Alvin Kamara has been working hard to make it back from injury in time to play in Week 1 for the New Orleans Saints against the Detroit Lions.
His role might be uncertain now that Travis Etienne is in town atop the RB depth chart, but Kamara is still a long-time Saints star who New Orleans would much rather have available than not.
Kamara entered the weekend officially listed as questionable with a knee injury — he’s recovering from an MCL sprain.
The injury news that came out on Sunday morning, though, appears to affirm his status for Sunday.
Is Alvin Kamara Playing Today?
Kamara is not expected to play on Sunday.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport shared that news with this post on X early Sunday morning:
#Saints RB Alvin Kamara, who is questionable with a knee injury because of an MCL sprain, is not expected to play today against the #Lions, sources say. He was a full participant late in the week, but was not quite ready.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 13, 2026
It’s interesting to note, as Rapoport does, that Kamara got in full practice action by Friday yet still has been left out of the plans for this week.
It likely shows the Saints didn’t include him much in the gameplan because they weren’t sure on his availability, and now he ends up missing out on the season opener.
New Orleans had already sent a subtle signal toward this when they decided CJ Donaldson should be promoted from the practice squad to the Week 1 roster. Bringing up the undrafted rookie RB would’ve looked pretty odd if Kamara ended up playing.
Inactives will officially come out 90 minutes before kickoff, at about 11:30 a.m. ET. That’s when the Kamara news will become official.
But it sure looks like New Orleans will miss out on its long-time RB being a part of the Week 1 action.
Saints RB Depth Chart
The Saints bolstered their running back room this offseason by signing Travis Etienne to a four-year, $52 million contract.
That will make Etienne the top dog in the backfield going forward, and it’ll be his regular season Saints debut on Sunday. He should get a hefty workload to try and keep up with the Lions.
New Orleans also has Kendre Miller healthy and ready to go as Kamara’s backup for the opener.
The Saints placed Audric Estime on injured reserve over the weekend, which is another reason Donaldson was elevated from the practice squad. Donaldson will have to be the RB3 behind Etienne and Miller as the Saints begin their season.
Etienne will likely hold down a three-down role in the early going. Kamara could’ve been a passing-down back, but with him out, there’s no obvious replacement in that role.
Alvin Kamara Injury Update Gives Playing Status for Saints’ RB in Week 1