Saints plan on Mark Ingram playing Week 8

New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram is expected to play Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, per head coach Sean Payton.

What It Means:

Payton said there is "absolutely" a "high chance" that Ingram will play after being acquired from the Houston Texans on Wednesday. The 31-year-old back should have plenty of familiarity with the playbook after spending the first eight years of his career running for Payton and the Saints. Ingram is expected to serve as the primary backup to Alvin Kamara, at least until Tony Jones (ankle) returns from injured reserve.

Kamara has handled 82.6% of the Saints' total running back carries this season, but the addition of Ingram will cut into that workload. Ingram averaged 14.1 touches and 5.9 FanDuel points in seven games for the Texans this season. numberFire's models expect Ingram to handle 6.2 touches in Week 8 in his first game back with the Saints.