It has been quite a while since we've seen New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara on the football field.
Kamara sustained knee and ankle injuries in the Week 12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons and he has not practiced or played since then.
Kamara isn't the only injury issue the Saints have at running back, as the team shut rookie back Devin Neal down for the season after he was placed on injured reserve recently.
As the Saints prepare for a Week 17 matchup against the Tennessee Titans, here's what we know about Kamara's chances of returning to action.
Will Alvin Kamara play in Week 17?
We don't have an answer on Kamara's status yet, but we would say he's 50/50 to play.
The fact that the Saints haven't placed Kamara on injured reserve yet suggests they expect him to be back at some point. After a four-game absence, it's logical to believe he could be back this week.
However, he also didn't show any signs of progress last week in terms of practice participation after sitting out all week, so that keeps our optimism at bay.
We'll get our next update on Kamara on Wednesday, when the Saints release their first injury report of the week. Any semblance of participation at practice would amount to an upgrade for Kamara.
Fantasy football impact
If Kamara is sidelined once again, the Saints will have a murky situation at running back.
We thought Audric Estime would lead the backfield for New Orleans in Week 16, but it ended up being Taysom Hill, who had 12 carries to Estime's five. Hill also had one more reception (four) than Estime (three).
For fantasy football owners needing help at running back this week, we'd suggest looking elsewhere because there's no telling how things will go in New Orleans should Kamara sit again.
And Kamara himself has not been good this season, so he isn't really a starting option, either.
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