Alvin Kamara Injury Update, New Fantasy Outlook amid Rumors Saints RB Is Ahead of Schedule

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, who suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his right knee during an Aug. 18 joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys, is reportedly about "two weeks" ahead of schedule, per Nick Underhill of New Orleans.Football, who expects the 10-year veteran to play Sunday against the Detroit Lions "barring a setback."

Kamara is co-listed as a first-team running back with Travis Etienne, who signed a four-year, $47 million contract with New Orleans this offseason, on the Saints' unofficial depth chart.

That being said, one can expect the 27-year-old Etienne, who logged 1,399 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, to be the lead back.

From a fantasy standpoint, entering this season, the 31-year-old Kamara wasn't considered a top player. Per ESPN's point-per-reception rankings, Kamara was listed 49th among running backs and 142nd overall. He was even lower on FantasyPros (53rd among RBs, 158th overall).

Kamara, of course, used to be one of the greatest offensive weapons and fantasy producers in the NFL. From 2017-2021, Kamara averaged 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns per season. He also caught 326 passes over his first four campaigns.

The former Tennessee Volunteer still remained productive from 2022-2024 with 1,347 yards on average and six touchdowns per year.

However, last year was a tough one for Kamara, who missed the final six games of the season with a Grade 2 MCL sprain. He finished the season with just a career-low 657 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown.

Naturally, one can have some pessimism about his 2026 season given how last year ended. From a fantasy standpoint, he's a bench option at best, and he's also available in 76 percent of Yahoo leagues right now.

That being said, Kamara clearly figures into the Saints' offensive plans, based on his depth chart placement.

Underhill also expressed optimism generally about Kamara.

"I think he's good to go," Underhill said.

"I think he's in good shape, and, you know, that's gonna open up the offense. It gives you the two-back looks that allows you to get people out to space. You can line up different ways, you can get in a different packages. If you don't have [Saints tight end Oscar Delp, who missed practice Wednesday], you can create some of that flexibility.

"I think, with two-RB stuff, I will be interested to see if they, I think Delp was going to kind of be a little bit of an H-back, so it'll be interesting to see if they put somebody else into that role just to kind of keep that open.

"But him being on the field helps. Obviously, [Etienne] is going to be RB1 this year, but I think AK is going to be a real weapon for them. Having him out there today just allows you to kind of start in a good place."

Kamara practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, so he's in good shape to play Sunday at this point. On the fantasy side, though, it's best to exercise caution and leave him on benches before we see how (and how much) the Saints utilize him this year.