NFC South

Fantasy managers keeping an eye on New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas can feel a little more optimistic about his prospects of playing in Week 1.

Per Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com, there is "positive news" about Thomas' hamstring injury.

Duncan noted he "would be surprised" if the veteran wideout isn't in the starting lineup against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 11.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen said the 29-year-old was dealing with "a little bit of a hamstring" issue that caused him to be held out of practice on Aug. 21.

Arguably the best receiver in the NFL during his prime, Thomas has struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons. He last appeared in a game in December 2020 and was limited to only seven games that year because of an ankle injury. He missed the entire 2021 season while recovering from ankle surgery.

It was just three years ago that the Ohio State product set an NFL single-season record with 146 receptions and led the league with 1,725 yards while adding nine touchdowns. He was named 2019 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year for his dominance that season.

A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, Thomas is expected to be the focal point of the Saints passing attack when he's healthy.

Having him ready at the start of the season would be a boost to the offense, especially with Jameis Winston also in line to be ready for Week 1. Winston played in New Orleans' preseason finale after being questionable with a sprained foot. He went 4-of-4 for 59 yards in his lone series.

Rookie receiver Chris Olave, who was drafted 11th overall, should also see a high volume of targets. But the passing game still figures to be filtered through Thomas, at least early in the season.

Tom Brady needed just one drive to show he's in top form during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.

The legendary quarterback opened the game by completing six of eight passes for 44 yards, proving he hasn't missed a beat at 45 years old. He connected with veteran receiver Julio Jones for the first time in game action. The Bucs marched down the field but settled for a field goal, and Brady was pulled for backup Blaine Gabbert after just one series.

Fans and pundits on social media loved everything about Brady's performance on Saturday, as he showed he's ready for the 2022 season.

Ho hum, Tom Brady looks better than ever at age 45 - terrific velocity and accuracy on opening drive to a field goal. He even completed a deep out to some guy now wearing No. 85. Could that be ... JULIO JONES? COULD HE BECOME BRADY'S FAVORITE NEW TARGET?!

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 27, 2022

Tom Brady goes 6 of 8 for 44 yards with a drop and a pass interference penalty against the Colts. Great protection. Bucs settle for 30-yard FG by Ryan Succop.

— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) August 27, 2022

#Bucs Tom Brady comes out slinging the football on the opening drive. Completed 6/8 passes for 44 yards, with the highlight being the 20 yard completion to Julio Jones. Cameron Brate with two catches as well.

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) August 27, 2022

I think we were all reminded Tom Brady is just fine folks. Don’t worry about the 11 days off.

Loved the tempo. Brady’s zip on that ball to Julio was impressive. GOAT spreading the love around.

Leonard Fournette looks real good.

IMO, one series is enough. They ready #GoBucs

— Evan Closky (@ECloskyWTSP) August 27, 2022

As expected, Tom Brady is done for the night and the preseason after one series. They wanted to see him function behind the offensive line, in a two-minute, hurry-up situation. Protection was good. Big play to Julio Jones. Ball cap time.

— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) August 27, 2022

tom brady throwing the ball 100mph. enough of this guy

— charles (“you look good” - andy reid) mcdonald (@FourVerts) August 27, 2022

Tom Brady looks perfect

— Loso (@LosoRuiz) August 27, 2022

Tom Brady throwing to Julio Jones in a Buccaneer uniform pic.twitter.com/jufDOEm8ma

— Michael (@MJ3_TB) August 27, 2022

The first Tom Brady to Julio Jones game time connection has been made 🙌

— Kasey Hudson (@TheSportsKase) August 27, 2022

Tom Brady out here looking like he's done this before.

— Jake Arthur (@JakeArthurNFL) August 27, 2022

This just in… Tom Brady is still good.

