How will Saints' Michael Thomas, Bucs' Antonio Brown shape the NFC South race?

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Thomas is officially listed as questionable. But he practiced all week on a limited basis, and a source told ESPN’s Dianna Russini that he is expected to play.

Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians said Brown could play somewhere between 10 and 35 snaps on Sunday. Saints coach Sean Payton — who respected Brown’s talent enough to bring him in for a tryout in New Orleans late last season — said that could be enough for the four-time first-team All-Pro to make an impact.

“You know, one big play at the wrong time could [be a game-changer]. And it doesn’t require 11 catches,” Payton said. “He’s explosive and smart. He understands football.

“The challenge this week is not having any idea about, ‘Does he come out and play the Z or the X? How much?’ So you have to be prepared for where they might put him in their scheme.”

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Matthew Berry and Field Yates discuss Antonio Brown’s fantasy relevance and why Tom Brady is the key to his success in Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers should have a better idea of what to expect if New Orleans gets its full complement of offensive playmakers back. (Receiver Emmanuel Sanders was also activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list this week after missing the past two games.) But that won’t make the Saints any easier to defend.

The Saints have started to find a rhythm on offense during their recent four-game win streak, led by Alvin Kamara’s historic start as a runner and receiver.

“Without even giving him the ball, you have to account for Mike Thomas,” Kamara said. “Defense is an anticipating game. They’ve gotta anticipate what’s gonna happen when Mike Thomas is on the field. … And obviously, when you put the ball in his hands and you get him moving around and running how he’s used to running and doing the things he’s used to doing, it’s not many players, not many defenses that can stop him.”

Here’s a look at how much of an impact Brown and Thomas could have down the stretch — and what else the Buccaneers and Saints have to do to win the South.

Brown demands defenses’ attention

Unlike Thomas, Brown won’t be the focal point of the Bucs’ passing game. But his presence takes some of the attention off of players who have been doing the heavy lifting, such as Mike Evans, who said he is just now starting to feel close to 100 percent after suffering an ankle injury in Week 4. The injury impacted Evans’ ability to cut, but he has also seen a lot more double coverage when Chris Godwin hasn’t been out on the field, which has significantly impacted his production. Godwin’s status for Sunday isn’t certain, and much of that will depend on soreness, but Arians said Friday after Godwin caught passes for the first time since his surgery Oct. 27, “I would anticipate him probably playing.”

The Bucs will create some packages for Brown against the Saints, but Arians is keeping it close to the vest. In Brown and Brady’s one and only game together last season — a 43-0 win over the Dolphins in Week 2 — Brown lined up in the slot on 12 snaps and outside on 12 others.

Brown doesn’t need to play a ton of snaps to do some damage. In his one game with the Patriots, Brown was targeted eight times on 14 routes run (57.1%), and he caught four passes for 56 receiving yards and a touchdown. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, there have been more than 2,300 instances of a WR running 10-plus routes in a game since the start of last season; only one was targeted more frequently than Brown was in that game.

“Some of ’em was just, like they had the perfect playcall for the situation we was in, and they just took advantage of it and they just made a better play than we did,” Pro Bowl outside linebacker Shaq Barrett said. “But just looking at the film, we know we’re in the right position, we’ve just gotta be able to make the plays.”

Will Thomas’ return bring the deep ball back?

The Saints have maintained their efficiency on offense even without Thomas and Sanders, thanks to Kamara’s sensational play and the savviness of Payton and Drew Brees.

But the team could surely use a spark in the downfield passing game. Who better to provide that than Thomas, who shattered the NFL record with 149 receptions last year?

As Kamara said, even if Thomas isn’t the one getting the ball, he could open things up for others.

“He impacts the game plan a lot,” Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles said of Thomas. “Kamara was enough, but they get all their weapons back in Thomas and [Emmanuel] Sanders — they’ll be fully loaded, obviously — and you have [tight end Jared] Cook as well. …

“We can’t favor one guy or the other. We’ve got to be sound in our technique, sound in everything we do and just try to slow him down. He’s dangerous, and he’s probably one of the best in the league.”

When asked what makes Thomas a challenge to defend, Bowles said, “I’m sure he has a great work ethic. He can catch it underneath. He can catch it over the top. He has strong hands. He blocks for them. He can run the route tree for them. He can do a lot of things, which makes him very dangerous.”

Barrett added, “They just have that chemistry. They’ve got it. [Brees] knows exactly where 13’s gonna be at, and when he put the ball on him, he got a huge catch radius. He’s a great player.”

The Bucs had Davis, their top cornerback who is in the midst of a breakout season, with a league-leading four interceptions, shadow Thomas in Week 1, and Davis limited Thomas to three catches for 17 yards.

When asked why he was so successful against Thomas, whom he’s expected to shadow again this week, Davis said, “I like to get hands-on. I like to be physical off the line and throw the timing off. Some of his routes are kind of like timing routes. That’s my game.”