Kendre Miller – Syndication Server

Kendre Miller’s presence is a silver lining of Alvin Kamara’s injury

Kendre Miller’s workload was due to be increased, but Alvin Kamara’s injury has forced the issue quicker than expected for the Saints:

Alvin Kamara is expected to miss Monday night’s game versus the Green Bay Packers with a groin injury suffered last week. There’s a chance the New Orleans Saints’ best player will miss this week, and the following two games, to close the season.

Kendre Miller is the next man up. He took over for Kamara in the late stretch against the Commanders, and now the New Orleans Saints will have to lean on the Miller moving forward.

Miller’s presence is the only silver lining of the situation. If New Orleans was stuck with just Jamaal Williams to offset the loss of Kamara, there would be an extreme panic.

Miller, on the other hand, has been a bright spot since returning from injury. He has been quick and explosive in his limited carries. Miller saw a season high in carries against the Commanders. Still, it felt more carries were in order.

The injury to Kamara has forced the Saints’ hand on giving Miller a larger workload. The increase in carries and attention should increase his development. Seeing that Miller is one of the players you believe could be a building block for the team, this is a golden opportunity for him. Give Miller a three-week span as the lead back, and you’ll be able to confirm this notion.

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Saints enter a low-risk, high-reward matchup vs. Packers

Expectations are low against the Packers, but some Saints have a lot to gain in Week 16. Spencer Rattler and Darren Rizzi could make waves:

The back half of the New Orleans Saints’ season became an evaluation period from the moment Dennis Allen was fired. The two people under the microscope the most are Darren Rizzi and Spencer Rattler. As the Saints enter a night game at Lambeau Field, this is a low risk, high reward game for both men.

There aren’t any expectations for the Saints to beat the Green Bay Packers. Because of that, the pressure on both Rizzi and Rattler is low.

The expected result alleviates a lot of pressure off Rizzi’s shoulders. You still want to see the Saints show some good traits, but you’re not looking at the final score as critically. If the Saints are able to pull off the upset, this will be a huge feather in the cap of Rizzi as he builds his case to shed the interim tag.

At this point, every game is high reward, low risk for Rattler. It’s unlikely for Rattler to be benched in favor of Jake Haener. All the Rattler needs to show is potential. If he can show enough potential, there is a shot he can be the starter next season for the new head coach.

Rattler’s weapons continue to dwindle. Alvin Kamara is likely out of the equation this week, which creates an opportunity for Kendre Miller to assert himself. Rattler will be attempting to do more with less, and the more he does, the more impressive it’ll be.

In general, we’re probably not judging the quarterback or head coach too harshly on Monday unless things go really bad.

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Who to take in Week 16 in your NFL survivor pool

Breaking down the best strategies of how to win your NFL survivor pool as the season continues into Week 16.

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Favorites went 12-4 straight up (SU) in Week 15. The Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, LA Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the underdogs that picked up outright victories.

The Bills won at the Detroit Lions 48-42, the Cowboys topped the Carolina Panthers 30-14 and the Rams out-uglied the San Francisco 49ers 12-6 Thursday night — all 3 winning teams were 2.5-point road underdogs. The Bucs, 3-point road underdogs, roughed up the LA Chargers 40-17.

The Bills (AFC East), Houston Texans (AFC South), and Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC North) have clinched division titles. while no division has been claimed in the NFC just yet. Keep that in mind as some teams will have more to play for in these upcoming games.

For the second consecutive week, no one was eliminated from the USA TODAY NFL Survivor Pool contest. Fifteen entries — out of 10,357 — remain, hoping to win the $5,000 prize. Breaking down the Week 15 selections, 7 advanced with the Baltimore Ravens (35-14 win at the New York Giants), 3 moved on with the Arizona Cardinals (30-17 home win vs. the New England Patriots), 2 picked the Cincinnati Bengals (37-27 victory at the Tennessee Titans), 2 had the Minnesota Vikings (30-12 home win vs. Chicago Bears Monday night) and 1 survived with the Dallas Cowboys (the 30-14 win at Panthers).

We were also on the Cardinals for our top option in Week 15 as they covered the spread as a 6-point favorites.

Our second option was the Ravens, a team that was the heaviest favorite (-16.5) this season so far. Baltimore fired out to a 21-7 lead at halftime, and 28-7 lead after 45 minutes. The host Giants were never able to get within arm’s length.

The Week 16 schedule has 6 teams favored by 6.5 or more points. The Bills (-14 vs. Patriots, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET) and Green Bay Packers (-14.5 home vs. New Orleans Saints, Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET) are the 2 biggest favorites on the board.

Follow the USA TODAY NFL Survivor Pool.

– All games ET unless noted.

The pick: Buffalo Bills

Who they play: Home vs. New England Patriots – Sunday, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)

Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NFL odds. Lines last updated Thursday at 6:33 p.m. ET.