— Mitch Milani (@MitchMilani) August 27, 2022

A preseason tune-up for @TomBrady 🐐

📱: Stream #TBvsIND on NFL+ https://t.co/qmPwv10cRm pic.twitter.com/xMbKTqRxME

— NFL (@NFL) August 28, 2022

Brady and the Buccaneers are trying to return to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years. After briefly retiring earlier this offseason, Brady showed Saturday that he made the right decision to return to Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers will begin their quest for another title in their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11.

The injuries continue to pile up for Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold.

Per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, the 25-year-old was carted off the field during Friday's preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport provided an update:

#Panthers QB Sam Darnold is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain based on the initial evaluation, sources say. He’ll have an MRI tomorrow to determine the severity and if there is other damage.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 27, 2022

After spending last season as Carolina's starter, Darnold is expected to be on the bench as the No. 2 quarterback behind Baker Mayfield this year.

Darnold missed five games last season with a shoulder injury he suffered against the New England Patriots on Nov. 7. The Panthers placed him on injured reserve five days later and he was expected to miss at least four weeks.

The Panthers are in a potential transition phase this season, though head coach Matt Rhule is under the microscope to win now that he's in his third year.

Darnold only completed 59.9 percent of his attempts for 2,527 yards with nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 12 appearances during his first year with Carolina.

Carolina did add Matt Corral in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft, but he has already been ruled out for the season with a foot injury.

Darnold is in the final season of his rookie contract. He spent the first three years of his career with the New York Jets before being traded to Carolina in April 2021.

Until Darnold is able to return, Rhule will likely turn to PJ Walker as the backup quarterback.

Tom Brady returned from his 11-day absence at Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp and apparently didn't miss a beat.

Tight end Cameron Brate praised the quarterback's work in practice Monday:

Coming as a surprise to no one, Tom picked up right where he left off pic.twitter.com/EFBkU0pxvS

— Sports by Tampa Bay Times (@TBTimes_Sports) August 22, 2022

"I'm sure wherever Tom was, he was working out still and getting his reps in," Brate told reporters. "If anyone can get away with the 11-day break during training camp, it's Tom. He came back kind of firing on all cylinders again today. So, yeah, we're all excited he's back and ready to move on."

Brady had left the team for personal reasons, which the Buccaneers coaching staff approved. He did joke on Twitter about the rumor that he was filming The Masked Singer, but he has yet to disclose the reason why he was away.

Either way, the 45-year-old is now back with the team while preparing for the season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11.

After Brady led the NFL with 5,316 passing yards and 43 touchdowns last year, there should be few concerns about the veteran heading into his 23rd season.

The Carolina Panthers have a new starting quarterback.

Baker Mayfield was named the team's starting quarterback for a Week 1 matchup against the Cleveland Browns at Bank of America Stadium.

Confirmed ✅

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 22, 2022

Head coach Matt Rhule explained his decision Monday.

"When we started this process, we were looking at three things," Rhule said. "Number one, mastery of the offense, number two, situational football excellence, and number three, moving the ball and getting guys involved. That's been our focus all along.

"Baker has made a lot of improvement, a lot of growth in all three areas in a short amount of time."

Mayfield beat out Sam Darnold for Carolina's starting quarterback job in training camp. Both quarterbacks were given an ample amount of time to compete for the job before a decision was made.

That being said, the decision comes as no surprise as The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported on Aug. 17 that the team was expected to name Mayfield the starter.

The Panthers acquired Mayfield from the Browns on June 6 in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2024. His addition made Carolina's quarterback room even deeper with both Darnold and 2022 draft pick Matt Corral on the roster.

It's no surprise the Panthers felt more comfortable with Mayfield as their starting quarterback for Week 1.

The Panthers acquired Darnold from the New York Jets ahead of the 2021 campaign in hopes he would be able to revive his career in Carolina. However, he did anything but that last season.

