ST. LOUIS -- Saints free safety Darren Sharper, who is tied for the NFL lead with seven interceptions, is one of the team’s eight inactives for today’s game with the St. Louis Rams.

Sharper injured his left knee in last Sunday’s game with the Carolina Panthers and did not practice Wednesday when the Saints returned to work. He had limited participation Thursday and Friday and was listed by coach Sean Payton as questionable for the game.

Also out today is cornerback Jabari Greer, who injured his groin in the fourth quarter against the Panthers. Sharper and Greer have combined for nine interceptions with that duo returning four of them for interceptions.

Third-year pro Usama Young will replace Sharper in the starting lineup, while Randall Gay, who is usually the nickel back, will move into Greer’s spot at left cornerback. Rookie cornerback Malcolm Jenkins will be heavily involved in the nickel and dime packages.

--Other inactives for the Saints are DT Sedrick Ellis (knee), WR Lance Moore (ankle), K Garrett Hartley, RB Lynell Hamilton and LB Jonathan Casillas. Chase Daniel is the third quarterback.

Hartley, Hamilton and Casillas are inactive by coach’s decision.

--Among the Rams inactives are G Richie Incognito, WR Ruvell Martin and CB Danny Gorrer.

 Gorrer was a member of the Saints practice squad until the Rams signed him to their active roster last week.

--Strongside linebacker Scott Fujita will be in the lineup for the first time since straining his left calf in an Oct. 18 game with the New York Giants.

Fujita missed three games and the final three quarters of the Giants game, which means he missed 15 consecutive quarters of play.

--Fujita will start instead of Jo-Lonn Dunbar, who has started the last two games. Troy Evans also had one start while Fujita was out.

Defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove will make his third straight start in place of Ellis.
 

--Saints wide receiver Lance Moore did not practice Friday and will not play in Sunday’s game with the Carolina Panthers, coach Sean Payton said.

Moore sprained his left ankle in the Saints’ win over the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night and has not practiced this week. He was seen in the locker room wearing a protective boot on his ankle and foot after Wednesday’s practice.

Moore was one of three players who were ruled out of the game with the Panthers. The others are defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis (knee) and nose tackle Kendrick Clancy (knee).

--Payton’s complete injury report for Sunday’s game is as follows:

Out: DT Sedrick Ellis (knee), WR Lance Moore (ankle), NT Kendrick Clancy (knee).

Doubtful: K Garrett Hartley (ankle).

Questionable: SLB Scott Fujita (calf).

Probable: C Jonathan Goodwin (knee), CB Malcolm Jenkins (ankle), LB Marvin Mitchell (foot).

Payton said Fujita, who has missed the last two games, did not practice Friday. He said Goodwin, Jenkins and Mitchell all practiced fully, while Hartley “tweaked” his ankle midway through the workout and was limited.

--Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, who was taken to a hospital for tests after suffering a chest injury in Sunday’s win at Arizona, practiced fully for the third day in a row Friday and should be good to go against the Saints.

Panthers coach John Fox filed the following injury report with the NFL office:

Out: FB Brad Hoover (ankle).

Questionable: K John Kasay (groin), WR Muhsin Muhammad (knee), RB Jonathan Stewart (Achilles), TE Dante Rosario (knee), S Charles Godfrey (ankle), FB Tony Fiammetta (concussion), LB Landon Johnson (shoulder).

Probable: QB Jake Delhomme (chest).

Like Delhomme, Stewart and Johnson had full participation in Friday’s practice. The other six players on the Panthers’ injury report did not participate in the workout.
 

METAIRIE -- Saints fullback Heath Evans, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in Sunday’s 46-34 win over the Miami Dolphins, was placed on injured reserve Thursday.

Evans, a nine-year veteran, had the knee ligament repaired on Thursday by Dr. James Andrews and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.

The Saints signed Kyle Eckel, who has played in 17 games with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, to take Evans’ spot on the 53-man roster. Evans and Eckel played together with the Patriots in 2007.

The loss of Evans, who was injured after catching a pass early in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, is a big blow to the Saints’ offense. While he was an effective blocker in the running game, he also scored three touchdowns -- two receiving and one rushing.

He rushed for 16 yards on five carries and had 10 receptions for 70 yards.

“He’s a guy that to date has really played well for us -- in the running game and passing game,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “So you never like to lose a starter.”