Line: Bills -14 / Moneyline (ML): Bills -1000 | Patriots +650

The Bills (11-3) host the Patriots (3-11) in Sunday’s late window in what should be downright frigid at Highmark Stadium. There is a very minimal chance of precipitation, but the forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies with temperatures at kickoff around 15 degrees, slipping to 11 degrees by the end of the game. Luckily for the passing games, winds will only be 3-5 MPH.

This is the first of 2 meetings between the AFC East rivals this season. They’ll face off at New England in Week 18 a few days after New Year’s Day.

Surprisingly, these teams split their 2 games last season, so there is some risk Sunday despite Buffalo being installed as a 14-point favorite. The Patriots covered both meetings last season as the Bills only outscored them 52-50 in the 2 games. In fact, QB Josh Allen completed just 59.2% of his passes for 434 yards with 2 TDs and 2 picks, along with 3 rushing TDs in the 2 games.

Still, the Patriots are on a 4-game slide, while averaging just 19.5 points per game (PPG) and allowing 25 or more points in each of the 4 losses.

BUFFALO IS MY FAVORITE SURVIVOR PLAY OF WEEK 16.

FOOTBALL NEVER STOPS
Live games, analysis and more 7 days a week: Get ESPN+

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No. 2 option: Green Bay Packers

Who they play: Home vs. New Orleans Saints – Monday, 8:15 p.m. (ABC / ESPN)

Line: Packers -14.5 / ML: Packers -1000 | Saints +650

The Packers (10-4) are still in the mix for the NFC North Division title, but time is ticking. With 3 games remaining, Green Bay is 2 games back of the Lions and Vikings, who are both 12-2 and have clinched playoff berths.

The Saints limp into Lambeau with QB Spencer Rattler expected to make a second consecutive start with QB Derek Carr (hand, concussion) likely out the of the season. To make matters worse, RB Alvin Kamara suffered an adductor injury in Week 15, and he is a question mark for Monday night.

If the Saints are rolling with Rattler and RB Kendre Miller (46 yards on 9 carries in Week 15) with no Kamara, the Saints don’t have a prayer, pun intended. Even if Kamara can play, it’s going to be a tall order.

Worse news for the Saints, there’s a 40% chance of snow showers expected by kickoff. However, the precipitation should taper off shortly before halftime if the forecast holds true.

2024 survivor game log

NO. 1 OPTION

Week 1: LOSS – Patriots 16, Bengals 10
Week 2: LOSS – Falcons 22, Eagles 21
Week 3: LOSS – Panthers 36, Raiders 22
Week 4: WIN – 49ers 30, Patriots 13
Week 5: LOSS – Giants 29, Seahawks 20

Week 6: WIN – Eagles 20, Browns 16
Week 7: WIN – Commanders 40, Panthers 7
Week 8: LOSS – Browns 29, Ravens 24
Week 9: WIN – Chiefs 30, Buccaneers 24 (OT)
Week 10: WIN – Vikings 12, Jaguars 7

Week 11: WIN – Lions 52, Jaguars 6
Week 12: LOSS – Titans 32, Texans 27
Week 13: WIN – Broncos 41, Browns 32
Week 14: WIN – Buccaneers 28, Raiders 13
Week 15: WIN – Cardinals 30, Patriots 17

NO. 2 OPTION

Week 1: WIN – Saints 47, Panthers 10
Week 2: WIN – Chargers 26, Panthers 3
Week 3: LOSS – Giants 21, Browns 15
Week 4: WIN – Cowboys 20, Giants 15
Week 5: WIN – Commanders 34, Browns 13

Week 6: WIN – Falcons 38, Panthers 20
Week 7: WIN – Bills 34, Titans 10
Week 8: WIN – Lions 52, Titans 14
Week 9: WIN – Eagles 28, Jaguars 23
Week 10: WIN – Chargers 27, Titans 17

Week 11: WIN – Texans 34, Cowboys 10
Week 12: WIN – Chiefs 30, Panthers 27
Week 13: WIN – Buccaneers 26, Panthers 23 (OT)
Week 14: WIN – Steelers 27, Browns 14
Week 15: WIN – Ravens 35, Giants 14

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

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Kendre Miller’s long road back from injury has led to a big opportunity

Kendre Miller has a big opportunity in front of him. His long road recovering from injuries has led to a chance to assert himself:

Heading into this past New Orleans Saints offseason, one of the more exciting talking points was the potential emergence of second-year running back Kendre Miller. He’s had to take a long road to get here, but he has a big opportunity through the last three weeks of the 2024 season after an injury to Alvin Kamara.