Darnold only appeared in 12 games because of a shoulder injury, but he didn't show any signs of improvement in those games. He went 4-8 and completed just 59.9 percent of his passes for 2,527 yards, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

For comparison, Mayfield appeared in 14 games for the Browns last season, playing with a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, and played better than Darnold. He completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Mayfield, while inconsistent, is also more proven than Darnold, having led the Browns to the postseason during the 2020 campaign. In addition, he has thrown for more than 3,000 yards in each of his four NFL seasons, while Darnold has only accomplished the feat once.

That said, there's always the possibility that Darnold could start games this season. If Mayfield doesn't live up to expectations or suffers an injury, the former Jet will get the chance to show Matt Rhule what he's got.

Tom Brady's hiatus is over.

Jenna Laine of ESPN reported the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback is in the team facility and is expected to practice Monday.

Brady has been away from the team since Aug. 11 to deal with an undisclosed personal matter.

The Bucs have offered no explanation for Brady's absence, leading to widespread speculation on social media. One conspiracy theory wondered whether Brady was away from training camp to film The Masked Singer, given his signing of a massive deal with Fox for his post-playing career this offseason.

Brady's return Monday falls directly in line with coach Todd Bowles' announcement that the quarterback would be excused through the team's second preseason game. Bowles also expressed confidence Brady would be back "early" this week when questioned by reporters after the Bucs' preseason game against the Tennessee Titans.

All of this essentially confirms the fact the Buccaneers knew where Brady was going when he was coming back and what exactly he'd be doing during his nearly two-week hiatus. Brady had never taken a similar break before at any point during his NFL career, so it stands to reason he'd have a better excuse than filming a reality show.

That said, the extended silence is only going to raise further questions once Brady speaks with reporters after practice.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is reportedly expected to return to the team Monday after leaving training camp for personal reasons, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport added that head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Sunday that Brady would make his return soon.

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported that Brady would return "very shortly."

Brady has been away from the team for each of their first two preseason games.

Bowles told reporters Friday he wasn't concerned about the situation.

"Do I look worried?" he said. "I'm not worried, so I don't know why anyone else would be worried. I know exactly when Tom is coming back, and I've consistently said it would be sometime after the Tennessee Titans game (on Saturday)."

That was slightly different messaging than Thursday, when Bowles told reporters there was "no definitive date for me. We'll think on it. We'll keep in touch and find out."

Bowles added the team wasn't releasing details about Brady's potential return because it was possible that something might arise that would delay it. Given all of the current speculation about his absence, Bowles didn't want to fan the flames any further.

There’s an amazingly thorough Reddit thread speculating that Tom Brady is missing Bucs camp because he’s filming The Masked Singer. I pray that this is true. pic.twitter.com/i53pixvmVc

— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) August 19, 2022

Regardless of when Brady returns, he'll be coming back to a patchwork offensive line dealing with a number of injuries:

Bucs offensive line continues to be banged up.

Bucs’ OT Tristan Wirfs is day to day with an oblique strain.

Bucs’ G Aaron Stinnie is out for season with a torn ACL/MCL.

Bucs’ C Ryan Jensen out indefinitely with knee injury.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 21, 2022

That will be a concern for the 45-year-old, who has continued to play at a high level but certainly doesn't have the mobility to deal with a consistently collapsed pocket.

Last season, Brady had one of the best statistical seasons of his long and illustrious career, throwing for a career-high 5,316 yards, 43 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 67.56 percent of his passes.

He'll yet again have a dangerous suite of weapons in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage and Leonard Fournette, though longtime running mate Rob Gronkowski retired in the offseason.

Given that Brady has plenty of experience with the majority of that group—and given his pedigree in general—missing a few weeks in training camp shouldn't have much impact on the offensive execution come the regular season.

And despite the wild speculation about why he's missed time, it appears his hiatus is coming to an end.

It turns out punting the ball 81 yards might catch the eye of fans and others.

Perhaps even the NFL's drug testers.

New Orleans Saints punter Blake Gillikin blasted an 81-yard punt during Friday's preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. On Sunday, he shared a message that said he was chosen for a "random" drug test with the caption "punt at your own risk."

