Saints DE Cameron Jordan recently had arthroscopic surgery to "clean up something" in his lower back, according to Nick Underhill of the Advocate. Jordan intimated via Twitter that he faced 8 weeks of rehab, which shouldn't get in the way of his preparation for the 2016 season. We'll keep an eye on him to make sure that the back's OK come training camp. A healthy Jordan belongs among the top 20 D-linemen at fantasy football draft time and carries DL1 upside.

The Saints have fired DC Rob Ryan. The move comes as no surprise but did follow HC Sean Payton refuting reports of Ryan's ouster and players saying that Ryan took part in Monday meetings. New Orleans has replaced him with former Raiders HC Dennis Allen, who has spent only 1 previous season as an NFL DC. His 2011 Broncos defense finished 24th in points allowed and 20th in yards. Until we see some improvement, we'll continue looking at the Saints D like 1 of those moving walkways at the airport: accelerating the trip forward for opposing offenses.

The Saints have ruled out LBs Dannell Ellerbe (hip) and David Hawthorne (hamstring) for Sunday's game at Washington. Backup Ramon Humber (hamstring) is also out, likely raising the tackle upside for rookie ILB Stephone Anthony.

The Saints have ruled out OLB Hau'oli Kikaha (ankle) and ILB Dannell Ellerbe (hip) out for Sunday's game against the Titans. Kikaha's the bigger loss, as the team's #2 sack man for the year (with 4) and the team leader in forced fumbles (3). That only adds risk to an already boom/bust team D prospect in fantasy football this weekend. It also takes a high-ceiling option away from IDP owners. ILB David Hawthorne should replace Ellerbe without hurting the defense at all.

The Saints have deemed ILB Dannell Ellerbe doubtful for Sunday's game against the Giants because of a hip injury. The guy who would likely replace him, David Hawthorne, has already been ruled out with a hamstring injury. That makes Stephone Anthony the only ILB worth considering for your IDP lineup and adds some tackle upside to his profile.

Saints S Rafael Bush tore a pectoral muscle in Sunday's loss at Arizona. That might knock the safety out for the season. That's just another blow to a secondary already going without S Jairus Byrd -- whom they expect back soon -- and CB Keenan Lewis, who's expected to miss at least 4 games following early-September hip surgery. Expect New Orleans to remain a strong matchup for your offensive players in fantasy football.

ESPN's Ed Werder reports that the Saints expect S Jairus Byrd to return to action for Week 2 or Week 3. Byrd missed all of training camp with swelling in the knee that suffered a torn lateral meniscus last October. He's been sidelined by injury much more than he's been on the field since signing with New Orleans last spring and will have to show us something before we're putting him in IDP lineups at this point.

According to ESPN's Britt McHenry, Saints HC Sean Payton said Wednesday that the team's "plan" is to get S Jairus Byrd back on the field before the preseason is over. The veteran has missed most of training camp -- off and on -- to this point, with the team providing very little information on what's actually wrong. It's all quite worrisome for a guy who had back surgery shortly after signing as a free agent last summer and then missed more than half the 2014 season with a knee injury. We'll see where this goes. Byrd certainly doesn't make for a very attractive pick in your IDP league right now.

Saints S Jairus Byrd hasn't practiced with his team since June minicamp ended, but New Orleans won't reveal why he's sitting out. "I think he's progressing well," HC Sean Payton told Larry Holder of NOLA.com on Wednesday. "I think sooner than later we'll get a chance to see him. At the same time we're going to be smart." Payton wouldn't answer, though, when asked whether Byrd is resting the knee put him on IR in Week 5 last season. The former Bill missed most of last summer after needing back surgery following his free-agent landing with the Saints, so it's tough to not worry about this situation. There's still time for Byrd to get back onto the field and show the ability that made him a high-dollar signing and has made him an IDP star at times in the past. But he's no more than a late consideration in your fantasy football draft until he shows something.

