Pierre Thomas ' left ankle injury, which was supposed to keep him out for a month and is now going on its 10th week, may have healed to the point where he could be active this Sunday. New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton said Tuesday that Thomas has "turned the corner" in his rehab and he thinks there's a decent possibility Thomas plays against the Bengals. "I'm optimistic that [Thomas] can get back on the field for this game," Payton said, according to neworleans.com. "... That is a goal of ours, and yet we're going to be smart about it. The thing about his injury is it's one where he can have a setback so we have to make sure that it's strong and ready when the game comes."

Fantasy Analysis:

Thomas will be a game-time decision and I would not put him in my lineup even if he is active for Sunday's early game. As Payton said, he could suffer a setback and you have to imagine that he's not in game shape after so much time off. I expect him to get around 10 touches or so. Still, that would be enough to downgrade Chris Ivory and Julius Jones, and make no one in this group starter-worthy in 10- or 12-team leagues (despite a pretty nice matchup against Cincinnati). The Bengals have given up 10 rushing touchdowns to RBs this season.