie WR Jordyn Tyson expected to miss about two months from a hamstring injury. The punches kept coming on Wednesday afternoon, as Saints RB Alvin Kamara will miss time with a knee injury.
Kamara suffered a sprained MCL during Tuesday’s joint practice with the Cowboys and is now expected to miss at least one month from the injury.
Below, we’ll look at the latest Alvin Kamara injury update, highlight when he could return during the regular season, how it impacts the Saints’ running back room, and potential shifts to fantasy football and projections on PrizePicks.
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Alvin Kamara Injury News: Kamara Suffers Knee Injury
During a scrappy joint practice with the Cowboys, which featured several fights, Kamara sustained a sprained MCL, followed by news of missing at least one month of action.
The veteran running back has a history with knee injuries, including sprains during the 2019, 2021, and 2025 seasons.
His MCL sprain from the 2021 season led to a four-game absence, while he missed six games from the MCL last season. Each injury was deemed a Grade 2—the same designation as his current injury. Assuming his MCL sprain follows the same path, that could mean missing four to six weeks.
The Saints’ 2026 regular season begins vs. the Lions on September 13. That’s about three and a half weeks away, putting Kamara firmly in danger of sitting out in Week 1. If this extends to a similar timeline as last season, New Orleans could be without the veteran tailback for the first three weeks of the regular season.
Keep in mind, rookie WR Jordyn Tyson will likely miss at least four games, meaning the offense will be without multiple key contributors. That’s likely a blow to the Saints’ 2.5x payout to qualify for the playoffs, per PrizePicks Team Picks.
With Kamara’s injury in mind, let’s look at how it could shift the offense and fantasy football.
How Alvin Kamara's Injury Influences Fantasy Football, Travis Etienne Jr.
Following a rebound season with 950 rushing yards and 543 receiving yards in 2024, Kamara comes off the most underwhelming season of his career, totaling only 471 rushing yards and 186 receiving yards over 11 games—his fewest appearances over his nine-year career.
Inefficiencies were baked into those deflating totals, including 3.6 yards per carry and 5.6 yards per reception. Furthermore, PlayerProfiler gave Kamara -23.0 expected points added for the season (144th).
Following Kamara’s career-worst season, paired with turning 31 in July, New Orleans made a notable move by signing RB Travis Etienne Jr. in the offseason.
It’s expected to be a split workload, as the first unofficial depth chart lists Etienne or Kamara as the first-string running back, followed by Kendre Miller.
Etienne comes off a strong 2025 campaign, backed by 1,107 rushing yards and 292 rushing yards. Most importantly, he was efficient with 4.3 yards per rushing attempt and 3.4 yards created per touch (19th).
According to FantasyPros’ consensus fantasy football draft rankings, Etienne is RB18 compared to Kamara as RB51 for PPR (point per reception) leagues. This is expected to be Etienne’s backfield, in line with his four-year, $48 million contract.
Kamara’s injury could be about Miller benefitting from touches. He’s shown promise at times, including 193 rushing yards and 4.1 yards per carry last season.
This also draws attention to season-long projections for player stats on PrizePicks. Users can select More or Less on Etienne’s 849.5 projected rushing yards for the 2026 season. Is that bound to increase following Kamara’s MCL sprain?
The Saints’ depth certainly took a hit following Kamara’s injury, but the addition of Etienne could make up for the temporary loss.
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Make 2026 NFL Predictions on PrizePicks
The Saints are now without RB Alvin Kamara and WR Jordyn Tyson for at least one month, perhaps extending into the regular season. For a team that looks to improve from 2025’s 6-11 record, will New Orleans have enough to progress in the upcoming regular season?
The NFL regular season begins on September 9, and users can make NFL predictions for the upcoming 2026 season, such as the Super Bowl winner, divisional winners, and win totals, on PrizePicks Team Picks—available in 36 states!
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