Analyze Kendre Miller's matchup for week 11
Kendre Miller tore his ACL in Week 7 and is on season-ending IR, so he cannot help fantasy rosters in Week 11; redraft managers should drop him while dynasty/IR-slot teams can stash the 23-year-old for a potential 2026 return.
Miller’s injury removes the only real threat to Alvin Kamara’s backfield monopoly, leaving Tampa Bay to focus almost exclusively on Kamara and occasional gadget work from Taysom Hill. The Bucs’ run defense has been middling (allowing 4.3 YPC over the last month), but that matchup is now academic for Miller, whose absence locks Kamara into 15-plus carries and most passing-down work. Any rushing production New Orleans generates will flow through Kamara, with rookie Devin Neal mixing in for a handful of change-of-pace touches.
Prior to the tear, Miller was enjoying a mini-breakout—career highs in carries per game (6.7), YPC (4.1), and yards after contact (3.6)—and had trimmed Kamara’s touch share for three straight weeks.
Kendre Miller’s 2025 campaign was shaping up as a legitimate third-year leap before a torn ACL in Week 7 ended his season and his short-term fantasy relevance. Through seven games he had already set personal bests in rushing yards per contest (27.6) and efficiency metrics, forcing missed tackles at a 17 % rate and averaging a stout 3.6 yards after contact—numbers that placed him among the top-25 backs with at least 40 carries. More importantly, his usage was trending up: Sean Payton-style schematics had expanded Miller’s role from 5.3 carries in Weeks 1-4 to 9.5 over the next two, directly cutting Alvin Kamara’s early-season 16.3-carry average to just 9.0 in that same span. The Saints finally had the complementary hammer to keep Kamara fresh, and fantasy managers were starting to trust Miller as a high-upside FLEX in plus matchups.
That trajectory screeched to a halt when Miller’s knee buckled late in the Week 7 loss at Chicago. An MRI confirmed a complete ACL tear, and while the timing (early November) gives him a shot at being cleared for 2026 training camp, it guarantees zero on-field value for the remainder of this fantasy season. New Orleans immediately placed him on injured reserve and reverted to a Kamara-centric backfield, sprinkling in only a handful of rookie Devin Neal touches and the perpetual goal-line vulture package for Taysom Hill. From a real-football standpoint, the injury is a harsh setback for a franchise that drafted Miller in the third round hoping to extend its championship window; from a fantasy standpoint, it’s a reminder of how quickly a handcuff’s upside can evaporate.
For roster management, the directive is simple: treat Miller like a red-flag stash until further notice. In redraft formats he is a safe drop—every IR slot is better spent on players who will actually play in December—and even dynasty managers should feel comfortable cutting bait if they need the bench spot for playoff pushes. The only exception is dynasty leagues that offer a dedicated IR position; stowing Miller there costs nothing and preserves the rights to a 23-year-old who was flashing three-down ability before the injury. Keep expectations modest, though—ACL recoveries for running backs can sap explosiveness, and Miller will hit free agency in 2027, so his long-term landing spot is anyone’s guess. For Week 11 and beyond, pivot your attention to Kamara as a volume-driven RB2 and monitor Neal’s snap counts in case the rookie earns a larger slice of the pie down the stretch.