RADIO
Will Travis Etienne Jr. start for the New Orleans Saints when he returns? Bruno Mulé breaks down the Travis Etienne Jr. return timeline and fantasy football outlook ahead of Week 8.
Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller are struggling to sustain the ground game without Travis Etienne Jr., which opens a strong opportunity for him to take the lead rushing role when he returns. The New Orleans Saints managed 18 rushing yards in Sunday's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
November 8 (Week 9) against the Cleveland Browns is Etienne's earliest opportunity to play again, with New Orleans on its Week 8 bye. He has missed four games since aggravating a hamstring injury against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3.
Etienne has a stronger case to lead New Orleans in carries than to take over the entire backfield. Kamara's receiving work remains valuable, even as neither replacement has produced consistently on the ground.
Featured Promo: New Novig users get a $25 purchase match (50% discount up to $25) on your first Novig deposit, and a free month of RotoBaller's "Big-4" Premium Pass (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) which includes exclusive tools for Betting, Props, DFS and more! CLAIM IT NOW
Will Travis Etienne Jr. Start For The New Orleans Saints When He Returns?
The rushing production from his replacements gives Etienne a compelling case, even though New Orleans has not announced his return date or a starting decision.
I'd expect him to lead the Saints in carries once he is ready for regular work.
Etienne averaged 4.3 yards per attempt before his injury. Kamara has 125 yards on 41 carries this season, while Miller has 159 yards on 57 carries. Together, they have average just 2.9 yards per attempt.
Miller has received the larger rushing assignment recently, outcarrying Kamara 20-7 against the New York Giants in Week 6, then 8-6 against Pittsburgh. Miller produced 70 rushing yards on the ground in the Giants game, but he netted Miller just six rushing yards in the follow-up game on Sunday.
Kendre Miller gets 6️⃣ on the board for the Saints!
@MINvsNO on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/OKgYHGtkYfNFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
New Orleans could keep Kamara involved while giving Etienne more rushing work, as his last appearance showed.
Etienne handled 13 attempts for 57 yards before exiting in the third quarter, a carry advantage over Kamara's nine carries for 36 yards and two caught passes.
Etienne would be returning to an offense still trying to establish consistency on the ground.
The problems extend beyond the backs, as the Saints' 175 rushing yards against the Giants fell to 18 yards against Pittsburgh, and Kellen Moore said Monday that the staff would examine both its schemes and fundamentals during the bye.
Another reserve, CJ Donaldson, left the Steelers game with a shoulder injury and did not return, and his status after the bye remains unsettled.
Travis Etienne Jr. Fantasy Football Outlook
Etienne is a potential flex upon his return, with room to move into the RB2 range if he takes control of the carries.
In 12-team leagues, I'd keep him through the bye and add him if another manager drops him.
Against Pittsburgh, Kamara caught seven passes for 57 yards, tying Barion Brown for the team lead in receiving yardage despite gaining only five yards on the ground.
That assignment gives New Orleans a reason to keep him involved even if Etienne becomes its preferred runner, and it makes his receiving usage the main obstacle to a larger projection.
Projecting the opener's reception volume onto Etienne's eventual return would overlook an early split.
He caught seven passes in the opener without Kamara, then two in each of the next two games with the veteran active, so his own receiving numbers changed when Kamara returned.
Both Kamara and Miller have already converted scoring opportunities during his absence, with Kamara scoring twice on the ground against the Atlanta Falcons and Miller adding a rushing touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings.
Etienne, meanwhile, has yet to score in 2026, which makes touchdowns another concern.
In 2025 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Etienne rushed for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 36 passes for 292 yards and six more scores, production that still supports keeping him.
He did it on 296 touches across 17 games, a much larger weekly workload than his 41 touches in three Saints appearances.
A hat trick for Travis Etienne!
NYJvsJAX on CBS/Paramount+
https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/bjm8wMhn8lNFL (@NFL) December 14, 2025
Miller has averaged only 2.8 yards per attempt this season, which leaves his recent carry workload vulnerable when Etienne returns.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Jonah Coleman, J.K. Dobbins, Tony Pollard, Chase Brown. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 8. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 8 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Jonah Coleman, J.K. Dobbins, Tony Pollard, Chase Brown. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 8.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 8 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 8 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 8 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 8 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Jonah Coleman, J.K. Dobbins, Tony Pollard, Chase Brown compared to others:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
