Khiry Robinson

Will the Saints keep riding Ingram once fellow backs Khiry Robinson and Pierre Thomas return from injuries?

Chances are, the Saints will return to some form of timeshare -- mainly because those two guys are so talented and were also thriving in their part-time roles before they got hurt.

When asked again Friday if Ingram has earned the opportunity to play a greater role at the head of the timeshare, Payton seemed open-minded.

"Listen, he certainly is [earning the opportunity]. Yet the key is just the durability. But he's been outstanding," Payton said. "I think that Sunday and then what he did last night, those are a lot of touches. And so we're gonna have to, as we get guys healthy, break those up. And yet to his credit, he's handled that workload. And I think our guys up front, I think it's all kind of come together to some degree."

Ingram has a couple of tough matchups in the next three weeks (San Francisco and Baltimore), but the Saints face the Panthers, Bears and Falcons in the fantasy playoffs, and even if he's the lead back in a timeshare, he should still be useful down the stretch.