After an injury-plagued rookie year, Miller caught the attention of many in the 2023 regular season finale. In the first start of his career with Kamara sidelined due to another injury, Miller delivered a promising performance against the rivaled Atlanta Falcons. In a 48-17 blowout win, Miller rushed for 73 yards on the ground on 13 carries (5.6 yards per carry) to go along with an acrobatic touchdown, the first of his young career.

With hopes high for Miller, many were looking forward to seeing what the offense could potentially be with he and Kamara sharing the backfield in Klint Kubiak’s zone-blocking run scheme.

But unfortunately, the now second-year pro was unable to catch a break. Miller would suffer a hamstring injury on the very first day of training camp, resulting in him being placed on injured reserve for the next three months or so.

Finally at full strength, Miller would be activated off of IR and return to play against Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos. In what was a catastrophe of a game, many got to see that spark again from Week 18 of last season. In his six carries Miller rushed for 36 yards (6 yards per carry) including a 16-yard pick up. It was noticed quickly the burst, the elusiveness and contact balance was all still there post-injury.

In the coming weeks though, Miller would be hit with adversity once again. Now-former Saints head coach Dennis Allen would place Miller on IR for the second time, sidelining him for the next four weeks. It was reported there was a “lack of trust” in Miller’s ability to stay healthy which led to this decision. During this time, Miller was in fact healthy and ready to play despite being placed on IR, which only added more frustration to a player that is waiting to prove himself yet again.

After the firing of Dennis Allen and the elevation of now interim head coach Darren Rizzi, Miller and Rizzi had a positive conversation, giving the green light on his return when eligible. Miller was asked about this and replied with, “I’m ready to get out there and bark a little bit.” This would be indicative of him being out of the “doghouse.” Miller was ready to go.

Miller would get his first opportunity in over a month against the New York Giants in MetLife Stadium and was quick to deliver. Miller would score his first touchdown on a 9-yard outside run in which he and his teammates carried Giants defenders into the end zone. This marked his first touchdown of the season. He would follow this performance up with an exceptional game against the Washington Commanders (9 carries for 46 yards, 5.1 per carry) where he and rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler led a late second-half comeback down 17-0 but falling just short of victory after a failed two-point attempt.

With Kamara’s status in question, Miller has an opportunity to cement himself as the team’s No. 2 back going into the offseason. After much uncertainty due to injury, Miller gets his chance to showcase his abilities and even audition as the teams answer at the position once Kamara decides to hang it up. Now is the time for Kendre Miller to prove that there he’s the guy for the job and that the team can allocate their resources elsewhere.

The lights will be bright for the young buck on Monday night against the Green Bay Packers. Expect him to embrace it.

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Saints’ final drive showed a glimpse of what could be a future dynamic duo

The Saints got a potential look into the future on their final drive versus the Commanders, led by Spencer Rattler and Kendre Miller:

The New Orleans Saints’ final drive felt like a look into a potential future of the offense. With 1:55 remaining on the clock, it was youngsters Spencer Rattler and Kendre Miller leading the charge down the field.

Injuries to Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara provided an opportunity to see two young building blocks in a critical situation. Together, Miller and Rattler gave the Saints the opportunity to pull off the upset.

The interesting thing about where the Saints currently are as a franchise is it’s difficult to properly assess the future. If the Saints don’t go with Darren Rizzi full-time, the next head coach will step in with a new philosophy and attitude on players.

Because of that, it’s hard to predict how impactful these type of performances are. For Miller, he can continue being a part of the rotation. His runs early in the drive caught Washington off guard and set the tone. As long as he stays healthy, Miller has shown he deserves a role with the new regime.

For Rattler, he’s either your quarterback or he isn’t. With where the Saints are going to pick in the draft this year, a new coach could decide to see what Rattler has for a year. That brings up more questions about Derek Carr’s contract.

Before we start evaluating questions that won’t be answered in the near future, Rattler has to show he can play well for an entire game. Once we’ve seen that over a couple of games, we can talk about what’s next.

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Saints labeled a perfect fit for this 2025 draft prospect

The Saints should look to bolster their running backs room this offseason, and this Bleacher Report writer believes Dylan Sampson is a perfect fit:

Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski believes the New Orleans Saints are a perfect fit for Dylan Sampson, a popular prospect in the 2025 NFL draft. The last time the Saints drafted a running back from Tennessee, you could say it worked out alright. Sampson even wears the same No. 6 jersey that Alvin Kamara used with the Volunteers.

Right now the running back room includes Kamara, Kendre Miller and Jamaal Williams. Jordan Mims and Xazavian Valladay are also in the mix but they’ll both be free agents in the spring.

And Kamara is the only one guaranteed a spot next year. Williams being a cap casualty is a strong possibility when looking at his usage over the past two years. Miller’s injury history makes it hard to trust him even if he remains healthy to close the season. There will be a feeling in the back of the mind that’s hard to shake. Miller has the potential to be Kamara’s running mate, but if he suffers another injury, that would leave the Saints out to dry.

