Saints HC Sean Payton said Monday that QB Taysom Hill will have 2 surgeries to repair the Lisfranc injury in his left foot. The 1st procedure will repair the injury with a piece of hardware; the 2nd will be later to remove that hardware. Payton didn't have a projected timeline for recovery for Hill. But, based on the fact that Hill needs 2 surgeries, former NFL head team Dr. David Chao expects him to be sidelined for 6-9 months. The long end of that timetable would threaten his availability for the start of the 2022 campaign. We'll monitor Hill's rehab this offseason.

Saints TE Taysom Hill (back) is active for today’s game vs. the Panthers. He was limited in practice all week. Hill carried a season-high 14 times last week and has totaled 30 carries over his last 3 games. It’s unclear if the back issue will limit his role today.

Saints TE Taysom Hill (back) and Juwan Johnson (quadriceps) finished the practice week with limited participation and are both officially questionable for Week 18 vs. the Panthers. Should either receive the green light to play, Johnson is the player worthy of most consideration in fantasy lineups. Though the Panthers' defense ranks as the 8th-toughest matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs, Johnson's 26.8% target share over the last 3 weeks is tied for the team lead with WR Rashid Shaheed. Johnson is a high-end TE2/streaming candidate in Week 18.

Saints TEs Taysom Hill (back) and Juwan Johnson (quadriceps) both practiced in a limited fashion on Thursday. Johnson didn't practice at all on Wednesday, so this is a step in the right direction for him. Hill has now been limited on back-to-back days. Be sure to check back tomorrow for additional information regarding their availability for Week 18 vs. the Panthers.

Saints TE Taysom Hill (back) was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday. Fellow TE Juwan Johnson (quadriceps) did not log practice. It's still early enough in the week for things to turn around for the Saints duo. We'll let you know how their participation evolves this week in advance of Week 18 vs. the Panthers.

Saints shape-shifter Taysom Hill tallied 56 yards and a TD on 9 carries in Saturday's win over the Browns. It marked Hill's largest rushing total since Week 8 and his 1st rushing TD since Week 5. Hill has been running the ball more lately, though. He has carried 6+ times in 4 of his past 5 games after reaching that number just twice through his first 9 appearances.