Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
Atlanta Falcons News NFC South

Saints Star set to Return vs. Falcons

The New Orleans Saints faced a lot of injuries over the course of their 2021 campaign including quarterback Jameis Winton and running back Alvin Kamara.

Both of those player have been healthy during the preseason and were never in doubt for the season opener against the Falcons.

Star receiver Michael Thomas missed the entirety of the 2021 season and was listed as “questionable” heading into the 1 p.m. game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after tweaking a hamstring.

Ian Rapoport reports that Thomas will play against the Falcons.

“Michael Thomas will play today, finally, a comeback a year in the making,” wrote Rapoport on Twitter. “He’s looked great in camp.”

In 10 games against the Falcons, Thomas has nearly 1,000 yards. He’s played more games and racked up more yards against the Falcons than any other opponent.

The Saints lost rookie offensive tackle Trevor Penning to a foot injury, but otherwise appear to be healthy heading into Sunday’s game.

The Falcons are also relatively healthy with the biggest question around first-round draft pick Drake London. London suffered a knee injury on his first catch of his first game (preseason Week 1) with the Falcons and has been limited since.

London participated in practice this week in a limited capacity, and while head coach Arthur Smith has been coy about his availability against the Saints, most expect to see London play.

The Falcons also made a surprise cut from their 53-man roster on Saturday when they released defensive lineman Abdullah Anderson. The Falcons are thin on the defensive line with just Grady Jarrett, Ta’Quon Graham, Anthony Rush, Timmy Horne, and Matt Dickerson for three spots.

They still have one flex available from the practice squad after elevating tight end/fullback Anthony Firkser on Saturday, and that spot could go to either recently signed Khyiris Tonga or Derrick Tangelo to reinforce the defensive line.

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Scott Kennedy
Scott Kennedy is an Atlanta native and 20 year media veteran including time as Director of Scouting at Scout.com, Managing Editor at 247Sports, VP Content Operations at Sports Illustrated and more. Scott has appeared as a recruiting and NFL Draft analyst on dozens of media including ESPN, NFL Network, USA Today, NY Times, and more.
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