Seeing that Kamara could be on his final contract, investing in a running mate is a logical choice. Georgia coach Kirby Smart called Sampson “an elite runner.” He went on to directly compare Sampson to Kamara, saying, “And I know where he’s from, in Louisiana, they do nothing but have great backs from there. He reminds me so much of his run skill set of Kamara, of Alvin. He’s very smooth and elusive.”

Smart compared Sampson to Kamara in terms of elusiveness and smoothness. Worst-case, Sampson could work with Kamara and Miller as part of a three-headed rushing attack.

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B/R says Kendre MIller is making the case for more carries

The stat sheet doesn’t wow you, but Kendre Miller had a strong return from injury. Are more carries in his future?

Your opinion of Kendre Miller’s performance differs depends on if you’re looking at the stat sheet or going by the eye test.

The stat sheet would say Miller had a pedestrian return from injury for the New Orleans Saints. That isn’t farther from the case if you watch him play against the New York Giants.

Miller ended the game with 10 carries for 32 yards and a rushing touchdown. The road to those 32 yards wasn’t easy. He was regularly showing the ability to fight through contact and fall forward. Miller also continued to show a burst when running the football.

It was hard day for him and Alvin Kamara. Both rushers were operating in traffic for most of the game. Despite the conditions, Miller felt like a bright spot of the offense.

The 10 carries was enough for Bleacher Report’s NFL staff’s biggest takeaway from the game to be Miller’s emergence. They said, “Kendre Miller flashed enough to earn more snaps in the season’s remaining weeks.”

Miller crossing 10 carries a game is their preference. It would allow Kamara to remain involved in the passing attack without taking on too big of a workload.

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Darren Rizzi has high praise for Kendre Miller in his return from IR

Darren Rizzi had high praise for Kendre Miller after he showed flashes of success in his Week 14 return from the injured reserve:

The New Orleans Saints run game in Week 14 was very hit-or-miss on pretty much every possession, but Kendre Miller showed a few flashes of promise in his time on the field, including an 8-yard touchdown run and a 31-yard kick return as well. Interim head coach Darren Rizzi saw this and praised Miller after the game when speaking with the media.

He started out by saying, “I think Kendre is again showing you why we drafted him. He made some really, really dynamic drives. He has the ability of making an 8-yard run look good. Making people miss. Getting tough yards.”

He followed that up by saying, “Kendre’s gotta just stay consistent, that’s been his thing right? So we gotta do that again next week, we gotta have another good practice week, we gotta just stay healthy. So those are the things. But you saw the flashes today and the athletic ability, that’s the guy we knew we were drafting.”

After hearing pretty much nothing but negativity about Miller from previous head coach Dennis Allen, it is nice to hear a fresh take on him from Rizzi and some praise for the work he has put in.

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Saints rule out three players on final Week 14 injury report, two more questionable

The Saints ruled out three players on the final Week 14 injury report, with two more questionable. But it’s the Giants dealing with even more absences:

The final Week 14 injury report is here, and the New Orleans Saints have preemptively ruled out three players while listing two more as questionable for Sunday’s game with the New York Giants.

We already know that tight end Taysom Hill (knee) won’t play, but neither will left guard Nick Saldiveri (knee) and rookie wide receiver Bub Means (ankle), who remains on injured reserve. Defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon (Achilles) has a good chance to play after practicing fully this week, but he’s questionable along with second-year running back Kendre Miller (hamstring). Kpassagnon is still on the PUP list while Miller is on IR with Means.

Things are worse for the Giants. They ruled out three of their own, too, but many more players are doubtful (two of them) or questionable (six more). That group includes star rookie Malik Nabers (groin); the wide receiver has been the engine powering their offense amid upheaval at quarterback. Here’s the full injury report from both teams:

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Saints injury report: Latest on Taysom Hill, Kendre Miller, Bub Means vs. Giants

New Orleans Saints injury report: Latest on Taysom Hill, Kendre Miller, Bub Means vs. New York Giants in Week 14

Wednesday’s initial New Orleans Saints injury report was a mixed bag of news ahead of Sunday’s game with the New York Giants. Last week’s brief injury report was nice while it lasted — the list has since grown from six names to twelve, doubling in size.

Some of these developments are positive, but not many. Running back Kendre Miller (hamstring) is one of the new additions as he returns to practice in anticipation of being activated again from injured reserve. Another new listing is rookie wide receiver Bub Means (ankle), who was limited.

But losing impact players like tight end Taysom Hill (knee) and right guard Cesar Ruiz (concussion), neither of whom practiced, is worrisome. Key starters like center Erik McCoy (groin) and left guard Lucas Patrick (calf) were each limited to start the week.

Here’s the full injury report from each team: