Watson (illness) didn't practice Thursday, Josh Katzenstein of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Watson has played second fiddle to fellow tight end Josh Hill in terms of offensive snap count for most of the campaign. That said, Watson is the superior receiving option, especially in the red zone, so his status will be one to monitor in advance of Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Rams. Friday's injury report will provide the final word on his potential to suit up.

Watson was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's injury report due to an illness, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Since his intention to retire after this season came to light in late December, Watson likely will take every measure to play during the Saints' postseason run. As a result, an appearance at practice Thursday or Friday may not be mandatory for the veteran tight end to take the field for Sunday's NFC Championship Game versus the Rams.

Watson said Thursday that he's planning on retiring after the 2019 season, Josh Katzenstein of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

EDGE Analysis

While he's never been a big-name tight end during his time in the NFL, Watson has carved out a 15-year career through his well-rounded skill set and positive presence in the locker room. Even at 38 years old, Watson has remained a quality complementary piece in a prolific Saints offense, tallying 33 receptions for 371 yards and two scores. He'll have another opportunity to add to that total in the regular-season finale Sunday against the Panthers, though he and the Saints' other starters are likely to play limited snaps with the postseason on the horizon. Watson is hopeful that to cap his career with a second Super Bowl title Feb. 3 in Atlanta.

Watson caught one of his two targets for a six-yard gain during Sunday's 31-28 win over Pittsburgh.

EDGE Analysis

A popular target early in the season with at least four receptions in four of his first six games of the season, Watson has caught multiple passes just once his last seven contests despite a relative dearth of established receiving options. Now with Ted Ginn back in the fold, don't expect Watson to turn it back on, especially in the season finale with the No. 1 overall seed already locked away and a matchup against a Panthers defense that held him to one catch in Week 15.

Watson caught one of two passes for 28 yards during Monday's 12-9 win over Carolina.

EDGE Analysis

Watson set up the Saints' second field goal of the game late in the first quarter when he laid out for a long corner route off of play action. He was quiet the rest of the night. Despite a dearth of established targets in New Orleans, Watson hasn't topped 30 yards in a game or scored since Week 9. At the same time, the Saints offense has sputtered, scoring fewer than 13 points in two of the last three games -- an uneven performance against a weak Tampa Bay defense sandwiched in between. Next up is a Pittsburgh defense fresh off a beatdown of the Patriots.

Watson caught three passes for 24 yards in Sunday's win against the Buccaneers.

EDGE Analysis

It has been an extremely quiet second half the season for Watson, who has just eight total catches over his last seven contests. In fact, Watson's modest 24 receiving yards were his most since Week 9. While potential touchdowns are always on the table in the Saints' typically high-scoring offense, Watson simply has not done enough to warrant every-week consideration in most fantasy leagues, even given the ugly state of tight end.

Watson pulled in one of two targets for 20 yards during Thanksgiving's 31-17 win over Atlanta.

EDGE Analysis

Watson's lone catch came midway through the third quarter, up the right sideline to help set up a Dan Arnold touchdown. Drew Brees tried to take a shot toward Watson in Atlanta territory earlier in the game. Watson has been targeted just four times over the past three weeks, but still has some value as one of the few established targets remaining on the Saints' roster. Thursday's matchup with Dallas should be tough, though, the Cowboys ranking in the top half of the league against the pass with 255 yards per game.

Watson had one catch for one yard in Sunday's win against the Bengals.

EDGE Analysis

Fantasy owners certainly won't be pleased with the box score but Watson was a whisker away from a multi-score day. First, Watson uncharacteristically dropped an easy touchdown from Taysom Hill on a pop-pass trick play from the one-yard line in the second quarter. Then, Watson caught what appeared to be a two-yard score in the third quarter, but the touchdown was reversed on replay review. The veteran tight end is averaging just three catches per game and has yet to top 71 yards in a single contest, but he's seen at least four targets in six of the Saints' nine games -- enough to keep him in the starting conversation in deeper leagues given the uncertain tight-end landscape.

Watson caught three of four targets for 62 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 45-35 win over the Rams.

EDGE Analysis

Watson didn't see many targets, but he averaged a healthy 20.7 yards per reception as he finished second on the team in receiving. He made an especially nifty 32-yard catch to set up a touchdown in the second quarter and added a 13-yard score of his own just before halftime. This was a nice bounce-back performance for Watson after he was held without a catch last week, but his role remains heavily dependent on game flow. He'll look to build on this effort next Sunday against the Bengals.

Watson was not targeted in Sunday night's win against the Vikings.

EDGE Analysis

A week after catching six passes, including Drew Brees' 500th career touchdown toss, Watson was nearly invisible in Minnesota. With the Vikings playing deploying an extremely conservative game plan, the Saints actually ran more times than they threw, resulting in blocking tight end Josh Hill out-snapping Watson by a count of 34 to 14 offensive snaps. Like most of the tight ends in the league, the Saints' offense game plan does not revolve around feeding Watson targets, so his usage will continue to be heavily dependent on what the defense gives Brees. Still, Watson remains the top receiving tight end on a high-scoring Saints offense, which makes him a decent low-end starting option in most fantasy leagues despite Sunday's goose egg.