Punt at your own risk https://t.co/Hb0rD4oqNs pic.twitter.com/VKwKIcdOPm

— Blake Gillikin (@blakegillikin) August 21, 2022

Gillikin punted five times in all and averaged 59.4 yards per kick with one downed inside the 20-yard line.

He was also impressive in the team's preseason opener against the Houston Texans with six punts at an average of 50.2 yards with three downed inside the 20-yard line.

The Penn State product saw game action for the first time in his career during the 2021 season with two kickoffs, which both went for touchbacks, and 83 punts. His 47.7 yards per punt total was the seventh-highest mark in the league.

Gillikin also won the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month in October.

It was quite the start to his NFL career, but Friday's punt suggested he could challenge a Saints' franchise record if he replicates the feat during the regular season. Tom McNeill holds the franchise record for longest punt at 81 yards, which he set during a 1969 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Perhaps that mark will be in Gillikin's sights when the Saints take the field for their season opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 11.

While Tom Brady has been away from Tampa Bay Buccaneers camp, former head coach Bruce Arians isn't sweating the possibility that the all-time great will miss the season opener.

When asked during a WFLA broadcast if he was worried about Brady's status for the Sept. 11 game against the Dallas Cowboys, Arians said "not in the slightest" (h/t Greg Auman of The Athletic).

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported Brady let the Buccaneers know he planned to step away for "personal reasons" at some point during training camp, especially since he wasn't scheduled to play in preseason contests against the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans.

Head coach Todd Bowles echoed Arians' comments Friday when he said, "I'm not worried, so I don't know why anyone else would be worried. … I know exactly when Tom is coming back, and I've consistently said it would be sometime after the Titans game (on Saturday)."

Stroud noted Bowles had previously said there was "no definitive date for me."

Tampa Bay lost each of its first two preseason games without the future Hall of Famer and managed just three points in Saturday's outing against the Titans. Kyle Trask went 11-of-24 for 105 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception, while Blaine Gabbert went 3-of-5 for 13 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions.

While the offense looked lost in the 13-3 defeat, there doesn't seem to be too much concern in Tampa Bay regarding Brady's status.

And if there is anyone in NFL history who knows how to manage missing some time and remaining fresh ahead of the season, it is likely Brady. After all, the 45-year-old has been in the league since 2000 and has a resume that includes seven Super Bowl titles, five Super Bowl MVPs, three league MVPs and 15 Pro Bowl nods.

If anything, being away from training camp and preseason in the August heat could help keep Brady fresher for his 23rd season.

Tampa Bay would rather have him healthy and ready to go in January than on the field at this point.

Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Matt Corral had a nondescript performance in Friday's 20-10 preseason loss against the New England Patriots but more concerning is Corral's health after the game.

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule told reporters Corral is getting X-rays on his foot after he came out of the game late in the fourth quarter after getting stepped on.

Corral was seen leaving the stadium with a boot on his foot.

Corral played only the second and fourth quarters in Friday's game, alternating with third-year backup PJ Walker. The rookie went 9-of-15 for 58 yards as the Panthers offense struggled to develop a rhythm against the Patriots. Rhule's decision to limit Corral to two quarters of play received some criticism from fans on social media.

A third-round pick out of Ole Miss, Corral is looked at as a prospective quarterback of the future for Carolina. He had a quiet preseason debut last week against the Washington Commanders, going 1-of-9 for 11 yards. It doesn't appear that his development is a priority for the team this offseason.

The Panthers are in the middle of a quarterback competition between Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, both of whom were given the night off on Friday after taking most of the reps in joint practices with New England. Mayfield received the start against Washington, while Darnold threw a touchdown. It is not yet clear which quarterback Rhule is leaning toward.

The decision for this season's starter will be a crucial one, as Rhule is undoubtedly on the hot seat. In his first two seasons as head coach he has a combined record of 10-23, so the Panthers are surely hoping for better results in 2022.