New Orleans Saints: WR Emmanuel Sanders out vs. Carolina Panthers

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders has been ruled out for the Week 7 matchup against the Carolina Panthers, however, not for injury or discipline reasons.

Sanders, who allegedly may have come into contact with someone recently who had tested positive for COVID-19, was placed on the Saints’ reserve-COVID list, and will not be able to play this Sunday.

This news comes soon after the speculation that teammate Michael Thomas, who had been battling an ankle injury from earlier in the season and disciplined for an altercation in practice, may not play against Carolina as well.

Reports say that Thomas possibly injured his hamstring in practice this week, further hindering his progress to return to action following yet another injury.

For New Orleans, it heads into a crucial divisional matchup with the looming possibility of playing without its top two pass catchers.

The NFC South could see three of its teams make the playoffs with the addition of a seventh seed in the bracket, and these are the standings heading into Week 7.

Besides attaining a better regular-season record, the Saints have maintained their dominance of the NFC South by winning in divisional games, therefore overcoming any tiebreakers that may exist when the playoffs start.

New Orleans already notched a Week 1 win over Tampa Bay, so it would already clinch a higher seed if the teams’ records tie in January, but it could only ensure a win in the standings if the team defeats the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay in their second meeting.

In this Week 7 game, the team will not have to face All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey but will see a familiar face in former Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Bridgewater signed a lucrative contract this offseason to leave New Orleans for Carolina after he resurrected his NFL career by filling in for quarterback Drew Brees in five games in 2019.

It may be hard for some Saints fans to see their own former players in another uniform in the division, but all that will matter is taking care of business by trying to win and also try to get the team healthy for the second half of the season.