Saints LB Craig Robertson (shoulder) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers. We'll check on his status Sunday.

The Saints announced Friday that S Kenny Vaccaro has dropped his appeal of a 4-game suspension for a PED violation. That means he'll miss the final 4 weeks to serve the ban. Vonn Bell has already been a full-time player with Vaccaro around, and Jairus Byrd has been near that level. We'll see exactly what New Orleans will do to fill in for Vaccaro.

Saints CB Delvin Breaux has been ruled out for tonight's game against the Panthers. That only enhances an already positive passing matchup for Carolina.

The Saints on Saturday activated DL Sheldon Rankins after he missed the 1st 7 games with a leg fracture. The 1st-round pick can only help the front 7 of 1 of the league's worst defenses. New Orleans will not have ILB James Laurinaitis any more this season, though, after placing him on IR with a groin injury. Laurinaitis has offered little value to the team or fantasy owners since arriving after the Rams dumped him in summer. His deactivation makes Nathan Stupar more interesting in IDP leagues as a potential full-time player the rest of the way.

The Saints have ruled OLB Dannell Ellerbe (quad) out for the 4th straight game. That means Craig Robertson will start once again in his place. Robertson enters Week 4 tied for 3rd in the league in tackles and remains in starter territory in our IDP rankings this week.

The Saints list S Kenny Vaccaro (ankle), MLB James Laurinaitis (quad) and OLB Dannell Ellerbe (quad) as questionable for Sunday's game in San Diego. According to ESPN's Mike Triplett, Vaccaro has expressed confidence that he'll play after missing Week 3. Laurinaitis was added to the injury report this week and hasn't spoken to reporters since. Ellerbe just returned to practice this week after missing the 1st 3 games. If he remains out of the lineup, Craig Robertson would start in his place again. Should Ellerbe return, IDP owners might want to wait and see him get through a game before using him. Robertson has delivered strong numbers to date, though, indicating the upside in the position.

Saints S Kenny Vaccaro sat out practice Thursday with an ankle issue that knocked him temporarily out of Sunday's loss to the Giants. Vaccaro suffered the injury in the middle of the 3rd quarter, though, yet missed only 6 total defensive snaps. We'd bet on him being OK to play Monday night against the Falcons, but we'll have to watch his status through the weekend. Given the Monday-night kickoff, we'll hope to get a meaningful update before the Sunday games.

The Saints on Tuesday released K Kai Forbath and signed undrafted free agent rookie Wil Lutz, according to multiple reports. Forbath had seemingly beat out Connor Barth, who has since replaced Robbie Gould with the Bears. Lutz connected on just 69.2% of his FG attempts over 3 years at Georgia State. He spent camp and the preseason with Baltimore, going 2-of-3 on FGs and making his only extra-point attempt. New Orleans presents a good situation for a fantasy kicker, but the team's insistence on cycling through marginal kickers in recent seasons has largely kept the position from delivering in fantasy.

Saints OLB Stephone Anthony returned to practice Monday, according to The New Orleans Advocate. That comes about a week and a half after he suffered an unspecified leg injury in the preseason opener. Anthony's return before the 3rd exhibition suggests he'll be fine for the regular season, though we'll keep an eye on his status for IDP purposes. The Saints' depth chart has Anthony starting on the strong side, with James Laurinaitis in the middle and Dannell Ellerbe manning the weak side. DC Dennis Allen doesn't have a clear enough record in the NFL for us to determine which spot presents the highest tackle ceiling in his system. And Anthony's absence has clouded the sub-package plans for the crew. We'll try to decipher that further, but Anthony's age and athleticism keeps him the most intriguing IDP option for now.

According to multiple reports, Saints rookie DT Sheldon Rankins left the practice field on a cart Monday morning. We'll keep an eye out for updates on the 12th overall pick. Losing him would deal a potentially big blow to a team defense that stunk last year but has some hope for at least a bit of big-play upside in 2016.

Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Rankins is expected to hit IR with a broken fibula.

Saints ILB Stephone Anthony left Thursday's preseason opener with a still-unspecified leg injury, but it doesn't appear to be too serious. "We were a little fearful it might be something more than it was, but I think we'll have him back sooner than later," HC Sean Payton told NOLA.com. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that a source says Anthony could miss a "couple weeks" but that he's "absolutely" expected back before the regular-season opener. We knocked him down the LB rankings just a tad for now, and we'll keep an eye on the upside 2nd-year player as Week 1 draws nearer.

Saints DE Cameron Jordan had February surgery to deal with herniated discs in his back, an issue he played through last season. ESPN's Mike Triplett reports that doctors have yet to clear Jordan to return to the field but that the player says he's "ahead of schedule." Jordan added, “I can’t give out a timetable for me being back 100 percent, but I do know that we’ll be well within camp, season." He posted a top-10 fantasy season in 2015 that included 10 sacks, with half of those coming over just 2 games. Sorting out the back issue can only help, as should the arrival of 1st-round DE Sheldon Rankins. We'll see when Jordan gets back to 100%.

The Saints jumped up into Round 2 via trade with the Patriots to pick S Vonn Bell. The former Buckeye might have trouble starting right away, with safeties Jairus Byrd and Kenny Vaccaro still around, but New Orleans has continued to need help in the secondary. Bell's a late-round option in IDP dynasty rookie drafts.

The Saints chose DL Sheldon Rankins with the 12th pick in the NFL Draft. Rankins should fit well as the 3-4 DE across from Cameron Jordan and significantly strengthen the New Orleans front. He'll make for an interesting option in IDP rookie drafts.

Adam Schefter reports that the Saints will sign free-agent ILB James Laurinaitis. The 29-year-old spent the past 7 seasons starting every game for the Rams, but his effectiveness slipped in recent years. We'll see what New Orleans plans for his role, but we're hoping the veteran doesn't keep 2015 first-round pick Stephone Anthony from playing full time. Anthony brings a lot more IDP upside than his better-known new teammate, even though he returned just LB3-4 production as a rookie. Adding Laurinaitis won't change the team D outlook for the Saints at all.