Pierre Thomas (knee) was limited in Saints practice Friday. Thomas was limited on Thursday as well after being a late addition to the injury report. The signs point toward Thomas being active for Sunday's clash with the Cowboys, but he hasn't been a fantasy option in quite sometime.

Pierre Thomas was added to the Saints' injury report Thursday with a knee ailment. Thomas hasn't been listed on the practice report all season, so it looks like a new injury. With Chris Ivory (hamstring) also limited, the Saints backfield is up in the air beyond Mark Ingram and Darren Sproles.

Pierre Thomas rushed for just 13 yards on four carries in Week 15 versus the Bucs. Thomas added three receptions for 26 yards, but Mark Ingram dominated the backfield carries for the second-straight week. Ingram out-carried Thomas 14-4 on Sunday. Thomas has worked his way into fantasy wasteland with Ingram capitalizing on the opportunities he's given.

Pierre Thomas rushed five times for just 19 yards in New Orleans' Week 14 loss to the Giants, but added seven catches for 57 yards. Thomas's receiving exploits salvaged his day from a fantasy perspective, but he was out-carried 13-5 by Mark Ingram one week after rushing 14 times for 84 yards. Thomas' usage simply can't be accurately predicted on a weekly basis, leaving him as a shot-in-the-dark flex play for the remaining two weeks of the fantasy playoffs.

Pierre Thomas led the team with 14 carries and 84 yards rushing in Thursday night's Week 13 loss to the Falcons. Thomas was the lone runner out of the Saints' backfield to pile up any meaningful yards. Mark Ingram vultured a goal-line one-yard score in the second quarter after Thomas fell short of the end zone on a nine-yard run. Thomas was used sparingly in last week's loss to the Niners but showed plenty of burst on inside runs against Atlanta. The New Orleans backfield is similar to Pittsburgh's and is purely a hot-hand approach. None of the Saints' backs are any more than flex options against the Giants next week.

Pierre Thomas led the Saints backfield with 27 snaps (44 percent) versus the Falcons in Week 10. Mark Ingram played 24 snaps (39 percent) while Chris Ivory was limited to just 10 (16 percent). Ingram leads the backfield with 25 touches for 134 yards compared to Ivory's 19 touches for 135 yards and Thomas' 14 touches for 86 yards over the past two games. It's clear that interim coach Joe Vitt wants Ingram and Ivory more involved. That has come at Thomas' expense in non-passing situations.

Pierre Thomas rushed just five times for 10 yards and caught one pass for six yards versus the Falcons in Week 10. Joe Vitt's return and Darren Sproles' hand injury have been bad for Thomas' fantasy value. Vitt has increased the roles of Mark Ingram and Chris Ivory, leaving an ineffective Thomas with a third of Ingram's carries on Sunday. Thomas will have to be ranked below Ingram and Ivory in Week 11 at Oakland.

ESPN's Ed Werder reports Saints coach Joe Vitt wants New Orleans' running game more involved in order to "protect" against its bad defense. Vitt was away from the team for the first six games on suspension, and got to take an unbiased view of the Saints. While Werder insists the Saints will remain a pass-first team as long as Drew Brees is their quarterback, an uptick of rushing attempts could work to decrease the field time of New Orleans' defense. We like Pierre Thomas as a high-upside flex option in Week 10 against Atlanta. Chris Ivory and Mark Ingram are also in the flex conversation.

Pierre Thomas led the Saints backfield in snaps during the Week 9 win over the Eagles.

Pierre Thomas rushed for 44 yards on six carries and caught two passes for 26 yards in New Orleans' Week 9 win over the Eagles.