When the New Orleans Saints were at their best, they featured a one-two punch in their backfield of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. In recent years, the franchise has tried to recreate their dynamic, albeit without much success. Initially, they tried reuniting with Ingram, but his best days were behind him. Last year, they signed running back Jamaal Williams in free agency, and then selected Kendre Miller with the 71st overall pick.
As a blueprint, it was easy to follow. Reduce Kamara’s workload by adding a veteran that just led the NFL in rushing touchdowns while bringing along a talented young back with limited snaps to learn the ropes. It didn’t work out. Kamara received a three-game suspension for an off-field incident, Miller was dogged by injuries, and Williams struggled. The result was a rushing offense that ranked 21st in yards (102.5 YPG), 18th in TDs (13), and tied for 30th in YPC (3.6).
Rather than blow things up, the Saints will run it back with the same top three. Will they get better results in 2024? Let’s look at this backfield and what it can do for fantasy owners.
Alvin Kamara
A picture of efficiency and explosiveness during his first four seasons, Kamara has seen his star dim markedly over the last three. In Years 1-4, the veteran averaged 1,541 total yards and 14.5 TDs per season; in Years 5-7, those averages have dipped to 1,295 yards and 6.3 TDs. Injuries have become a bit more common as his odometer reading has increased, but he’s still durable.
While the arrow is pointed down on Kamara, there was at least one encouraging development as the veteran caught 75 passes in 13 games with new quarterback Derek Carr running the show, which was a return to form after he totaled 104 receptions the previous two years combined. Entering his age-29 season, Kamara is still the lead back in NOLA. Presuming his current contract squabble gets resolved, the question is how much he has left in the tank.
Kendre Miller
Miller was the fourth running back selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, lauded for his ability to make defenders miss in space and maintain balance through contact. While he was unproven as a receiver during his days at TCU, Miller was considered a versatile addition to the backfield. Injuries were the lead story of his rookie year, however. He had a knee injury from his collegiate days that caused him to miss OTAs and part of camp before suffering a hamstring injury that cost him two games.
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He returned in Week 3 but played sparingly before an ankle injury on Nov. 5 put him back on the shelf until the season finale. All told, he settled for just 51 total touches, 273 yards, and a TD. With two virtual graybeards joining him on the depth chart, Miller represents the best hope for improvement in New Orleans’ ground attack. Step one to accomplishing that will be staying on the field.
Jamaal Williams
Coming off a season in which he rushed for 1,066 yards and an NFL-best 17 TDs for the Detroit Lions, Williams never got going with the Saints. Asked to keep the running game afloat early, he managed just 76 yards on 27 carries before sustaining a hamstring injury that landed him on IR. When he returned, his role was nominal, logging fewer than 10 carries in eight of nine games before carrying the ball 33 times in the final two games.
Among players with at least 100 carries, Williams’ 2.9 YPC was tied for dead last and, incredibly, his lone touchdown came on a fake kneel down in the closing moments of Week 18 that infuriated then-Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith.
Fantasy football outlook
Despite getting a bit long in the tooth, at least by NFL running back standards, Kamara remains a strong No. 2 fantasy back who could push into top-10 PPR territory if he can stay healthy. His versatility as a volume checkdown target is a big factor there, particularly given the lack of experience Miller has as a receiver along with Williams’ history as a nonfactor in the passing game.
While he’ll be without the rookie hype that fantasy owners love to buy into, Miller is well positioned to have a sizable role. He has more elusiveness and speed than Williams, and the team would like to find out if he can lead the backfield in 2025. Miller is a borderline No. 4/RB5 with upside. Williams, meanwhile, looks like a one-year wonder. He can be safely ignored.