Eckel was in training camp with the Eagles this season, but was released on the final cut. The 5-foot-11, 237-pounder has 57 carries for 169 yards with two TDs in his NFL career.

--Payton also said defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis has a sprained right knee, which he suffered in the second quarter of Sunday’s game.

Ellis didn’t work Thursday and likely won’t practice this week as the Saints prepare for Monday night’s game with the Atlanta Falcons in the Superdome.

“The swelling is down and it’s better, but we wouldn’t know anything until later in the week,” Payton said. “I’m somewhat guarded as to the progress he’s making.”

--Also missing practice Thursday was strongside linebacker Scott Fujita, who did not play against the Dolphins because of a strained left calf.

Payton, however, said Fujita was making “a lot of progress” and that he was optimistic about him.

Tight end Jeremy Shockey (shoulder) was limited in practice, while cornerbacks Malcolm Jenkins (ankle) and Leigh Torrence (hamstring) worked fully after missing Sunday’s game.

--For the Falcons, running backs Jerious Norwood (hip) and Jason Snelling (hamstring) did not practice, while defensive end John Abraham (foot) and defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux (ankle) were limited.
 

--The Saints worked out free agent fullbacks Darian Barnes and Kyle Eckel on Tuesday, which could be a sign that the knee injury that knocked fullback Heath Evans out of Sunday’s game at Miami could sideline him at least for Monday night’s game with the Atlanta Falcons.

General Manager Mickey Loomis confirmed via e-mail to The Advocate that Barnes, an eight-year veteran who played in four games with the Saints last season, and Eckel had been in for tryouts.

Loomis, however, did not respond to a question about the severity of Evans’ injury.

Barnes was with the Saints this offseason, but was released just before training camp started. He has also played with six other NFL teams. Eckel has not played this season after playing 17 games the last two seasons with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.

Saints coach Sean Payton said Tuesday that he’d have an update Thursday concerning Evans and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, who also left Sunday’s game with a knee injury, as well as strongside linebacker Scott Fujita, who did not play against the Dolphins because of a strained calf.

The Saints did not practice Wednesday after Payton pushed back the normal Wednesday through Saturday practice schedule back one day because of the Monday night game. They will return to the practice field today.

--Loomis said rookie running back P.J. Hill, who was a member of the Saints practice squad for the first seven weeks of the season, was signed to the Eagles’ 53-man active roster Wednesday.

Hill made an impression on the Saints during training camp and the team’s four exhibition games, but could not make the active roster behind a loaded backfield that includes Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell and Lynell Hanilton.

The Eagles signed Hill to help add backfield depth after veteran Brian Westbrook suffered a concussion Monday night against the Washington Redskins.

Loomis said the Saints would bring rookie Herb Donaldson back to the practice squad Thursday. Donaldson was also impressive in training camp, but the Saints kept Hill over him when they put together their eight-man practice squad after making their final cuts.

--Saints free safety Darren Sharper has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October.

Sharper, a 13-year veteran, intercepted three passes and had 17 tackles as well as one-half sack in the Saints’ three games in October. He returned two of the interceptions for touchdowns.

His 42-yard interception return for a score in the third quarter of Sunday’s game with the Dolphins came when the Saints trailed 24-10 and sparked a second-half rally that lifted his team to a 46-34 victory.

Sharper has six interceptions for the season, with three of them being returned for scores. He has 60 career interceptions and 11 TDs, just one score off the all-time record of 12 held by Hall of Famer Rod Woodson.

--Saints running back Reggie Bush is featured on the cover of this week’s edition of Sports Illustrated, which hits newsstands Thursday.

Bush is shown leaping into the end zone at the end of his 10-yard run for a touchdown on a double-reverse in the 46-34 win over the Dolphins. On the play, Bush leaped from the 6-yard line and broke the plane of the goal with the ball for the TD.

The main headline on the cover reads, “Saints Soaring.” A smaller headline above it says, “A Spectacluar Comeback Saves An Unbeaten Start.”
 

MIAMI -- As expected, Saints strongside linebacker Scott Fujita is inactive for today’s game with the Miami Dolphins in Landshark Stadium.

Fujita, who did not practice all week after straining his left calf in the first quarter of last Sunday’s game with the New York Giants, will be replaced in the starting lineup by eight-year veteran Troy Evans.

Evans, a top special teams contributor, had four tackles against the Giants after taking over for Fujita.

