Saints DT Sheldon Rankins is active for tonight's game against the Cowboys. It will mark his 1st game back since suffering a torn Achilles' tendon in last year's playoff victory over the Eagles. We'll see how much playing time Rankins is ready for. He remained limited in practice this week.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Saints CB Ken Crawley will be inactive for Sunday night's game against the Vikings. Crawley didn't appear on the injury report at all this week, so it's pretty clear that newly acquired CB Eli Apple is immediately replacing him in the starting lineup. Crawley was just a low-level IDP option anyway, so drop him if you've had him on board.

The Saints gave up next year's 1st-round pick to move up from 27th to 14th in Round 1 of the NFL Draft to take DE Marcus Davenport. The UT-San Antonio pass rusher tallied 15 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss over the past 2 season. He then posted the 3rd-best speed score in this edge class. Davenport will present lots of IDP upside in sack- and pressure-friendly fantasy football leagues.

Saints starting CBs Marshon Lattimore (ankle) and Ken Crawley (abdomen) have been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Rams. That leaves reserve corners stepping into a lineup that Washington QB Kirk Cousins carved up a week ago. The matchup favors the Rams' run game, but there's plenty of upside for Jared Goff and the receivers. WR Sammy Watkins, in particular, carries much more upside than usual with Robert Woods out.

Saints CB Marshon Lattimore left Sunday's win over Washington twice because of a left ankle injury. He initially hurt it on Washington's 1st series of the game and remained out through the rest of the half. Lattimore returned after the break but left again early in the 3rd quarter and did not return. We'll see about his status heading into a Week 12 visit to the Rams.

Saints S Kenny Vaccaro (groin) and LB A.J. Klein (ankle) are inactive for today's game against Washington. It's the 2nd straight missed game for Vaccaro, which will put CB P.J. Williams in primary coverage on Washington slot WR Jamison Crowder. Manti Te'o should start in Klein's place but is only a marginal IDP option.

The Saints benched S Kenny Vaccaro during Sunday's loss to the Patriots. Vaccaro had admitted to poor coverage play against the Vikings in Week 1 but seemed surprised by Sunday's move. "I know Gronk had two catches on me, really great catches, and that was about it," he said afterward, per ESPN's Mike Triplett. "That's all that really happened. The next thing I know, I'm sitting next to Coach Payton." We'll see where this goes. Rumors also floated over the past week that the Saints were looking into trading Vaccaro, whose contract ends after this season. HC Sean Payton downplayed the rumors, but a move would probably be good for Vaccaro's playing time at this point. He's droppable in most IDP leagues this week. There are too many viable DB options to merit riding a safety with a short leash.

The Saints this week placed DT Nick Fairley on the non-football injury/illness list. That deactivates him for the 2017 season, and he's likely done for good, according to the Times-Picayune. Doctors diagnosed Fairly with a heart condition this offseason, and the team reportedly sought out multiple opinions before making the move. It's a particularly unfortunate scenario considering that Fairley had just earned a big new contract after a bounce-back 2016. For fantasy purposes, it at least becomes easier to envision a worthwhile role for 2nd-year DT Sheldon Rankins.

Fox Sports' Jennifer Hale reports that Saints DT Nick Fairley has had some recent tests revealing heart trouble that "could jeopardize [the] future of his career." Fairley has been absent from OTAs for undisclosed medical reasons, and even teammates have reportedly had trouble reaching him. This would be a huge development, especially for a guy who signed a 4-year, $28 million extension just this offseason. The New Orleans D doesn't hold much fantasy appeal, but Fairley enjoyed a run of IDP success last year. We'll see where this story goes.

The Saints grabbed Florida Atlantic DE Trey Hendrickson in Round 3 of the NFL Draft on Friday night. Hendrickson racked up 23 sacks and 30 total tackles for loss over his final 2 college seasons and then delivered strong testing numbers at the Combine. His 4.65-second 40-yard dash produced the position's 3rd-best speed score (behind only Jordan Willis and Myles Garrett). Hendrickson also rated 81st percentile or better in the broad jump, 3-cone drill, and short and long shuttle. Hendrickson should be a DE in New Orleans' primarily 4-3 front. That would put him on an ascending line with Cameron Jordan, Nick Fairley and 2016 first-rounder Sheldon Rankins. There's nice upside to Hendrickson for dynasty IDP leagues.

The Saints drafted Florida LB Alex Anzalone in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. Anzalone posted uninspiring numbers in college while dealing with multiple shoulder injuries and a broken left arm. He took a medical redshirt as a 2015 junior after his 2nd shoulder injury and then tallied just 53 total tackles in his lone starting season. Anzalone flashed his athleticism in Senior Bowl workouts and at the Combine, however. He ranked 77th percentile in the 40 and 86th percentile in the 3-cone drill at 6'3 and 241 pounds. We'll see how soon Anzalone can get on the field in a LB corps that has been seeking answers for a while.

The Saints spent a 2nd-round pick on Utah S Marcus Williams. He's probably not headed for an immediate starting role but should fight for one as soon as 2018. Williams grabbed 5 INTs in each of his final 2 college seasons and looks like more of a big-play league option than he is for IDP formats that lean more heavily on tackles.

The Saints spent the 11th overall pick on Ohio State CB Marshon Lattimore. The Buckeyes corner lost 21 games across 2014 and 2015 to hamstring injuries. That left us with little to go on as we try to project fantasy numbers in the pros. Don't expect Lattimore to show up in draft range in our rookie or redraft rankings. We'll see what he can do in season.

Saints LBs Craig Robertson (shoulder) and Dannell Ellerbe (foot) are active for Sunday's game against the Falcons. Both have played through "questionable" tags in multiple weeks and are OK for normal use but low-floor IDP options.

Saints LB Dannell Ellerbe (foot) and LB Craig Robertson (shoulder) are active for today's game against the Buccaneers. Both entered the weekend questionable but should be fine to use if you had planned to do so.

Saints LB Craig Robertson (shoulder) is active for today's game against the Cardinals. He's fine to get back into IDP lineups after a game away.

Saints LB Craig Robertson (shoulder) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Cardinals after missing last week's loss in Tampa. We'll update his status Sunday.

Saints LB Craig Robertson (shoulder) is inactive for today's game against the Bucs.