Saints LG Carl Nicks called Pierre Thomas "an animal" after his tackle-breaking performance against the Lions. "We're just a different team when that guy's healthy," explained Nicks. Drew Brees went even further, boldly stating, "I've never played with a guy who's tougher, smarter or more versatile ... I could not help but notice the way he ran, shedding tacklers one after another, getting the tough yards. It was phenomenal." Thomas' legs are fresh after being limited to 160 touches in the regular season. Expect a similar approach next season.

Pierre Thomas rushed eight times for 66 yards and a touchdown and added six receptions for 55 yards against the Lions in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Arguably the Saints' MVP through three quarters, Thomas was a tackle-breaking machine, maintaining his balance and refusing to go down on first contact. He averaged over nine yards through the air as well as on the ground. After losing an early score to Darren Sproles, Thomas was rewarded with a 1-yard plunge in garbage time. Heading into next Saturday's game with the 49ers, Thomas and Sproles are clearly the Saints' top two backs.

Pierre Thomas rushed for 53 yards and a touchdown on nine carries and caught two passes for four yards in the Saints' Week 16 win. Again operating as New Orleans' primary red-zone back with Mark Ingram out, Thomas carried the pile for gains of 12 and 8 before punching it in from four yards away on New Orleans' opening drive. Thomas was promptly penalized for "using the football as a prop" after putting a golden ribbon-bow on the ball. A displeased Sean Payton held Thomas out for the Saints' next possession. He returned soon thereafter and made a couple of nice cuts on a 12-yard, third-quarter run. Thomas probably won't play much in the Saints' Week 17 matchup with Carolina.

Pierre Thomas rushed eight times for 44 yards and a touchdown, also catching two balls for 41 yards as the Saints defeated the Vikings in Week 15. Darren Sproles easily scored on a fourth-quarter goal-line carry, only to have the play overturned. Pierre Thomas took it in on the next attempt. Thomas was New Orleans' most effective ball carrier against Minnesota, although Chris Ivory got more work in clock-killing, keep-the-lead mode. Look for Thomas to remain the Saints' favorite for goal-line carries in Week 16 against the Falcons if Mark Ingram (turf toe) doesn't play.

Pierre Thomas led the Saints' backfield with 33 snaps played in last Sunday's win over the Titans.

Pierre Thomas played just 14-of-61 snaps in Sunday night's win over the Colts. Thomas ended up with four touches, his lowest total of the season. Mark Ingram played 25 snaps and got 16 carries, while Darren Sproles saw nine touches on 22 snaps. This backfield will continue to be a three-headed monster that is wildly effective for the Saints but extremely unattractive for fantasy owners.

Pierre Thomas rushed twice for 10 yards in Sunday's win, adding just two catches for 11 yards. One week after turning in his best rushing effort of the season, Thomas had his worst as Mark Ingram handled the load on the ground. Thomas has now alternated 50-yard rushing efforts with sub-30 yard rushing efforts over his past six games. The stat is a pure fluke, but does underscore the fact that he's too unpredictable to be counted on as anything other than a flex option in 10-12 team leagues for the fantasy playoffs despite his contributions in the passing game.

Pierre Thomas ran the ball eight times for 63 yards and a score in Week 12 against the Giants, and also added 47 yards on three catches in the win. Thomas has been getting plenty of snaps lately and that trend continued tonight, but he's going to struggle for consistency in the Saints' committee approach. He also tends to produce more in games in which the Saints are winning, particularly when they want to pound the rock. Next week's game against the Lions profiles well for Thomas, as the Saints will need to score and will also be favored to win. That said, he's no more than a flex option due to the committee.

Pierre Thomas led the Saints' backfield in Week 10 snaps with 27. Darren Sproles played on just 20-of-59 offensive snaps and Mark Ingram was at 13. According to beat writer Jeff Duncan, "the Saints planned to employ a variety of plays for Sproles but the Falcons were well-prepared." Sean Payton's situational backfield will remain the status quo when the Saints come out of their bye in Week 12.

Pierre Thomas rushed six times for 29 yards and added four receptions for nine yards against the Falcons in Week 10. Boasting one of the NFL's most underrated run defenses, the Falcons shut down the Saints' ground attack this week. Thomas' 29 yards actually led the team. He's averaging just under 60 scrimmage yards per game heading into the Week 11 bye.