--The Saints other inactives are CB Malcolm Jenkins, CB Leigh Torrence, DT Kendrick Clancy, K Garrett Hartley, RB Lynell Hamilton and C Nick Leckey. Chase Daniel is the third quarterback.

Jenkins has an ankle injury and Torrence is out with a hamstring problem. Their other inactives are all healthy.

--The Dolphins inactives are LB Quentin Moses, TE John Nalbone, WR Patrick Turner, T Lydon Murtha, DE Lionel Dotson, T Andrew Gardner and RB Kory Sheets. Tyler Thigpen is the third quarterback.

--The gametime temperature is a warm 89 degrees with the relative humidity at 57 percent, which could be a factor for the Saints, who are wearing their black jerseys.
 

--Saints strongside linebacker Scott Fujita did not practice again on Friday and it’s unlikely that he'll be able to play Sunday against the Miami Dolphins in Land Shark Stadium.

Fujita, who has a strained left calf, was listed as questionable by Saints coach Sean Payton when Payton turned his injury report in to the NFL office. Questionable means that Fujita has a 50-50 chance of playing Sunday.

Also questionable is rookie cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, who did not participate in practice for the second straight day. Jenkins has had a left ankle injury that apparently flared up on him after practicing on a limited basis Wednesday.

“We’ll see where those guys are with treatment tomorrow and then we’ll go from there,” Payton said after Friday’s practice.

--Payton’s full injury report is as follows:

Questionable: LB Scott Fujita (calf) and CB Malcolm Jenkins (ankle).

Probable: TE Jeremy Shockey (shoulder), G Jahri Evans (toe), P Thomas Morstead (ankle), LS Jason Kyle (knee/ankle), DE Jeff Charleston (rib), CB Leigh Torrence (hamstring) and LB Jonathan Casillas (hip).

Shockey, Torrence and Casillas all practiced on a limited basis Friday. The other players listed as probable had full participation.

--Saints middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma has been fined $10,000 by the league for a helmet-to-helmet hit on New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning in the second quarter of last Sunday’s game.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported on its Web site that Vilma, who was flagged for a personal foul on the play, plans to appeal the fine.

The penalty on Vilma nullified an interception by free safety Darren Sharper, who ran 70 yards for a touchdown with the pick.

--Quarterback Drew Brees has been voted by fans as the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week for his efforts in the Saints’ 48-27 victory over the Giants.

Brees, who also won the award in Weeks 1 and 2, completed 23 of 30 passes for 369 yards and four touchdowns and had a near-perfect passer rating of 156.8. The award brings another $1,000 donation in his name to the New Orleans area Safe Kids Coalition.

Brees won the honor over New England’s Tom Brady and Houston’s Matt Schaub.

--Saints owner Tom Benson was presented with the Army Strong award on Friday by the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion of Baton Rouge in a brief ceremony at the team’s Metairie training facility.

Lt. Col. Robert Sanchez, commander of the Baton Rouge Recruiting Battalion, Louisiana State Adjutant Maj. Gen. Hunt Downer and area soldiers were on hand for the presentation to Benson, a World War II veteran who served in the Navy.

The Army Strong award honors community leaders who exemplify seven Army Values -- Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage -- and demonstrates those values in their daily lives.
 

--Saints strongside linebacker Scott Fujita was held out of practice Thursday for the second straight day and his availability for Sunday’s game with the Miami Dolphins is in question.

Fujita strained his left calf early in the first quarter of the Saints’ 48-27 win over the New York Giants on Sunday and did not return to the field. He was replaced by eight-year veteran Troy Evans.

Fujita said Wednesday the calf felt better than it did Tuesday, but the fact that he didn’t work again Thursday and the nature of the injury doesn’t look good for him playing Sunday.

--Fujita was joined on the sideline Thursday by rookie cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, who worked on a limited basis Wednesday.

Jenkins has a left ankle injury that kept him out of the game with the New York Jets on Oct. 4, but he returned last week to play against the Giants. His availability for the game with the Dolphins was unknown Thursday.

--Three players had limited participation in Thursday’s workout.

They were TE Jeremy Shockey (shoulder), CB Leigh Torrence (hamstring) and LB Jonatahn Casillas (hip).

P Thomas Morstead, who was limited Wednesday with a right ankle problem, worked fully Thursday.

--For the second straight day Thursday, the Dolphins listed no players on their injury report.

