CJ Donaldson left after the Saints’ first drive with a shoulder injury and was ruled out at halftime, leaving the backfield to Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller. Neither could get going on the ground, combining for 11 yards on 14 carries against Pittsburgh’s run defense. Kamara made up for it as a receiver, catching all 7 of his targets for 57 yards. He earned a 54% route share, a 32% target rate per route run and 58% of third-down snaps. Miller handled half the RB rush attempts but managed just 6 yards on 8 carries, adding 3 catches for 22 yards. He did take every carry inside the 10 and 75% of two-minute RB snaps. Kamara’s receiving work made him RB21 for the week, while Miller finished as RB42.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact
Kamara’s 7 catches and 57 receiving yards were both season highs. He’s otherwise struggled across six games, with 125 rushing yards on 41 carries (3.0 per carry), 2 TDs on the ground and 22 catches for 133 yards and a score. Kamara has been limited or out for each of the Saints’ last nine practices, though he avoided a game designation after being listed questionable the previous two weeks. Miller has been even less efficient, with 159 yards on 57 carries (2.8 per carry), 2 TDs and 2 fumbles. Travis Etienne remains on IR and could return soon.
The Saints host San Francisco in Week 8, Cleveland in Week 9 and Carolina in Week 10. Heading into Week 7, the 49ers ranked 10th in fantasy points allowed to RBs (23.40 per game) and the Panthers ranked fifth (25.68). The Browns have been one of the toughest run defenses, allowing the second-fewest (16.15). With the run game going nowhere, Kamara’s role as an extension of the passing game makes him a PPR flex, with the Carolina matchup his best shot at a bigger day. Miller is a TD-dependent flex at best and can be dropped in most leagues. He could become a healthy scratch once Etienne and Donaldson are back.
