Travis Etienne signs with Saints: New Orleans backfield shakeup elevates Etienne's Fantasy appeal

The Saints agreed to terms with running back Travis Etienne on Monday on a four-year, $52 million contract. Now, we have to see what happens to Alvin Kamara in New Orleans, and the Jacksonville backfield will have a new No. 1 option, potentially sophomore Bhayshul Tuten.

Let's start with Etienne, and the Louisiana native is expected to take over the Saints' backfield in 2026. He's coming off a standout season in 2025 with the Jaguars, when he had 260 carries for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns, and he added 36 catches for 292 yards and six touchdowns on 52 targets. He averaged 16.3 PPR points per game, which was the second-best mark of his career (he averaged 16.6 PPR points in 2023).

If Etienne is not sharing touches with Kamara, then Etienne has the potential to be a borderline No. 1 running back in all leagues. For now, with Kamara still on the roster, the earliest I would draft Etienne is Round 4, and we hope he has the chance for nearly 300 total touches like he had in 2025 in Jacksonville.

Etienne is a quality receiver out of the backfield, and he has at least 35 receptions in every year of his career, including 58 catches in 2023. But it will be hard for him to dominate touches if Kamara stays in New Orleans.

The 31-year-old Kamara restructured his contract last week, and it would be ideal if the Saints moved on from the nine-year veteran to maximize Etienne's role and still allow Kamara the chance to start somewhere else. Kamara has missed at least three games in each of the past two seasons, and he was out for the final six games in 2025 with a sprained MCL.

He also had a miserable season when healthy, with 131 carries for 471 yards and one touchdown and 33 catches for 186 yards on 39 targets in 11 games. He averaged a career-low 9.2 PPR points per game.

If he remains in New Orleans, the earliest you should draft Kamara is Round 8 as a handcuff to Etienne. Kamara's Fantasy value would essentially plummet in a backup role, so hopefully, he can join a new team for 2026.

As for the Jaguars, they will be looking for a new backfield leader with Etienne gone. Tuten has the chance to take over as the No. 1 option, but Jacksonville will likely add competition either through free agency or the NFL Draft.

In 2025, as a rookie, Tuten had minimal production playing behind Etienne, with 83 carries for 307 yards and five touchdowns, and 10 catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns on 14 targets. He averaged just 6.3 PPR points per game.

However, in his lone game with double digits in carries, which was Week 11 against the Chargers, Tuten had 15 carries for 74 yards and a touchdown (no targets) and scored 13.4 PPR points. He could be a borderline No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues if he opens the season atop the depth chart in Jacksonville. Tuten could be worth drafting as early as Round 5 in the majority of leagues.

We'll continue to monitor what happens with Etienne and Kamara, as well as the vacancy now with the Jaguars, and how that impacts Tuten. Etienne could be a Fantasy star if Kamara is gone, and Tuten could be a breakout candidate if he's the new starter for Jacksonville in 2026.