--Saints kicker John Carney, who needs three points against the Dolphins to become only the fourth player in NFL history with 2,000 career points, played in his 100th game with the Saints last Sunday.

Carney was re-signed by the team in August after playing for the Saints from 2001 to 2006. He is the sixth player in league history to play at least 100 games for two teams as he played in 160 games with the San Diego Chargers from 1990 to 2000.

--Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday, is one of three candidates for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week Award.

Brees won the FedEx honor in Weeks 1 and 2. Fans can vote until 11 a.m. Friday at http://www.NFL.com/FedEx. The winner will be announced Friday evening on NFL.com.

--Brees has already had a big week. In addition to being named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week, he and his family were honored by the Lusher Charter School on Tuesday evening.

The school celebrated the dedication of its newly-renovated athletic field by naming it the Brees Family Field. The Brees Dream Foundation worked with Operation Kids to raise funds needed to rehabilitate the field after Hurricane Katrina.

It’s one of 12 projects that the Brees Dream Foundation helped fund after raising $1.8 million through the Operation Kids initiative.
 

NEW ORLEANS -- Kicker Garrett Hartley, who was reinstated on Oct. 5 after serving a four-game NFL suspension, is among the Saints eight inactives for today’s game with the New York Giants.

Hartley missed the first four games of the season after testing positive last spring for the banned stimulant Adderall. Veteran John Carney will handle the kicking duties for the fifth straight game.

--Other Saints inactives: NT Kendrick Clancy (knee), TE Darnell Dinkins (foot), LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar (hamstring), CB Leigh Torrence (hamstring), RB Lynell Hamilton and C Nick Leckey.

Chase Daniel, who was re-signed Friday when wide receiver Rod Harper was put on injured reserve with a foot problem, was the third quarterback.

--Remi Ayodele will start at nose tackle for the third time in the last four games in Clancy’s place. The Giants have no lineup changes.

--The Giants inactives: CB Aaron Ross (hamstring), LB Michael Boley (knee), WR Ramses Barden, RB Danny Ware, T Adam Koets, T Guy Whimper, LB Clint Sintim and DL Chris Canty.
 

--The 4-0 Saints continued preparing Thursday for Sunday’s showdown of undefeated teams in the Superdome with the second-to-last major practice before they go against the 5-0 New York Giants.

Saints coach Sean Payton got some better news on the injury front as starting right guard Jahri Evans, who did not practice Wednesday because of a big toe injury, worked on a limited basis. His availability for Sunday’s game, however, remains in question.

Payton said rookie cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, whose left ankle injury kept him out of the last game on Oct. 4 and Wednesday’s practice, was also limited as were running back Pierre Thomas and cornerback Leigh Torrence, who both have hamstring problems.

Wide receiver Rod Harper (foot) was the only player who did not work. Defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy (knee), running back Mike Bell (knee), tackle Jermon Bushrod (knee/ankle), tight end Darnell Dinkins (foot) and long snapper Jason Kyle (knee/ankle) all were full for the second straight day.

--The Saints’ four-game winning streak equals their longest under Payton, who became their head coach in 2006.

They also won four consecutive games in 2007 after dropping their season opener to the Indianapolis Colts. That streak included wins over the Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars.

A victory over the Giants on Sunday would give the Saints a five-game winning streak for the ninth time in franchise history. The last time they won five in a row was in the 2004 and ’05 seasons -- winning the last four games in 2004 and the opener the following season.

--Several Saints players joined with the United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area for the 11th annual Hometown Huddle on Tuesday.

The players worked on a goal of fighting childhood obesity, using their day off to create an indoor fitness room at the NFL Youth Education Town Center with the help of Nintendo Wii.

The Hometown Huddle project this year emphasized the importance of Youth Fitness. With the help of Best Buy, the Saints purchased flat-screen TVs, furniture and Wii Fit consoles to give students at the YET Center a fun opportunity to be active.

--Saints fans attending Sunday’s game are asked to bring non-perishable food items or monetary donations for the third annual Saints/Winn Dixie Food Drive.

Food and money can be dropped off at Gate A ground level, the Gate C bridge, or at the Gate A, E and G entrances on the Plaza Level.

The drive will benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana.

--As they did for the last home game with the New York Jets, Saints officials are urging fans to arrive early for Sunday’s noon kickoff in the Superdome.

Increased security measures will again be in place at the stadium as well as in the parking garages. The Superdome doors open at 10 a.m.