Wes Welker is inactive. This is a very surprising bit of news. Welker played last week and looked great. He was listed as questionable, but given Bill Belichick’s history with being coy about injuries, everyone thought he would play. Hopefully, fantasy owners have a good option on the bench. If not, Louis Murphy and Michael Clayton are sneaky good starts this week and may be available on the waiver wire.
Matt Cassel is active. He faces the Raiders, which isn’t a very good matchup, but he can be started if necessary. His situation seems pretty fluid, so be careful.
Pierre Thomas will play, but will be limited. The general consensus was that Thomas wouldn’t play this week, so this is a bit of a downgrade for Mike Bell, though he is still startable as a RB2 or flex. The Philly defense will be a good test for Drew Brees and Co., and the Saints will need to get their running game going. Pierre should stay on the bench, But Bell should get 15-20 carries unless the Saints fall behind early.
Anquan Boldin looks good in pregame and will play. John Clayton is reporting that Boldin has his speed back. Start him as you normally would. Steve Breaston is also active.
