We've heard the same story for months now, but it finally seems to be real: Pierre Thomas will practice without limitations this week. Thomas and Saints head coach Sean Payton expect as much, and Thomas said he knows he'll play when he's ready. But how much? Chris Ivory has scored five touchdowns in the past three weeks and ran for 117 yards on 15 carries Sunday in Cincinnati. Even with Thomas and Reggie Bush back in the fold, Payton said Monday that he doesn't want to halt Ivory's momentum. "Chris has done a number of good things and I don't want to affect his snap count at all in regards to his carries," Payton said. "We'll be smart about who's up and then having the plan that we think is best for our team, but certainly [Ivory] has earned the reps that he's getting now and the touches that he's getting now. He's a different type of runner than either Pierre or Reggie or Julius [Jones]."

Fantasy Analysis:

It's still no guarantee that Thomas will actually play this week. But both parties, he and the head coach, have been encouraged with what he's shown lately in practice. Payton may give Ivory a vote of confidence, but I don't see anyway how this doesn't become a dreaded committee situation. The worst part is that we won't know how bad it will be until all of the Saints' RBs are active on game day. For this week, Ivory is still the best fantasy play, even if Thomas is available. I don't expect him to be too involved right away. Ivory has a decent matchup at home against the St. Louis Rams.