Saints LB Curtis Lofton is questionable for Sunday's meeting with the Bengals. He returned for a limited practice Friday after missing Wednesday's and Thursday's workouts with a sprained ankle. We'll see if that ankle is ready for Sunday.

Saints S Jairus Byrd suffered a torn lateral meniscus in practice Thursday, and the team place him on IR Friday, according to Nick Underhill of The New Orleans Advocate.  Byrd had yet to bring any of his turnover mojo to his new defense, leaving him and the team D as fantasy disappointments so far.  But he's certainly a bigger talent than what will replace him.  Rafael Bush sits behind Byrd on the depth chart and should take over his spot.

Saints S Jairus Byrd joined the team for practice Tuesday for the 1st time since May back surgery.  The team called the procedure "minor" at the time, and his early-camp return seems to confirm that.  Barring any setback, we won't consider this an issue for Byrd's fantasy outlook.  He's a high-ceiling option, especially in big-play heavy formats.  Check our 2014 IDP rankings to see just how much we like him.  Byrd's return -- thanks primarily to his turnover potential -- is also great news for the underrated Saints' team D.

Saints S Jairus Byrd's sitting out OTAs after recent back surgery, HC Sean Payton told The Times-Picayune on Thursday.  The procedure was reportedly minor, something Bthyrd would have passed on during the regular season.  The team expects him back for the start of training camp.  Byrd lost 5 games to injuries last year, including plantar fasciitis after he reported to Bills training camp late.  As long as he checks out physically early in Saints camp, though, we won't bother sliding Byrd down our 2014 IDP rankings.

The Saints have reached a 6-year deal with former Bills S Jairus Byrd.  The top safety on the market, Byrd picked 4 passes in his final Buffalo season after losing the 1st 5 games to plantar fasciitis.  That followed a 5-INT year and gives Byrd 22 over his 5 seasons.  Byrd's tackle numbers have fluctuated and hurt his scoring consistency, but he remains a high-upside fantasy defender.  Byrd figures to be among the more interesting projections among our 2014 IDP rankings.  His arrival certainly helps the Saints' D in general.

Update: ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the deal is worth $54 million with $28 million guaranteed.

The Saints placed S Kenny Vaccaro on IR Wednesday after he fractured his left ankle in Sunday's loss at Carolina.  S Roman Harper stepped in against the Panthers and figures to start Sunday against the Bucs.  Check our DB rankings on Friday to see if Harper carries any sleeper appeal.

Saints rookie S Kenny Vaccaro left the field on a cart after suffering a nasty-looking left leg injury against the Panthers.  We'll certainly be watching for the official diagnosis.  Vaccaro has developed well and proved a versatile presence in his 1st Saints season.  A healthy Vaccaro would look like a potential top 10 fantasy DB as soon as 2014.  Roman Harper stepped after Vaccaro went down.

Saints S Kenny Vaccaro is active tonight against the Falcons after sitting out a game with a concussion.  The rookie has proved important in coverage vs. TEs this season, which adds some sneaky IDP upside against Tony Gonzalez.  But Vaccaro hasn't done anything special in fantasy this season, and Atlanta ranks among the weakest DB matchups for the year.  Look elsewhere for your starters this week.

Saints S Kenny Vaccaro said Monday that he'll miss at least 1 game because of the concussion he suffered in Sunday night's win over the Cowboys.  His absence would allow Malcolm Jenkins and Roman Harper to start if both are healthy enough to do so.  Both veterans missed Week 10.  Rafael Bush started alongside Vaccaro, and Isa Abdul-Quddus worked in.  We don't expect to recommend any Saints safety in an already unfavorable matchup with the Niners.

Both Saints starting inside LBs showed up questionable on the week's final injury report.  David Hawthorne (toe) missed practice all week and seems the bigger question mark for Sunday night's contest.  We'd be wary of using him in your IDP lineup this week.  Curtis Lofton, meanwhile, sat out Friday's practice with an ankle injury that didn't show up on the reports for Wednesday or Thursday.  Lofton practiced in full each of those days before sitting out Friday.  We've yet to see any specifics on whether he sprained an ankle in Thursday's workout (seems likely) or how bad it might be.  We'll keep an eye on the status of each heading into Sunday's games.  If you plan to use Lofton in your IDP lineup, you could look to Dallas' Bruce Carter, Tampa Bay's Mason Foster and Miami's Philip Wheeler or Dannell Ellerbe as emergency fill-ins.

Saints S Malcolm Jenkins (knee) is questionable for Sunday night after missing practice all week.  He indicated Thursday that he'll test out the knee before the game Sunday, but we're not willing to wait for that.  Sit Jenkins and find another DB for your IDP squad.

As expected, Saints DE Cameron Jordan (ankle) is active for the Week 9 matchup with the Jets.  He's a strong IDP option against a struggling offense.

Saints S Malcolm Jenkins (knee) is inactive for Week 9.  S Kenny Vaccaro carries IDP upside in the matchup with the Jets.

Saints S Malcolm Jenkins (knee) is questionable for Sunday's meeting the Jets.  He looks like a risky IDP option after sitting out practice all week. Fellow S Kenny Vaccaro (concussion, back) practiced Thursday and Friday after sitting out Wednesday.  He's questionable but seems a safer bet to play than Jenkins.

Saints DE Cameron Jordan (ankle) is questionable for Sunday's meeting with the Jets. He put in limited practices Thursday and Friday after a full workout Wednesday. We still expect him to play after he turned up questionable in Week 8 as well -- and played.  We'll be watching the Sunday inactives.

Saints DE Cameron Jordan (ankle) is active for today's game against the Bills.  He's an easy IDP start in 1 of the league's most favorable matchups for fantasy D-linemen.

Saints DE Cameron Jordan (ankle) is questionable for Sunday's game against Buffalo.  The right DE put in limited practices on Thursday and Friday after missing Wednesday's workout.  Our guess is that he'll be active and a solid IDP option against the Bills.  But we'll certainly keep an eye on his status Sunday morning when the inactives come out.

Saints S Roman Harper is out for Week 3 with a knee injury.  That boosts the IDP profiles of fellow Saints safeties Malcolm Jenkins and Kenny Vaccaro -- especially against a Cardinals offense likely to lean pass.

Saints S Roman Harper missed practice Wednesday and Thursday because of the knee injury that limited him last week.  He played just 42 of the team's 61 defensive snaps in Sunday's win over the Bucs.  Whether this knee thing limits him or not, don't be surprised if we're witnessing the Harper phase-out plan.  First-round rookie S Kenny Vaccaro and incumbent S Malcolm Jenkins have both been full-time players the 1st 2 weeks, and the defense has looked much better than last year.  You can safely dump Harper from your IDP fantasy football team.