Saints 1st-round pick LB Stephone Anthony worked with the 2nd team in OTAs, behind veteran ILBs David Hawthorne and Dannell Ellerbe. But he impressed his new coaches while doing so. “He’s around the ball. He certainly can be a leader. ... He has really done a good job of getting acclimated to our system quickly,” HC Sean Payton told ESPN.com. “I’d say he’s pretty mature. When you’re around him and visit with him, he's ready for the competition and opportunities. ... We’ve been encouraged with him.” That maturity will be important, because Anthony must prove he's ready to call the plays and run the D. The athleticism already makes him the top talent inside. ESPN's Mike Triplett says Anthony has already flashed his ability both in coverage and as a blitzer. We'll see how he looks with pads on, but expect Anthony to earn a starting gig and present some serious IDP upside as a rookie. Check out our 2015 IDP rankings to see how high we're willing to grab him in fantasy football drafts.

The Saints on Tuesday signed DE Cameron Jordan to a 5-year, $60 million extension, with $33.6 million guaranteed. Jordan saw his sack total drop from 12.5 in 2013 to 7.5 last season and garnered a much lower pass-rushing grade from Pro Football Focus. But it's clear that New Orleans believes in his all-around game. Heading into his age-26 season, Jordan should have a lot left to give IDP owners as well.

The Saints took LB Stephone Anthony with the 31st pick of the NFL Draft. He should compete for a starting job right away in a defense that released LB Curtis Lofton. Anthony's athleticism is exciting. He could stand to take on blocks a bit more, but the IDP upside is plentiful. Anthony could turn into a fantasy football starter in 2015.

The Saints continued to bolster their offensive line by selecting Stanford OT Andrus Peat with the 13th overall pick.  A 2-year starter at LT for the Cardinal, Peat has as much upside as any O-linemen in this draft class.  The 6'7, 313-pounder is a strong run-blocker with the foot quickness to develop into a plus pass protector.  He figures to start for the Saints this season, either at RT or LT.

The Saints on Monday released veteran LB Curtis Lofton to clear a little more than $4 million in cap room. The 28-year-old had performed fine in New Orleans but isn't a special player in any particular area. He'll likely find a new suitor fairly quickly and continue to deliver low-LB2 to high-LB3 fantasy football production for your IDP league.

Saints HC Sean Payton said Monday that his team will treat Sunday's finale just like any other game, even though the Week 16 loss to Atlanta eliminated New Orleans from the playoffs. That's good news for anyone still playing fantasy football in Week 17. We'd be just a bit wary of TE Jimmy Graham in DFS, however. The meaningless week could lead to fewer snaps for the star TE who has been playing through a seemingly limiting shoulder injury and is finishing just the 1st season of his big 4-year contract.

Saints LB Junior Galette didn't show up on this week's injury report, but that doesn't mean his knee is back to 100% after he hurt it in the loss to the Panthers. The New Orleans pass-rusher told ESPN.com that he figures to see the same part-time role that he did last week, when he registered 2 sacks amid just 27 snaps against the Bears. “Right now my knee’s not 100 percent," Galette said. "So just being smart and making sure I’m not playing 60 snaps on half a knee.” The edge man is only an option in deep, sack-favoring IDP leagues, and the Saints make for a weak team-D play regardless of Galette's snap count.

Saints OLB Junior Galette left Sunday's loss to the Panthers with a leg injury. He did return briefly but remained noticeably hobbled. We'll check on Galette's status this week heading into an upside sack matchup with the Bears on Monday night.

Saints LB Curtis Lofton is active for today's game against the Bengals. He entered the day questionable with an ankle sprain that cost him Wednesday's and Thursday's practices and limited him Friday. That adds risk to Lofton in IDP leagues, where he's already a fairly low-ceiling option. If you're weighing him against a similar LB value, then the ankle question helps the other guy this week. The better news for the Saints D in general is that it'll have top cover CB Keenan Lewis in the lineup, despite a knee injury.