Coach Dennis Allen confirmed Dalton (back) will be the Saints' starting quarterback Thursday at Arizona, Omar Ruiz of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

Both Dalton and Jameis Winston (back/ankle) avoided designations for New Orleans' Week 7 matchup, but the team will continue to roll with the former for at least one more game. The team doesn't want to press Winston into action prematurely after he's dealt with four small fractures in his back, an ankle issue and a hip flexor injury already this season. Meanwhile, Dalton will earn a fourth consecutive start under center, which so far has resulted in 585 yards passing, three touchdowns and one interception on the first three occasions.

Dalton is trending toward a start Thursday versus the Cardinals, but the Saints have yet to officially name a starter, Katherine Terrell of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

Coach Dennis Allen declined to officially name a starter for Thursday between Dalton and Jameis Winston (back/ankle), saying "I think we'll just wait 'til game time," but Terrell reports that 'signs point' toward the team continuing to roll with Dalton on a short week. Winston remains limited in practice but doesn't have an injury designation, while Dalton practiced in full Wednesday after opening the week with back-to-back limited sessions. If Dalton indeed starts Thursday in Arizona, which may not become official until shortly before the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff, he will have standout rookie Chris Olave back from the concussion protocol, but he'll also have to operate without Michael Thomas (foot) and Jarvis Landry (ankle), in addition to guard Andrus Peat (pectoral).

Dalton (back) practiced fully Wednesday and doesn't have a designation for Thursday's game in Arizona.

EDGE Analysis

Coach Dennis Allen told Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football earlier Wednesday that he hasn't made a call on the Saints' starting quarterback for Week 7 between Dalton and Jameis Winston (back/ankle), the latter of whom was limited Monday through Wednesday but also avoided a designation for Thursday. Dalton himself opened the week with back-to-back capped sessions before logging every rep Wednesday, making it clear he's in a better spot than Winston, health-wise. Ultimately, Allen doesn't have to make his decision known before Thursday's kickoff, but if Dalton gets the nod, he again won't have wide receivers Michael Thomas (foot) or Jarvis Landry (ankle) at his disposal.

Coach Dennis Allen said Wednesday that he'll wait until Thursday to decide between Dalton (back) and Jameis Winston (back/ankle) as the starting quarterback for Thursday's game in Arizona, Erin Summers of the Saints' official website reports.

EDGE Analysis

Health presumably will be a key factor, with Dalton likely in better shape from that standpoint despite dealing with a back injury that limited his practice participation this week. Winston is recovering from back fractures and an ankle injury, having served as Dalton's backup in a loss to the Bengals on Sunday. Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football believes Dalton is likely to start Thursday's game.

Dalton (back) was listed as a limited participant at Tuesday's practice.

EDGE Analysis

Dalton was labeled as a limited participant on Monday's estimated practice report, and he maintained that level of activity when the Saints got on the field for the first time since Sunday's loss to the Bengals. Jameis Winston (back/ankle) was also listed as a limited participant, but Dalton may be the healthier of the two at this stage, as John Hendrix of SI.com notes that Dalton was taking first-team reps in the open portion of Tuesday's session. Barring a dramatic increase in his activity level Wednesday, Winston looks like he could miss out on a fourth straight start Thursday when the Saints face the Cardinals in Arizona. Winston could still be available as an emergency backup behind Dalton, provided the latter doesn't regress in his own recovery from a back injury and is able to start on a short week.

Dalton (back) was listed as a limited participant on Monday's estimated injury report, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

EDGE Analysis

Dalton has started three consecutive contests in place of Jameis Winston (back/ankle), who was active for Week 6 but still isn't 100 percent, but the former appears to have picked up an injury of his own. The extent of Dalton's back issue remains unclear, but injury reports Tuesday and Wednesday should provide further clarity on the situation.

Dalton completed 17 of 32 pass attempts for 162 yards and one touchdown (no turnovers) in Sunday's 30-26 loss to the Bengals.

EDGE Analysis

Dalton wasn't as efficient as we'd seen in his last two starts in place of Jameis Winston (back/ankle), but he did have the Saints leading late in the fourth quarter. The aforementioned Winston was healthy enough to suit up as the backup, but it was reported before the game that Dalton could continue to start with strong play, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. It is worth noting that the veteran signal-caller was without his three top receiving options, but the results were still vanilla from a fantasy standpoint. Should Dalton continue to start for New Orleans, he would do so on a short week against the Cardinals on Thursday.

Dalton is expected to be working without each of his top three receivers while he makes his third consecutive start Sunday against the Bengals, ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Though top signal-caller Jameis Winston (back/ankle) is listed as questionable for the contest, he's unlikely to be available as anything more than a backup option behind Dalton, who has managed the Saints to a 1-1 record over his previous two starts. In those games, Dalton hasn't been asked to do much, as he's attempted just 52 passes, completing 69.2 percent of those throws for 8.1 yards per attempt and a 2:1 TD:INT. Even if a negative game script forces Dalton to drop back more frequently Sunday, he won't have many established weapons to work with in the passing game aside from running back Alvin Kamara. Michael Thomas (foot) and Jarvis Landry (ankle) have already been ruled out for their third and second straight games, respectively, while standout rookie Chris Olave is listed as questionable but is still experiencing concussion symptoms and isn't likely to play. Additionally, depth wideout Deonte Harty (foot) was moved to injured reserve Saturday, leaving Tre'Quan Smith, Marquez Callaway, Keith Kirkwood, Rashid Shaheed and Kevin White as the team's available options at the position. That quintet has combined for 13 receptions through the first five weeks of the season.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Dalton will start Sunday's game against the Bengals, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

Jameis Winston (back/ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday after being a limited participant in practice this week and might be available as the backup, but Dalton will get at least one more start. Dalton will be presiding over an offense that's without Michael Thomas (foot) for a third straight game and Jarvis Landry (ankle) for a second straight, while rookie Chris Olave (concussion) is listed as questionable but could be at risk of missing the game. Dalton has only 52 pass attempts and two touchdowns through two starts, with the Saints opting for a run-heavy approach that has often featured Taysom Hill getting a lot of direct snaps, especially in the red zone. The depleted state of the wideout corps furthers the case for a run-first offense, though Cincinnati's solid front seven might have something to say about it.

Dalton completed 16 of 24 passes for 187 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Sunday's 39-32 win over the Seahawks.

EDGE Analysis

Dalton made his second consecutive start in the absence of Jameis Winston (back). While his stat line was uninspiring, Dalton successfully distributed the ball to key playmakers such as Chris Olave (concussion) and Alvin Kamara. Though Dalton has filled in relatively effectively for Winston, it's worth noting that Taysom Hill lined up as the team's quarterback on several occasions, taking away opportunity from Dalton. Hill could remain involved, particularly so long as the Saints remain without Michael Thomas (foot) and Jarvis Landry (ankle).