Team news: New Orleans Saints

Saints RB Mark Ingram suffered a slight tear of his MCL in the loss to the Bucs, sources say, knocking him out indefinitely and likely ending his season.

Related players: Alvin Kamara, David Johnson, Dwayne Washington

Rapoport went on to say he’s out 4-6 weeks, but no surgery is needed. With the regular season only being five more weeks and the Saints likely not making it to the playoffs, Ingram almost certainly won't be rushed back to the lineup. No Ingram could mean more touches for Kamara, but again, with the playoffs pretty much out of reach, Johnson and Washington could also see some work.

Saints HC Dennis Allen told reporters the team will start QB Andy Dalton on Sunday.

Related players: Jameis Winston

Since a 4 TD game (with 3 INTs) with 361 yards on Oct. 20, Dalton has trended downward with 229 yards, 210 and last week just 174 against the Steelers. He's thrown four TDs and three INTs in that same three game span. You can argue it's a little surprising the team didn't make the switch following the loss to Pittsburgh, so Dalton could be on a short leash assuming Winston is ready to go.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that the Saints are signing former Cardinals and Texans running back David Johnson to their practice squad.

Related players: Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, Dwayne Washington

Johnson has been out of the league since wrapping up last season with Houston. The story said the Saints also made an unsuccessful waiver claim for Eno Benjamin this week, so they’re clearly looking for something else to go with Kamara in the backfield with Ingram missing the last couple of games with an injury. If Ingram remains out, Johnson could battle with Washington for the RB2 role after the team cut ties with Jordan Howard and Derrick Gore.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen didn’t say that the team would stick with Andy Dalton as their quarterback in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s loss to the Steelers and called the position one of the areas they’d evaluate heading into Week 11.

Related players: Jameis Williams

Monday didn’t bring a definitive answer, but it does sound like there’s a chance Winston returns to the starting lineup against the Rams. Winston has been active as Dalton’s backup for the last few games and Allen stuck with Dalton because the offense had some good outings. On Monday, though, Allen said we “haven’t been doing as well the last couple weeks” and that means the team has to consider a change, the story went on to say.

Saints WR Michael Thomas going on IR, will undergo toe surgery per Dennis Allen.

Thomas is unlikely to suit up for the rest of the year, meaning he has accumulated 76 targets since the end of the 2019 season. This, sadly, doesn't necessarily affect anything fantasy-wise unless you've been holding on to him in an IR slot for the entire season; the passing offense will continue to run through Chris Olave.

Saints RB Mark Ingram suffered a grade 2 MCL sprain, which means he’s likely out 3-4 weeks. Could have been a lot worse for Ingram, who will be back soon.

Related Players: Dwayne Washington

In fantasy terms, this is unlikely to affect Alvin Kamara, whose usage is impervious to who is on the depth chart with him. Dwayne Washington would be the beneficiary of Ingram missing some time, as he was the only other running back to log a rushing attempt (four), while hybrid athlete Taysom Hill had ten attempts.

Saints’ head coach Dennis Allen ruled out WRs Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry for Sunday’s game vs. the Raiders.

Related Players: Chris Olave, Marquez Callaway, Tre'Quan Smith

The Saints offense has been doing just fine without their top two receiving options, shifting opportunities to younger options, namely, rookie Chris Olave. Olave has become a fringe WR1 and that shouldn't change heading into Week 8's game against the Raiders

Wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Michael Thomas remained out of practice on Wednesday.

Related players: Chris Olave

Landry has missed the last three games with an ankle injury and Thomas has missed four in a row with a foot injury. Olave could potentially, again, be the team's top WR heading into Week 8. The Saints host the Raiders in an early Sunday game.