Nov. 1: Although Sanders will miss the Saints’ game against the Bears today, he is recovering and is expected to rejoin his club for its critical divisional matchup with the Bucs on November 8 (Twitter link via Schefter).
Oct. 23: The Saints’ wide receiver issues have continued into Week 7. They are placing Emmanuel Sanders on their reserve/COVID-19 list, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
This will sideline Sanders for New Orleans’ Week 7 game against Carolina. With Michael Thomas encountering a hamstring issue this week, the Saints will be without their top two wideouts. They declared Thomas out with the hamstring malady. This will be his fifth straight absence.
Players who land on the reserve/COVID-19 list must isolate for at least five days. This will put New Orleans in an unusual position. Coming into this season, Thomas had missed just one game since arriving in 2016. His latest issue will result in the Saints’ receiving corps being unusually shorthanded.
The Saints gave Sanders a two-year, $16MM deal to fill their years-long need for a proven No. 2 wide receiver. Tre’Quan Smith will now slide up to the No. 1 spot.
Thomas practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday but did not participate Thursday or Friday. He missed Weeks 2-4 because of an ankle injury and was down in Week 5 because of a team-imposed suspension. Sanders helped fill Thomas’ role, despite a slow start. He has 18 receptions for 215 yards in the past two games.
Bummer. What the hell is wrong with Michael Thomas this season? If he’s not randomly injuring himself just before the weekend he’s punching teammates. It’s like he doesn’t want to play at all.
Gonna be a tough game for the Saints offense. Sean Peyton is gonna have to get creative.
Sheesh. Maybe they get desperate and reach for Pettis? The Saints are really getting hit hard, both by COVID and bad luck.
Wasn’t Thomas a healthy scratch last game? How did he strain his hamstring this week? Did he roundhouse kick his mailman?