NFL

Saints RB Pierre Thomas (ribs) has been ruled out for Week 17. Reggie Bush will likely start against the Panthers, though Mike Bell is a better bet for carries and touchdowns.

Thomas’ ribs are only bruised, so he’s likely just being sat for precautionary reasons. Thomas should be ready for the playoffs, especially since the Saints have a first round bye.

Elsewhere around the NFL:

Pittsburg: Steelers WR Hines Ward (hamstring) is listed as probable for Week 17. He returned to a full practice on Friday, which is something of a surprise after the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Ward is dealing with two separate hamstring injuries. Ward won’t be 100 percent against the Miami Dolphins.

Atlanta: Tony Gonzalez (calf, questionable) returned to Atlanta Falcons practice Friday, albeit in a limited manner.
Gonzalez appears to be a game-time decision for Sunday’s tilt with the Bucs. We suspect that Gonzalez will be ready to play on Sunday.

New York: Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot, questionable) was held out of Giants practice Friday. Last week Bradshaw was only listed as probable, which is a bad sign that his status for this week was downgraded. Even if Bradshaw was able to play on Sunday, he has a bad matchup against the Vikings.

Denver: Brandon Marshall (hamstring) has been ruled out for Week 17 against the Chiefs because of a coach’s decision. Coach Josh McDaniels interestingly said it was an accountability issue and Marshall didn’t want to play through his hamstring injury. The loss is a major blow to Denver’s offensive arsenal, as Marshall is the team’s only weapon at wide receiver.

Miami: Ricky Williams (questionable, shoulder) was limited in Friday’s practice. The Fins aren’t planning to give Ricky a full workload even if he’s active.

Oakland: Three Oakland Raiders were fined a total of $40,000 Thursday for their actions in last week’s penalty-filled game against the Cleveland Browns. Tight end Tony Stewart got hit with the biggest amount, being docked $25,000 for “making intentional physical contact with a game official.” Stewart said Monday he was arguing with the officials after he claimed he was punched by Cleveland linebacker Alex Hall on a kickoff return. Stewart said the official put his hand on his chest and Stewart pushed it aside, leading to the penalty and ejection.

New England: Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said he spoke with coach Bill Belichick this week about his desire to play Sunday against the Houston Texans, and relayed Belichick’s response. “You’ll play, don’t worry about that. You’ll be playing.” Yeah but how long will he play is the key. Not long is our guess.

Denver: The NFL has fined Denver Broncos receiver Brandon Stokley $25,000 for making contact with an official that led to his ejection from last weekend’s game at Philadelphia.