Alvin Kamara Expected to Play Through Back Injury Against Vikings

Alvin Kamara is officially expected to push through a back injury and suit up for the New Orleans Saints against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Ian Rapoport dropped the news Sunday morning, giving fantasy managers and Saints fans a collective sigh of relief. When your star running back is listed with a back issue, you usually start mentally preparing for a heavy dose of backup check-downs.

"Ian Rapoport reports Kamara is expected to play."

New Orleans desperately needs him on the field. The Saints are coming off a recent disaster class where they got boat-raced 45-24 by the Atlanta Falcons.

Now they get a Minnesota team that just dragged the Miami Dolphins into the mud for a 15-10 win. The Vikings defense is clearly awake, which means the Saints cannot afford to be one-dimensional.

Playing through a back injury as an NFL running back sounds like a highly specific form of torture. Every time Kamara gets tackled by a 300-pound defensive tackle, anyone holding a Saints ticket is going to hold their breath.

We will see exactly how much of the workload Kamara can actually handle once the game kicks off. If the back tightens up early, New Orleans might be in for another long afternoon.