Is Alvin Kamara playing today vs Buccaneers? Saints RB's status for Week 17 explored

Alvin Kamara and the New Orleans Saints will play to keep their season alive in Week 17. They will travel to Florida to take on the 8-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a do-or-die game.

The Saints are 7-8, and their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. They have to win both their remaining games, and even then, they need at least one of the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, or Buccaneers to lose their final two games of the regular season.

Not only is the math against the Saints, but their injury luck also looked bleak in the lead-up to the game on Sunday. Running back Alvin Kamara did not practice on Friday and was listed as questionable for the game against the Buccaneers with an illness. Will he be available for the Saints' win-or-go-home game?

---

Is Alvin Kamara playing today?

Saints RB Alvin Kamara tackled vs. Rams

The Saints received positive news regarding Kamara ahead of their divisional battle against the Buccaneers. Per NFL insider Adam Schefter, Kamara will play in New Orleans' trip to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Kamara's presence is a massive boost for the Saints. He's their leading rusher with 649 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. He's also a vital cog in their passing game. The veteran has 462 receiving yards this season. Only Chris Olave (1,042) and Rashid Shaheed (640) have more receiving yards than Kamara in the 2023-24 NFL season for the Saints.

Alvin Kamara Fantasy Outlook

Alvin Kamara in action vs. Rams in Week 16

Kamara had one of his worst outings of the season last week in the Saints' 30-22 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He rushed for 19 yards on nine carries and caught five passes for 16 yards. He scored only 3.5 points in Fantasy Football last week, his worst performance since the Saints' 13-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 12 of the 2022 season.

The Buccaneers defense has allowed 92 rushing yards per game and 3.9 per carry in 2023. Their rush defense ranks seventh in the NFL. Kamara is expected to have a tough night in Tampa on Sunday. He's projected to score only 14.2 points. That would be an underwhelming return from your RB1 during Championship weekend. If you are starting Kamara on your Fantasy Football team this week, it might be tough sledging.